Pierce LaCoste’s conference title was the fourth by a male Oregon long jumper in the past five years. Photo by Kevin Neri
Pierce LaCoste, who faced a back injury his freshman year and the pandemic his sophomore year, won the men’s long jump Pac-12 title at Hayward Field—which has been his home stadium since he was a year old.
“I was 1 year old running in diapers on this track at the old Hayward, obviously,” said LaCoste.
LaCoste went to Marist Catholic High School, which is less than a 15-minute drive from Hayward. Each of his high school’s state championships were hosted at Hayward, so he’s no stranger to the Track Town community.
The Oregon senior won with a jump of 25 feet, 4 ½ inches, setting a new lifetime best.
“Feeling good. Finally got a win that matters,” said LaCoste.
Today’s conditions proved to be less harsh on the athletes, as the sun made a short appearance at Hayward Field.
LaCoste did have a rough start. He fouled his first jump and didn’t have a far mark on his second. But, on his third jump, he called on the magic of the Hayward crowd and raised his hands to motion the start of the clap. LaCoste’s third jump put him in first, just ahead of teammate Emmanuel Ihemeje.
“Third attempt, I was just like let’s get after it. Coach Johnson was telling me the same thing,” said LaCoste. “Got the crowd into it on the third one.”
He added, “Half the stands were my family, it seems like.”
However, it was LaCoste’s fifth jump that brought him his new personal record, beating Ihemeje by about four inches. Ihemeje, whose main event is the triple jump, placed second with a distance of 25 feet, ¾ inch. Although he passed on his final three jumps, Ihemeje also set a new personal best for the event.
“He was kind of just thrown into the long jump for some extra points, and he ended up getting second,” said LaCoste.
LaCoste leaves the Pac-12 championship feeling confident with where he’s at. With regionals in just two weeks, he’s ready to get back into training to prepare for Arkansas.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m at my peak right now,” said LaCoste. LaCoste and Ihemeje added 18 points to the Ducks’ team score.
