A successful veteran as a coach and athlete in the track and field world, Jake Jacoby is in his seventh season as the jumps coach for the University of Louisville track and field program. During his tenure in the coaching ranks, he has developed two NCAA champions, guided his jumps group to All-America honors on 19 different occasions, coached 35 NCAA event qualifiers, 47 NCAA regional qualifiers, 33 individual BIG EAST champions, nine individual WAC champions and led his group to set all 16 of U of L's jump and vault event records and four Boise State records. Last year, he coached two individuals to All-America honors, including helping Rachel Gehret achieve a solid fifth-place finish in the high jump with a personal-best mark at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. His jumpers also collected two BIG EAST titles, including Wesley Smith winning the sixth men's indoor long jump title, and played a major part in the women's team winning its fourth-straight BIG EAST outdoor title. The jumps group enjoyed a wealth of success under Jacoby's watch in 2010, as they accounted for eight NCAA regional qualifiers, seven NCAA event qualifiers, four BIG EAST champions and All-America honors four different times. One of his star pupils, Gehret, captured the BIG EAST indoor long and triple jump titles, while Rudon Bastian leapt his way to his second indoor long jump crown. Nationally, Tone Belt and Andre Black put their talents on display, as Belt earned All-America honors twice at the indoor meet and Black earned the distinction in the triple jump at the indoor and outdoor meets. In 2009, Jacoby was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's Southeast Region Indoor Men's Assistant Coach of the Year. He helped guide Belt and Black to individual indoor conference titles, and Black, along with Gehret, received bids to the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships. The outdoor season was just as successful for Jacoby and his jumpers, with Belt earning 2009 BIG EAST Men's Most Outstanding Field Performer honors after placing first in the long and high jump competitions. Belt went on to finish runner-up in the high jump at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships before advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he placed seventh in the event and earned All-America honors. Jacoby's athletes combined to win four conference outdoor individual titles, while a total of three athletes advanced to the national championships. Under the guidance of Jacoby in 2008, Black claimed his second straight runner-up finish in the triple jump at the outdoor nationals, earning his third consecutive All-America nod with a school-record leap. He also took home the silver and gold in the long and triple jumps, respectively, at the NACAC U-23 Championships. Jacoby wasted no time in first two seasons at Louisville. He was instrumental in developing two of the best jumpers in school history - Andre Black and Tone Belt, the `Black-Belt' duo. In 2006, he guided Belt to a silver medal in the long jump at the World Junior Championships, while helping Kelley Bowman secure All-America honors. A year later, Black and Belt captured the indoor triple and long jump national titles, respectively, becoming the program's first NCAA event champions. The duo recorded runner-up finishes in the same events at the outdoor national championships. They combined for three event titles at the league's outdoor championships, as the men won their first conference team title. At season's end, Jacoby was named the 2007 USTFCCCA National Men's Jumps Coach of the Year. Prior to arriving at U of L, Jacoby served four seasons as an assistant at Boise State. He was a key component in Boise State's 2004 conference title and also coached two-time All-American and 2004 Bahamian triple jump national champion Kenny Johnson. Before joining Boise State's staff, Jacoby was an assistant track and field coach at Eagle High in Idaho, where his jumpers won three state titles. As a student-athlete, Jacoby was a standout at Boise State, becoming the school's first national champion in track and field, winning the NCAA high jump title in 1984 as well as earning All-America honors all four years. His all-time collegiate mark in the high jump was 2.29m/7-6 in 1984, which continues to be the Boise State outdoor record. He was an eight-time Big Sky Conference champion, winning the high jump title seven times. Jacoby's name is also etched in the Big Sky Conference record books. In 1983, he ran a time of 7.14 in the 55-meter hurdles, which is still the all-time mark in the league. Along with being successful at the collegiate level in the high jump, Jacoby did the same at the international level for several years. Jacoby participated in three U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing sixth twice (1984 and 1988) and ninth in 1992. He was a member of the U.S. team in 1989, placing seventh at the World Championships with a jump of 2.27m/7-5.75. In 1987, he was an alternate on the United States team for the World Championships. His all-time indoor high jump mark is 2.32m/7-7.25, while his personal best outdoors is 2.31m/7-7. A graduate of Boise State, Jacoby completed his bachelor's degree in physical education in 1985. |
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