The long jump and triple jump are individual events in Track & Field that combine speed, strength and agility to leap as far as possible.

A key component in Idaho Men’s Track & Field is sophomore jumper Zachary Nunis. He set his career-best in the long jump (7.66 meters) and triple jump (15.14 meters) last year in the indoor Track and Field season.

At the 2019 Big Sky Indoor Championships, Nunis placed second in the long jump and triple jump.

Later in the season, at the 2019 Big Sky Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Nunis placed fourth in the long jump and fifth in the triple jump.

Nunis qualified for the NCAA Championships, ranked 46th in the West for the long jump, but was unable to compete due to injury.

“We went down to Sacramento State which was where the NCAA first rounds were being held, so being able to compete there before first rounds was really cool,” Nunis said. “I think I jumped about 24.5 (feet) again which is ultimately what got me into the top 48 to go to Nationals. Something wasn’t quite right with that competition; I was feeling very flat and I wasn’t as fast as I was in the indoor season.”

Nunis and the team traveled to San Diego for a competition. Nunis said he was scheduled to compete in the 4×100- meter relay, but he tore his hamstring right before. Nunis was out of competition for around two weeks then returned to Big Sky Conference (BSC) play.

“I had a really quick turnaround which was awesome,” Nunis said. “I was in the training room for three hours a day and to be able to compete at conference and really try to secure my spot in the first round. I got to conference and came fourth in the long jump which was more than I could have imagined considering the lead up that I had and I came up fifth in the triple jump. But I tore my hamstring halfway through camp.”

Nunis grew up in Australia living with his parents, Delise and Mark, and his siblings, Robyn and Montana, in Melbourne. His career started at age six when he competed in cross country in primary school, and his team became cross country champs.

“One of the parents talked to my parents and said, ‘Hey, you should put him in track and field and see how it goes,’” Nunis said. “That was a foundation throughout my entire childhood down in Melbourne.”

Nunis competed for Doncaster Athletic Club in Melbourne and his family had moved farther out from the city when he was ten years old.

Nunis said that he liked the club environment and continued to compete for them throughout his younger career.

Before coming to UI, Nunis attended high school at Aquinas College in Melbourne, Australia. He placed first in the long jump at the 2016 Australian Junior Championships, 2016 Australian All School Championship and the 2017 Victorian All School Championship.

In the triple jump, he placed second in the 2016 Australian All School Championship and placed third in the 2016 Australian Junior Championship.

Nunis had received an offer from the University of Memphis and he said he had considered going to a division two school in South Carolina. He caught interest from Idaho when Travis Fleck, Idaho Track & Field’s distance coach, directly messaged him on Instagram.

“I didn’t have a great idea of the geography of the state, so I had no idea where Idaho was,” Nunis said. “I took a closer look at the map and realized I was ages away from anything, which I liked a lot. Being in a smaller town and coming from Melbourne, which has like 5 million people, I feel like I can focus more on what I need to focus on without having the distractions of a bigger city.”

Nunis said he made his decision to go to Idaho because of the chance to play in division one and the opportunity to be coached by Tim Cawley, director of Track & Field/Cross Country, who had also coached an Olympic athlete.

Nunis had to adjust to living in Moscow because it was the first time he was away from home and the first time he had seen snow. Nunis lived in the dorms with fellow teammate, sophomore distance runner Ben Shaw.

“We had similar sleep patterns and were waking up early,” Nunis said. “I was very lucky to have him. He really helped me in adjusting. I was studying for one of my final exams in December and one of the people I was studying with looked outside and said it’s snowing. I threw my books down and ran outside. It was a lot of fun.”

Nunis is in his second year at UI and has built a stronger relationship with the sprints and jumps team. He said that he had come from having a male coach and male teammates back in Australia to having a more integrated team in Idaho.

“I got a different perspective on how I jump compared to how they jump and how I can improve using their skills and vice versa,” Nunis said. “We’re all pretty close and train together six days a week, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of training partners.”

Nunis and the team recently finished up their indoor season. He set the fourth-best in the Big Sky Conference (BSC) mark in the triple jump this season with a mark of 14.63 meters at the Idaho Open.

He beat that mark at the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas with a season-best leap of 14.67 meters and placed ninth at the meet. Idaho Track & Field will compete in the BSC Indoor Championships at the end of February.

“Hopefully this year I can qualify for Nationals again and actually be able to jump,” Nunis said. “I think I had the potential to make it through the round and make the finals which would have been cool. This year, I’m going to try to be an All-American.”

Armin Mesinovic can be reached at [email protected]