Jeff Petersmeyer Named USC Track and Field Jumps And Multi-Events Coach
July 13, 2023 | Track & Field
26-year veteran brings international and NCAA success
Veteran coach Jeff Petersmeyer has been named the USC assistant track and field coach for jumps and multi-events, it was announced by Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts today (July 13).
Petersmeyer is a 26-year veteran jumps and multi-events coach who has guided his athletes to numerous All-America honors, NCAA titles, conference titles and Olympic berths while coaching at Louisville (2018-22), San Jose State (head coach from 2013-2018) Boise State (2009-13), TCU (2006-09) and Baldwin Wallace (1998-2006).
He spent last season as the Director of Athletics at American International University in Jahra, Kuwait. Â
"I am very excited to welcome Jeff to the University of Southern California," said Watts. "After competing against him and his well-coached athletes for many years, it's a pleasure to have his coaching expertise on staff and be a part of the same team. Coach Petersmeyer brings a wealth of experience to our Track and Field program. He has coached numerous Olympians, Paralympians and World Championship athletes. His impact at every level is well respected by his peers and the track and field community. I'm excited and confident Jeff will continue to excel here at USC."
"I am excited to be joining the long-storied tradition of the USC Track and Field program," said Petersmeyer. "My previous work at San Jose State and Louisville, focused on developing national class and top-ranked jumps and multi-event athletes. By combining the rich Trojan tradition of outstanding athletes, USC's state-of-the-art facilities, and my passion, ingenuity, and perseverance, we will continue the battle to Fight On! I cannot wait to become a part of the Trojan family. I am deeply grateful to Head Coach Quincy Watts for this opportunity to join the USC program, and I am eager to hit the ground running."
From 2018-2022, Petersmeyer was an assistant track and field coach at Louisville, where he also worked as a speed and power consultant for the men's basketball program during the Fall of 2022. He developed several All-ACC performers and NCAA Championships competitors. He also developed three athletes which competed at the 2020 Olympics, including Shelby McEwen who went on to place fifth in the high jump at the 2022 World Championships. Petersmeyer served as Louisville's international recruiting coordinator.
In 2022, Petersmeyer coached Trey Allen to first-team All-America honors in the high jump at both NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He also coached 10 athletes to All-ACC honors, including seven medalists.  Under Petersmeyer's guidance, the Cards won 2022 ACC Outdoor titles in men's and women's high jump. Emily Scott cleared a personal-best and facility-record mark to win the women's title, while Allen captured the men's gold. Additionally, Synclair Savage won the women's long jump. Allen and Willis qualified to compete at the USA Track & Field Championships in the high jump and long jump respectively.
Petersmeyer guided Allen to All-America honorable mention in the high jump at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He also coached Alivia Ash to the high jump title at the 2019 ACC Indoor Championships. He finished his first season with six All-ACC indoor selections and four All-AC outdoor selections. His 2019 event squad in the women's long jump was ranked No. 1.
From 2013-18 Petersmeyer was the head track and field coach at San Jose State. During his stint at San Jose State, he guided Destiny Longmire to 14th in the long jump to earn second-team All-America honors in 2018. She was the first San Jose State woman athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the five-year history of the program. The San Jose women's triple jump crew was ranked No. 1. He also coached a record six San Jose women's athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. Four of his athletes won Mountain West individual titles and in 2015, distance runner Rebecca Garcia was named a Capital One Academic All-America third-team honoree.
He served as an assistant coach at Boise State from 2009-13. Petersmeyer coached three All-Americans, 17 conference champions and guided Kurt Felix to the 2012 NCAA decathlon title.
Petersmeyer was an assistant coach at TCU from 2006-09. He coached Jonathan Jackson to become the first TCU athlete to win league titles in both the long jump and triple jump. Jackson was a back-to-back All-American in 2007-08 under Petersmeyer with a pair ot third-place finishes at the NCAA Championships. He also coached Whitney Gipson and Neidra Covington to All-America honors in 2009. Gipson went on to place third at the 2009 USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships and Covington became a three-time All-American under Petersmeyer. Gipson later went on to set the NCAA women's indoor record in the long jump.
