NEW ORLEANS – University of Houston Track & Field legend, NCAA Champion and Olympian
Carol Lewis will be inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026, the association announced Tuesday.
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Lewis is one of 12 athletes who
will be enshrined on Sunday, June 7, at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Ore. The induction ceremony is free and open to the public and will be held three days before the start of the 2026 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field. The induction ceremony will also be streamed for free on RunnerSpace.
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She is the second Cougar to be selected to the USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame, joining her brother
Carl Lewis, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist and current University of Houston Track & Field Head Coach, who was part of the inaugural 2022 class.
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Competing for the legendary Coach Tom Tellez, Lewis was a 12-time NCAA All-American and four-time NCAA champion, winning the long jump titles both indoors and outdoors during the 1983 and 1985 seasons.
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Lewis' mark on the Houston record books is evident today, where she still owns the women's school records for both the indoor (6.78m) and outdoor (7.04m) long jumps. She ranks in the top-10 in the 55-meter hurdles and high jump indoors, as well as the 4x100-meter relay, high jump and heptathlon outdoors.
On the international stage, Lewis qualified to three Olympic games in the long jump. With the United States boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games, Lewis would have to wait to compete at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and then again in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea.
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With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Houston, she quickly moved into the broadcast booth as a sports commentator for NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN and FOX Sports. During that time, she covered the Olympic games from 1992 to 2008.
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Lewis returned to Houston and remains involved with the University of Houston Track & Field program, where she serves as an assistant coach. Â
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About the USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 11,000 coaching members encompassing 98-percent of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and NJCAA, as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.
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The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as an activist for coaches' interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
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