Top 20 jumpers in Texas high school girls track: Meet the state's best track & field athletes

With the 2022 Texas high school track and field state championships taking center stage this weekend in Austin (May 12-14), SBLive is highlighting the top boys and girls track and field athletes in the state.

Earlier we took a look at the top girls sprinters and the top girls distance runners in the state. Now we turn our attention to the top girls jumpers.

There are hundreds of outstanding jumpers in Texas, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive. Tag us on Twitter or Instagram @SBLiveTX and let us know about other jumpers worthy of fans’ attention.

TOP 20 GIRLS JUMPERS IN TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL TRACK

(The list is in alphabetical order)

India Alix, Jr., Klein

Personal bests: Long jump, 21-0¼; Triple jump, 40-4¼

Alix qualified for her first UIL 6A state meet this weekend by winning Region II titles in both the long and triple jumps, beating national leader Ayanna Jones of Belton in the long jump. Her best legal long jump is 19-10¼ — she jumped over 21 feet with a healthy wind at her back to win the regional title.

Jaela Auguste, So., Conroe Grand Oaks

Personal bests: High jump, 5-10

Auguste had to miss out on the postseason last spring as a freshman, but she has had a banner sophomore year. She won UIL 6A District 13 and Area 13-14 titles before taking second behind state leader Claire Lowery at the Region II championships to qualify for state for the first time.

Shadasia Brackens, Jr., Fairfield

Personal bests: 400, 57.75; High jump, 5-10; Triple jump, 37-9¾

Brackens finished second in the high jump at the UIL 3A state championships, then became the third 3A girl ever to clear 5-10 with her victory at the Area 19-20 meet. She won a regional title last week and will also run the 400 at state after finishing second at regional.

Sanaria Butler, Sr., Port Neches-Groves

Personal bests: 400, 54.09; Long jump, 19-3¾; Triple jump, 41-9½

Butler qualified for the UIL 5A Region III championships in three events as a junior but didn’t advance in any to the state meet. Fast forward one year, and Butler will compete in all three events at this weekend’s 5A state meet after winning the regional title in the 400 and taking second in the long and triple jumps. Her best legal triple jump of the season is a 40-9¾ in winning the Area 21-22 title in mid-April.

Quinn Calhoun, Sr., Houston Cypress Woods

Personal best: Pole vault, 13-7½

Calhoun qualified for the UIL 6A state meet for the second time, looking to improve upon her seventh-place finish of a year ago at this weekend’s state championships.

Kashlee Dickinson, Jr., Canyon

Personal bests: 100, 12.80; High jump, 5-0; Pole vault, 13-6

Dickinson vaulted over 13 feet for the first time last spring to win the UIL 4A state championship. Her only loss this spring came at the Texas Relays, where she placed eighth in a loaded field, and she has been over 13 feet ever since, improving her personal-best at five consecutive meets — including her Region I-winning vault last weekend.

Abby Elmore, So., Gunter

Personal bests: 100 hurdles, 14.93; 300 hurdles, 47.12; Shot put, 40-1 ¼; Javelin, 106-0; High jump, 6-0; Pole vault, 9-6; Long jump, 18-5

Elmore may have a future as a heptathlete, but for now, she’ll compete in three disparate disciplines at the UIL 3A state meet next week. She moved into No. 2 on the 3A all-time list with her 6-foot high jump to win the Region II title, and she also won regional titles in the 100 hurdles and shot and led off the qualifying 4x400 relay. She narrowly missed out on making it to state in the long jump. Last spring, she took sixth at state in the 100 hurdles and high jump.

Samantha Ennin, Fr., John Paul II (Plano)

Personal bests: Long jump, 18-4¾; Triple jump, 37-10¼

Ennin finished off her freshman season with the Cardinals with a flourish, sweeping the TAPPS 6A state titles in the long and triple jumps and running the third leg on the champion 4x200 relay. She also ran the third leg on the runner-up 4x400 relay at state.

Emily Fitzsimmons, Sr., Austin Lake Travis

Personal bests: Pole vault, 13-9

Fitzsimmons cleared her personal-best last spring in winning the UIL 6A state championship. The University of Oregon commit has lost only once this spring — a third-place finish behind national record-holder Amanda Moll of Capital in Olympia, Wash., at the Texas Relays — and earned her chance to defend her title by winning the Region IV title last weekend.

