With the sun shining down on March 14, Dolores High School long jumper Taylor Elder accelerated down the track, leapt into the air and soared gracefully into a nearby sand pit.
As coaches and teammates looked on, officials measured the senior's jump and determined that it traveled 16 feet, 2¼ inches, which was good enough to place fifth overall at the Piedra Vista Invite.
The jump was also a career-best for Elder, who has qualified for state in the long jump all three years and has set her sites on even bigger goals this season.
"My goal is to make it onto the podium in the long jump this year," said Elder, who has also competed on several state qualifying relays. "I was close last season and this year I want to make it."
Prior to kicking off her track season, Elder participated in basketball and averaged 4.8 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game in her final season in Dolores. The four-year varsity player also had a team-high 30 blocks and severed as a leader for younger teammates.
"It really helped me to work on my post moves this year with assistant coach Tiffany Hill," said Elder. "I'm going to remember how much fun I had. I don't think I ever had a season of basketball where I didn't have a great time with my teammates."
In addition to her accomplishments on the track and basketball court, Elder played a key role for the Lady Bears volleyball team each of the last four seasons. During her senior year, Elder ranked second on the team with 136 kills and led the Lady Bears with 33 blocks.
"I'll remember how well we worked as a team and how much fun we had," she said. "We had so much fun and that's what helped us qualify for state (in 2014)."
The consummate student-athlete, Elder currently ranks near the top of her class with a 4.25 GPA and plans to attend Grand Canyon University after graduation to pursue a degree in sports management.
"I really like school," said Elder. "I'll be in (Grand Canyon University's) honors program and I'm really looking forward to that."