California’s Lee Qualk rushed for 383 yards in a football game last fall, and on Friday posted another extraordinary number when he long jumped more than 23 feet.
If his football stats weren’t already enough, there’s no denying his athleticism now.
“That’s what I absolutely love about track,” said Qualk, who jumped 23 feet, 5 ½ inches on Friday to win the long jump at the Baldwin Invitational.
“In football, you can always say, ‘Who is he playing against? Was it just Single-A schools?’ But in track, if you run a 10.6 or jump 23 feet … it shows you who really has the true talent.”
Qualk’s jump ranks fourth best in the state this season regardless of classification, according to Milesplit stats. He ranks first among PIAA Class 2A jumpers, the ones he’ll face for WPIAL and PIAA titles.
Only a dozen jumpers statewide have reached the 23-foot barrier so far this spring. This was Qualk’s first time.
“I knew I had it in me,” he said. “(Last week) at the Washington-Greene County Championships, I had a really good jump. It was a scratch, so I never got a mark on it. But it felt like a 23-foot jump, which was my goal all season.”
He plans to pursue track and field in college and knows he’s entering a range now that can open more doors. He also likes that his jumps are earning recognition for his small high school.
“Penn State had told me earlier that they wanted to see me jump in the high 23s, and they would look for a spot on their team,” said Qualk, who might add one more invitational to his schedule before the WPIAL championships May 14.
Had a great day at the 51st Annual Baldwin Invitational 2025! I won long jump with a best of 23’5.5”!???? pic.twitter.com/4l0Ym38xN1
— Lee Qualk (@LeeQualk) May 2, 2025
A 5-foot-9 ½, 165-pound senior, Qualk rushed for 2,145 yards on 242 carries and scored 36 touchdowns as a standout running back for California last fall. He rushed for 383 yards and six touchdowns in the season opener, a Week Zero win over Serra Catholic.
He led the entire WPIAL in touchdowns last season and ranked third in rushing yards. But because his team played in the Class A Tri-County South Conference, Qualk’s numbers maybe didn’t get the respect that they otherwise could have.
In track, there’s no subjectivity.
Qualk is the reigning WPIAL Class 2A champion in the long jump. He won last year’s title with a jump of 22 feet, 2½ inches. He also placed seventh in the 100 meters, an event where his personal best is 11.11 seconds.
At states, Qualk finished 19th in the long jump (20-11¼).
His efforts Friday would’ve won the state title last year. Slippery Rock’s Levi Prementine won Class 2A with a jump of 23-0 ¾.
Since January, Qualk has dedicated himself to the weight room, a decision he credited for adding more than a foot to his longest jumps. He works out before dawn on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
“I started lifting a lot more,” he said. “And I started focusing more on speed and explosion more than I ever have. In my normal week, I get up at 5:15 and go lift at 6 a.m. By 7:40, I’m in class.”
His best jump Friday came on his last attempt. He out jumped North Allegheny senior Nicholas Humphries, whose 23-foot, 3-inch jump ranks eighth best in the state but second at Baldwin.
Qualk said he trailed Humphries by about a half inch with one jump remaining for each. He said he always believed he could jump father than 23 feet but surprised even himself by just how far he went.
His previous best was 22-5.
“I feel like a completely different person,” Qualk said. “Walking to the car, I kept thinking about the number in my head saying, ‘Wow! I can’t believe that’s how far I jumped.’ It seems unreal because I’d put it off for so long.”