Long Jump-
2019 State Champion: Serena Bolden (Springfield Southeast), 19'0.75"
Key Athletes: Diamonasia Taylor (Sr., Urbana), Tanaya Young (Jr., Rantoul), Julia Finazzo (Jr., Galena), Kylie Gormann (So., Centralia), Lauren Doerr (Jr., Morton), Arianna Walker (Jr., Olympia Fields [Rich South]), Carly Tucker (Sr., Metamora)
Breakdown: Horizontal jumps could be unpredictable, especially when there is no dominant force in the field such as last year's champion Serena Bolden.
The classification's only returning jumper who cracked the 19ft mark en route to a state runner-up finish is Diamonasia Taylor. She could potentially be a force in this event with more consistency on the runway. There are a bunch of young ladies in the mix who are ready to pounce when the bright lights shine this season.
Tanaya Young has the best returning wind-legal mark in 2A (18'10.50), the bronze medalist from 2019 who finished over two inches away from a title showed 18ft+ consistency during the state series, will she be ready to move up two spots on the podium?
Julia Finazzo and Lauren Doerr both have 18ft performances on their resume and look to shake things up. Pay attention to indoor jumps as you may get a better indication of ability when weather conditions are not present.