#999 Marcus Thomas Season 2026
*Seven-Time All-America*
Events: Long Jump (26-3 3/4i), Triple Jump (54-6 3/4)
Received his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in the Spring of 2003.
Thomas has the opportunity to become the most decorated athlete in LSU men’s track and field history, as he enters the 2001 season needing one All-American honors to tie the LSU record and two to break Rohsaan Griffin’s LSU record of eight.
Indoor Senior Season (2001)
Only competed during the indoor season after suffering an injury … Returns in 2002 with outdoor eligibility only … Finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the triple jump … The one point was the margin of victory for the Tigers who won their first NCAA Indoor title, 34-33, over TCU … Finished third in the triple jump at the SEC Indoor Championships … Posted an indoor PR in the Tigers’ season opener, blasting out a mark of 54-0 1/2, his first jump of better than 54-feet indoors … Top mark in the long jump was a jump of 25-5 1/4 at the SEC Quadrangular at Carl Maddox Field House … Finished fifth in the long jump at the SEC Indoor Championships.
Junior season (2000)
Had a breakthrough season in 2000, earning four All-America honors while winning the SEC Indoor long jump title and the SEC Outdoor triple jump title … Became the first LSU man to ever score in both events at the NCAA Indoor Championships and the first LSU man to ever score in both events at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships … Improved his PR in the long jump by more than a foot at the SEC Indoor Championships, winning the event with a jump of 26-33/4 – The next day he improved his triple jump PR by half a foot, finishing second in the event with a jump of 53-6 1/4 … Carried his SEC success over to the NCAA Championships, placing fourth in the long jump (25-11 1/2) and fifth in the triple jump (a then-indoor PR 53-11) … During the outdoor season he won the USTCA national title in the long jump, besting the field by over a foot with a jump of 26-1 … Finished third in the triple jump at the same meet as well as at the Texas Relays … Won the SEC triple jump title, shocking a loaded field with a PR jump of 54-6 3/4 on his sixth and final jump … Finished fourth in the long jump at the SEC Outdoor meet … Finished third in the long jump at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish in the event by a Tiger since 1990 … Thomas was in seventh place heading into his fifth attempt and came up with a jump of 26-0 3/4 to move him into third … Two days later he finished fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 53-101/4.
Sophomore season (1999)
Continued to earn recognition as a big meet performer, earning the second All-American honor of his career at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a seventh place finish in the triple jump … Came up with the two biggest jumps of his career at the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Championships … Finished third at the SEC Outdoor Championships behind NCAA Indoor champion Melvin Lister and NCAA Outdoor champion and teammate LeVar Anderson, with a then-PR jump of 53-3, his first-ever jump of 53-feet … Followed that with a 53-5 1/4 jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships that earned him seventh place … Started slow during the indoor season due to a stress fracture during the Fall of 1998, but began to peak just in time for the SEC Indoor Championships … Finished third at the SEC Indoor meet behind Anderson and Lister with a solid NCAA provisional mark of 51-7 that nearly got him into the national indoor meet … Outdoors he quickly regained the form that saw him finish fifth at the NCAA meet in 1998, finishing second at the U.S. Collegiate Track & Field Series in the triple jump with a windy 52-1 effort … Finished fourth at the UTEP Invitational with a leap of 52-2 … Also finished fourth at the Penn Relays with a jump of 52-0 before coming up with back-to-back PRs at the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Freshman season (1998)
Gave the Tigers one of the best 1-2 punches in the nation in the triple jump along with LeVar Anderson, and the only school in the nation to place two triple jumpers in the top five at the NCAA Outdoor meet … Earned his first All-American honor at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Buffalo when he blew away the form charts and sailed 52-9 1/4w on his fifth jump to move into fifth place … He entered the meet ranked 15th in the nation in the event … Showed the steady improvement during the indoor season that led to his ultimate success during the outdoor season … He opened the indoor season by breaking the 50-foot barrier for the first time in his career, a 50-0 effort that earned him second place at the LSU Seven-Team Invitational … Won the title at the LSU Twilight with a then-PR mark of 51-7 1/4 that nearly got him into the NCAA Indoor Championships … He finished fourth at the SEC Indoor Championships in Baton Rouge with a leap of 50-1 1/4 … Had his breakthrough outdoors at the UTEP Invitational where he jumped a legal 52-1 1/4, his PR at the time … Backed it up with his PR of 52-4 at the Penn Relays where he finished sixth … Placed fourth again at the SEC Outdoor Championships with a leap of 51-9 1/4, setting the stage for his tremendous NCAA Outdoor meet.
Prep career
Was the 1997 Louisiana State 5A Champion in both the long jump and triple jump … Helped New Iberia to District and Regional team Championships.