Throughout the next few weeks, Bay State Running will be putting the spotlight on some of the top performances of the outdoor track and field season. While we’ve had our share of showstoppers over the past few months, these are the moments that we feel stood out the most and left the biggest impression.
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According to our research, just eight athletes have surpassed 20 feet in the girls’ long jump in Massachusetts history. Remarkably, nearly half of those performances came this spring.
Oliver Ames’ Lavender Kozaka was the first to reach the milestone, winning the Warrior Invitational on April 23 with a leap of 20 feet, ¾ inch. Lexington’s Aubrey Deardorf finished the season as the state’s top performer, capturing the Meet of Champions title with a personal-best 20-3.25. Westford Academy freshman Kaitlyn Boakye-Yiadom completed the remarkable trio by winning the freshman title at the New Balance Nationals with a jump of 20-2.5.
It was unquestionably the Year of the Long Jump in Massachusetts, and the state record of 21-7½, set by Foxboro’s Jamie Holmes at the 2007 New England Championships, suddenly looks vulnerable. Considering Boakye-Yiadom is only a freshman and Kozaka still has another season remaining, it may only be a matter of time before that mark is challenged.
