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It's difficult to forget the accomplishments of Lezlie Jensen Huston in the track and field program at Los Gatos High School. After all, they're there for all to see in the school's record books.
It's been nearly 20 years since Jensen was starring on the track at the high school, still the records she set in the long jump and triple jump remain as school standards 18 seasons later. What's more, her times and marks in six different events are still among the top 10 all-time marks recorded by girls competing at Los Gatos High.
So good and so successful was Jensen as a Wildcat that longtime track and field coach Willie Harmatz calls her "our best sprinter and jumper in Los Gatos history."
For his outstanding accomplishments as a Wildcat, Lezlie Jensen Huston will be among the 11 members that make up the second class of inductees in the Athletic Hall of Fame at the high school during ceremonies to be held April 30 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell.
The Los Gatos track and field program boasts an illustrious history, and Jensen is a big part of it. Her marks remain as standards for her contemporaries of today to attempt to reach.
Leslie Jensen arrived on the Los Gatos campus in the fall of 1983, and by that spring she was already making her mark on the Gatos track. As a freshman, she qualified for the Central Coast Section finals and advanced to the state. But it was only the beginning of a brilliant track and field career.
It would be the first of four state appearances, and she also won the first of four team Most Valuable Player awards that season.
Jensen set her school standards as a senior when she soared 19-2 in the long jump and 37-5 in the triple jump. The marks remain today as school records in the events.
As a senior, she became the first jumper in Los Gatos history to make the state finals two years in a row. She finished seventh in the state that year, and her 19-2 effort still ranks as the 15th best long jump in CCS history and is still a league record.
Jensen was 10th in the state in the triple jump with her school record-setting 37-5 effort. She made the CCS finals in the triple jump in all of her four years as a Wildcat.
But not only was Jensen an outstanding jumper, she was also a top sprinter for the Wildcats. She was a four-time league champion in the 100 and 400 meters, as well as the long jump and triple jump.
Jensen also set a school record in the 400 as a senior, running 56.30 to finish 10th in the state. The mark remains as the 20th best in CCS history, but the school record was broken by Stephanie Chavez, who ran 55.89 in 1997.
Jensen's time is still No. 2 on the Los Gatos top-10 list in the 400. She's also fourth on the all-time list in the 100 (12.1), sixth in the high jump (5-4) and ninth in the 200 (25.55).
Jensen, a CCS Top 8 meet winner in the long jump, triple jump and 400, finished her career at Los Gatos as the second-leading single season points scorer in school history behind Heidee Ruiz, another high school Hall of Famer.
In addition to her individual honors, Jensen helped Los Gatos to league titles in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays in each of her four seasons at the school. As a freshman, she anchored a 4x100 relay team that set a school record, and she helped the Wildcats win the CCS team championship in 1985. In her senior season, also ran for a 4x400 relay team that won a CCS title.
In addition to her outstanding accomplishments in track and field, Jensen played three seasons on the girls varsity basketball team at Los Gatos.
But it was in the spring running for the track team where she really left her mark at Los Gatos. Correct that: Make it two marks—school records in the long jump and triple jump that still stand today.
Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held on April 30 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell. Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are priced at $90. For ticket information, call the Los Gatos Athletic Association at 408.395.2002.
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