Jesse Williams (Southern California 2006)

JESSE WILLIAMS
Event: High Jump
Height: 6-0
Weight: 155
PR: 2.33m/7-7.75 (2007)
Born: Dec. 27, 1983, in Modesto, Calif.
Current Residence: Eugene, Ore.
High School: Broughton (Raleigh, N.C.) HS ‘02
College: North Carolina State ’03, Southern California ‘06
Coach: Ron Allice
Agent: Jos Hermans
Club: Nike

Career Highlights: 2008 Olympic Trials champion; 3rd at 2007 AT&T USA Outdoors; 2003 JUCO champion; 2001 JUCO 100mH champion

Williams felt right at home at the 2008 Olympic Trials competing in his adopted hometown of Eugene, Ore., and responded well in winning his first-ever national title and a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team with his clearance of 2.30m/7-6.50. For the third consecutive year in 2008, Williams finished a season ranked in the top ten in the world by Track & Field News. His 2007 personal best clearance of 2.33m/7-7.75 first-place finish in Los Angeles at the Trojan Invitational propelled him to a #8 world ranking for the year, and his first-ever #1 ranking in the U.S. In 2006 Williams dominated the collegiate scene in winning the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and establishing a new personal best of 2.32m/7-7.25 in winning the NCAA Outdoor crown. Williams turned in a clutch performance at the 2005 DN Galan meet in Stockholm on July 26 when he set a then personal best and equaled the "A" qualifying standard (2.30m/7-6.50) for the men's high jump for the 2005 World Outdoor Championships. Williams, who finished as the runner-up in Stockholm, cleared the bar on his second attempt at that height. Seconds after landing in the pit, the stadium public-address announcer exclaimed "Welcome to Helsinki!" Named the Pac 10 Conference Men's Field Athlete of the Year, in 2005 as a junior at the University of Southern California. Williams won the NCAA Outdoor title, the Pac 10 Outdoor crown and was the runner-up at the 2005 USA Outdoor Championships. Williams began his career at North Carolina State, where as a freshman he was third at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships and placed seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. That year he also was the runner-up at the Atlantic Coast Conference indoor and outdoor championships. Williams prepped at Broughton HS in Raleigh, N.C., where he won the high jump at the North Carolina 4-A state meet three years in a row. He is the state indoor and outdoor prep record holder in the high jump at 2.21m/7-3. He won the adidas Championship in 2002 and was fourth at the 2002 World Junior Championships, as well as the Penn Relays champion. He also long jumped, hurdled and wrestled in high school and was fifth at the North Carolina state wrestling championships as a senior.

2008: 8th in qualifying group at Olympic Games (2.25m/7-4.50)…Olympic Trials champion (2.30m/7-06.50)…3rd at Nike Prefontaine Classic (2.25m/7-4.50)...6th at World Indoor Champs (2.27m/7-5.25)…runner-up at USA Indoors (2.28m/7-05.75)…ranked 6 in world, #1 in U.S. by T&FN…best of 2.30m/7-6.50.
2007: 4th at USA Outdoor Championships (2.24m/7-4.25)… 15th in qual. at World Outdoors (2.23m/7-3.75)...2nd at USA Indoor Champs (2.29m/7-6)…2nd at Nike Prefontaine Classic (2.30m/7-6.5)…1st in Los Angeles (2.33m/7-7.75PR, AL)…1st at Athens (2.32m/7-7.25)…2nd at Drake Relays (2.30m/7-6.5)…1st at Belem (2.30m/7-6.5)…3rd at London (2.26m/7-5)…3rd at Stockholm (2.27m/7-5.25)…ranked #8 in world, #1 U.S. by T&FN…best of 2.33m/7-7.75.
2006: 3rd at USA Indoor Champs (2.22m/7-3.25)…1st at NCAA Indoors (2.29m/7-6)...1st at NCAA Outdoors (2.32m/7-7.25PR)…5th at Stockholm (2.24m/7-4.25)…3rd at London (2.28m/7-5.75)…ranked #9 in world (#2 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 2.32m/7-7.25
2005: USA Outdoor runner-up (2.27m/7-5.25)…NCAA Outdoor champ (2.29m/7-6)…Pac 10 Outdoor champ (2.28m/7-5.75)…2nd at Stockholm (2.30m/7-6.5PR)...ranked #2 U.S. by T&FN...best of 2.30m/7-6.5.
2004: 7th at NCAA Indoors (2.17m/7-1.5)…15th at NCAA Outdoors (2.14m/7-0.25)…1st at UCLA dual meet (2.21m/7-3)…best of 2.21m/7-3.
2003: Runner-up at NCAA Indoors (2.17m/7-1.5)…7th at NCAA Outdoors (2.18m/7-1.75)…no-height at USA Outdoors…best of 2.24m/7-4.25.
2002: Runner-up at USA Junior Champs (2.71m/7-1.5)…tied for 4th at World Junior Champs (2.21m/7-3)…1st at National Scholastic Champs…best of 2.21m/7-3.

12/29/08
Courtesy USATF