University of Houston Athletics
Carol Lewis to be Inducted Into SWC Hall of Fame
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
HOUSTON - Houston Track and Field great and Willingboro, N.J. native Carol Lewis will be inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame the Texas Sports Hall of Fame announced Thursday.
The induction ceremony and luncheon recognition will be held Monday, March 30 at 11:30 a.m., in Austin, Texas to officially induct Lewis and the rest of an impressive class into the hall of fame. Joining Lewis in Austin will be Bill Montgomery (football, Arkansas), Cotton Davidson (football, Baylor), Jose Cruz Jr. (baseball, Rice), Rick Herrscher (basketball, SMU), Eric Metcalf (football, Texas), Curtis Mills (track and field, Texas A&M), Lance Brown (baseball, TCU) and Dan Irons (football, Texas Tech).
"We are delighted with this class of indcutees," said Jared Mosley, the new President/CEO of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. "They were an essential part of the prestigious 82-year history of the conference."
Lewis followed in her brother Carl's footsteps and came to the University of Houston by way of Willingboro, N.J. in 1981, where she left her own lasting legacy at the University of Houston and on the Southwest Conference.
Lewis put her stamp on the Southwest Conference by winning 10 individual and three team championships during her tenure. Lewis won multiple conference titles in the long jump (5 times), 60-yard hurdles (twice), 100 meter hurdles (twice) and one in the high jump.
Nationally, Lewis was a 12-time NCAA All-American in the long jump and 55-meter hurdles and also in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. She would go on to win the NCAA National Championship in the long jump in both the indoor and the outdoor meets in 1983 and 1985.
Lewis would take her talents to an international level after competing with the Santa Monica Track Club when she qualified for the long jump at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. With the United States boycott of the games, Lewis would have to wait to compete, but would get her shot four years later at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and then again in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea.
Lewis took silver in the long jump at the 1980 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Sudbury, Ontario, and she would have continued international success in the event, winning bronze at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland and the 1985 IAAF World Cup in Canberra, Australia.
Lewis still holds the American, North American and Pan American junior record for her winning jump of 6.81m in the at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1982. She is also the current women's school record holder for both the indoor (6.78m) and outdoor (7.04m) long jumps at the University of Houston.
TO ATTEND THE CEREMONY AND LUNCHEON
The ceremony and luncheon to induct Carol Lewis and this year's class into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame will be held Monday, March 30 at 11:30 a.m., at the Hilton Hotel on 500 East 4th Street in Austin, Texas. Tickets are currently on sale now starting at just $75 and can be purchased here.
LEWIS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Olympic Qualifier:
1980 Moscow
1984 Los Angeles
1988 Seoul
NCAA Championships
1983 Indoor - Long Jump
1983 Outdoor - Long Jump
1985 Indoor - Long Jump
1985 Outdoor - Long Jump
NCAA All-America Honors
1982 - Long Jump (Outdoor), 4x100-Meter Relay (Outdoor)
1983 - Long Jump (Indoor/Outdoor) 4x100-Meter Relay (Outdoor), 4x400-Meter Relay (Outdoor)
1984 - 55-Meter Hurdles (Indoor), Long Jump (Indoor), 4x100-Meter Relay (Outdoor)
1985 - 55-Meter Hurdles (Indoor), Long Jump (Indoor/Outdoor)
Southwest Conference Championships:
1983
Indoor - 60-Yard Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump
Outdoor - 100-Meter Hurdles, Long Jump
1984
Indoor - Long Jump
Outdoor - Long Jump
1985
Indoor - 60-Yard Hurdles, Long Jump
Outdoor - 100-Meter Hurdles
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