There is no hint of inflection as she answers a straight-forward question.

A simple “yes” slips from South Kitsap senior Bethany Sanchez’s lips when asked if she can break the school record in the girls long jump.

That mark was set by Teri Johnson, who leapt 17 feet, 10 1/2 inches in 1986.

Sanchez’s best jump — 17-03 on March 24 — moved her into second place on school’s record list. She is only the third female to jump 17 feet in that event for the Wolves and the first since Maria Knox in 1997.

It also marked a significant improvement for Sanchez, whose best jump last year was 16-08 in the Narrows League Championships.

South coach Joanne Warren attributes that to the maturation she frequently sees from athletes as they enter their senior year. She said Sanchez joined several of her teammates the last three seasons for offseason workouts at the University of Washington, where they trained with college athletes. But she noticed even more dedication from Sanchez after she had her worst jump of the year (14-11 1/4) to end her season at last year’s Class 4A West Central District meet.

“She’s worked really hard this year,” Warren said. “She’s in much better shape.”

That is not just in the long jump. Sanchez also has seen improvement in the 100-meter dash. Last season, she only was timed in less than 13 seconds once. She already has done that twice this season, including a personal-best 12.87 seconds on March 24.

Sanchez said she made some adjustments to her preseason workouts. Because of inclement winter weather in the Northwest, she said she incorporated more indoor aerobic activity into her conditioning. Sanchez said she still does about 45 minutes of those activities daily in addition to conditioning during school practices.

Perhaps the most significant challenge for Sanchez is finding quality competition. Her best jump was more than two feet farther than any of her opponents’. Warren said Sanchez regularly jumps at least a foot longer than her competition. Because of that, Warren said Sanchez often works out against Isaiah Davis, arguably the school’s top athlete, during practice in the long jump. Davis’ best mark in that event was 21-04 last year.“She and Isaiah — they’re pushing each other really hard,” Warren said.

The push toward records began in earnest as a seventh-grader. Sanchez played soccer as a youth, but said that her speed led her to pursue track at Cedar Heights Junior High. She said her coach told her that she had the potential to break records there.

That did not occur at Cedar, but Warren believes it could happen now — with some adjustments.

“We’re working at getting her stride down,” she said. “That’s been an inconsistency.”

Warren described her pupil as a quiet leader and said she does not doubt that Sanchez will dedicate herself to breaking the record. Sanchez, who maintains a 3.2 grade-point average, hopes to compete in track and field at either Seattle Pacific or Seattle University and prepare for a career in hotel management. In addition to competing for the Wolves, Sanchez takes a hospitality class at West Sound Technical Skills Center, which helped cultivate her interest in that field.

Wherever she ends up, Warren expects Sanchez to be successful.

“She’s a good student,” she said. “She’s an all-around good kid.”