Molly Haywood, Jr., Tomball Memorial

Personal bests: Pole vault, 14-4

Haywood broke the Texas state record and moved into No. 3 on the national season list with her winning vault at the UIL 6A Region II meet last weekend. It’s just the latest accomplishment for Haywood, who as a middle-schooler competed on American Ninja Warrior Junior, placed sixth at the 6A state meet as a sophomore, then won the silver medal at the AAU Junior Olympics in the 15-16 division in August.

Jade Johnson, Sr., Humble Summer Creek

Personal bests: 200, 24.98; Long jump, 19-7; Triple jump, 42-3½

Johnson qualified for the UIL 6A state meet in the triple jump as a junior, placing eighth after winning the Region III title. This spring, she took over the national lead with her winning jump at the Texas Relays — the first time that the Sam Houston State signee had gone over 40 feet and moving her to No. 7 on the state’s all-time list — and successfully defended her regional title last weekend while also qualifying for state in the long jump.

Ayanna Jones, Sr., Belton

Personal bests: 100, 11.61; 200, 23.86; Long jump, 21-1½; Triple jump, 40-11

Jones has come a long way from the athlete who couldn’t advance out of regionals as a junior. She took over the national lead in the long jump this spring with her winning leap at the UIL 6A District 12 meet, and she qualified for her first 6A state meet this weekend in the long and triple jumps while barely missing out on a third spot in the 100.

Claire Lowrey, Jr., Rockwall

Personal bests: High jump, 6-0; Triple jump, 35-11¾

Lowrey has tried different events during her high school career, but her specialty is the high jump, in which she placed third at the UIL 6A state championships as a sophomore and enters this week’s state meet as the No. 1 seed after winning the Region II title. She became the 10th 6A jumper to clear 6 feet in winning the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays in late March.

Bayleigh Minor, Fr., Fort Bend Christian Academy

Personal bests: 200, 25.13; 400, 56.24; Long jump, 18-6½; Triple jump, 37-11

What a way for Minor to cap her freshman season with the Eagles. She won TAPPS 5A state titles in the 200, 400, long jump and triple jump this weekend, setting personal-bests in all four events and tying the TAPPS 5A state record in the triple jump.

Suzan Ogunleye, Sr., Pflugerville Hendrickson

Personal bests: 100, 12.02; 200, 25.05; Long jump, 18-1¼; Triple jump, 42-0

Ogunleye qualified for the UIL 5A state meet for the first time last spring, placing third in the triple jump. She came into this season off a runner-up finish at the New Balance Indoor Nationals and a fourth-place showing at the Nike Indoor Nationals, and she’ll return to state this weekend fresh off a Region III title. She’ll also run in the 100 after placing second at regional.

Hannah Pfiffner, Jr., Frisco Wakeland

Personal bests: High jump, 5-10

The defending UIL 5A state champion in the high jump cleared a personal-best to win the District 9 meet in mid-April. She followed up with titles at the Area 9-10 and Region II meets to prep for her defense next week.

Skyler Schuller, Jr., Coppell

Personal bests: 100 hurdles, 14.10; 300 hurdles, 43.71; High jump, 5-8; Pole vault, 14-0; Long jump, 19-4

Schuller’s future probably lies in the heptathlon — last summer, she won the AAU Junior Olympics 15-16 national title — but this spring, she became the third Texas girl to clear 14 feet at the Marcus Steve Telaneus Invitational, and she’s since won UIL 6A District 6, Area 5-6, and Region I titles. She also qualified for the UIL 6A state meet this week in the high jump, missing out by tiebreaker for a wild card in the long jump. Last spring, she took second at state in the pole vault and sixth in the high jump.

Riley Ward, Jr., Lewisville Flower Mound

Personal bests: High jump, 5-10

Ward returned to the track after a year off and picked right up where she left off, breaking the school record to win the UIL 6A District 6 title and adding titles at the Area 5-6 and Region I championships.

Kayla Watson, Jr., Prosper

Personal bests: 200, 24.56; Long jump, 20-4¼

Watson just missed out on qualifying for the UIL 6A state meet as a sophomore in the long jump. She secured her spot in the field this weekend by winning the Region I title and soaring past 20 feet (albeit wind-aided) for the first time.

Iyanna Webb, So., Harlan

Personal bests: 300 hurdles, 45.02; Long jump, 18-7½; Triple jump, 41-8¾

Although Jade Johnson owns the nation’s top legal triple jump this spring, it will be Webb who comes into this weekend’s UIL 6A state meet as the top qualifier after winning the Region IV title with a personal-best leap.