By Kim Holm
UCLA freshman Isaiah Holmes won the Pac-12 high jump title Saturday with a height of 6 feet, 11.5 inches, but he wasn’t expecting to do that well. He specializes in the both the triple and long jump.
He finished second in the long jump, as well.
“I’m very blessed,” said Holmes. “The long jump is what I’ve been doing all year—I’ll take what I can get.”
This is Holmes’s first Pac-12 meet, but he has had a lot to show so far in his short track and field career.
As a high school student he won the long jump at the CIF California State Championships, placed fifth in the high jump at the state meet. Last year, he won the USATF Junior Olympic triple jump, and was named most improved high school long jumper in the nation.
Holmes wasn’t comfortable jumping in the rain; growing up in Los Angeles, he has not had a lot of time to practice in the rain. However, feeding off the energy of his teammates, he ended up enjoying it. Along with the hype of the crowd, Holmes was able to push through all of his events.
“I enjoyed it,” said Holmes. “I actually like jumping in the rain now.”
Even with his short track experience, Holmes was able to beat out the All-American high jumper from USC, Randall Cunningham, the favorite to win the high jump with a personal record of 7-3.
Holmes’ coach, Rob Jarvis, is impressed with the freshman’s results.
“He’s very committed,” said Jarvis. “He’s full of young energy, and he’s a great leader on the team—he’s grown leaps and bounds this year.”
Holmes also set a lifetime best in the long jump.
On Sunday, Holmes will be competing in the triple jump. He and his coaches are positive that he will do just as well on his second day as he did on his first.