From 1999-2006 he served as an assistant coach at Baldwin Wallace (2004-06), Columbia (2002-04) and Northern Arizona (1999-02). At Baldwin Wallace he guided his team to an indoor and outdoor conference title, at Columbia he coached the school's first women's field event Ivy League champion and at Northern Arizona he helped guide the team to seven Big Sky championships and to five Top 12 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. He was a graduate assistant from 1998-99 at Allegheny College.
Petersmeyer has a long history of coaching athletes to international success, including guiding McEwen to a fifth-place finish in the high jump at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and the 2022 USA high jump title. Petersmeyer coached Roderick Townsend to the gold medal and a world record in the high jump at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Townsend also earned the silver medal in the long jump. In 2019 he guided Ty Butts to an eighth-place finish in the women's high jump at the World Championships. In 2017 he was an assistant coach for Team USA at the Para World Championships and led Townsend to a gold in the high jump. He and Townsend teamed up in 2016 at the Rio Paralympic Games and Townsend set an Internvational Paralympics Committee (IPC) world record in the high jump. Petersmeyer was a coach for Grenada at the 2012 London Games and the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Russia. He coached Kurt Felix to a bronze medal in the decathlon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
Petersmeyer is originally from Delphos, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor's Degree from Baldwin Wallace in 1996. He was a two-time NCAA All-American and a nine-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion and the Baldwin Wallace school record-holder in the 400m hurdles. He was inducted into the Baldwin Wallace Athletic Hall of Fame. Petersmeyer also earned a Master's degree from Northern Arizona in 2002. and a MBA with Distinction from Manchester Metropolitan in 2022.
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Petersmeyer is a 26-year veteran jumps and multi-events coach who has guided his athletes to numerous All-America honors, NCAA titles, conference titles and Olympic berths while coaching at Louisville (2018-22), San Jose State (head coach from 2013-2018) Boise State (2009-13), TCU (2006-09) and Baldwin Wallace (1998-2006).
He spent last season as the Director of Athletics at American International University in Jahra, Kuwait. Â
"I am very excited to welcome Jeff to the University of Southern California," said Watts. "After competing against him and his well-coached athletes for many years, it's a pleasure to have his coaching expertise on staff and be a part of the same team. Coach Petersmeyer brings a wealth of experience to our Track and Field program. He has coached numerous Olympians, Paralympians and World Championship athletes. His impact at every level is well respected by his peers and the track and field community. I'm excited and confident Jeff will continue to excel here at USC."
"I am excited to be joining the long-storied tradition of the USC Track and Field program," said Petersmeyer. "My previous work at San Jose State and Louisville, focused on developing national class and top-ranked jumps and multi-event athletes. By combining the rich Trojan tradition of outstanding athletes, USC's state-of-the-art facilities, and my passion, ingenuity, and perseverance, we will continue the battle to Fight On! I cannot wait to become a part of the Trojan family. I am deeply grateful to Head Coach Quincy Watts for this opportunity to join the USC program, and I am eager to hit the ground running."
From 2018-2022, Petersmeyer was an assistant track and field coach at Louisville, where he also worked as a speed and power consultant for the men's basketball program during the Fall of 2022. He developed several All-ACC performers and NCAA Championships competitors. He also developed three athletes which competed at the 2020 Olympics, including Shelby McEwen who went on to place fifth in the high jump at the 2022 World Championships. Petersmeyer served as Louisville's international recruiting coordinator.
In 2022, Petersmeyer coached Trey Allen to first-team All-America honors in the high jump at both NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He also coached 10 athletes to All-ACC honors, including seven medalists.  Under Petersmeyer's guidance, the Cards won 2022 ACC Outdoor titles in men's and women's high jump. Emily Scott cleared a personal-best and facility-record mark to win the women's title, while Allen captured the men's gold. Additionally, Synclair Savage won the women's long jump. Allen and Willis qualified to compete at the USA Track & Field Championships in the high jump and long jump respectively.
Petersmeyer guided Allen to All-America honorable mention in the high jump at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He also coached Alivia Ash to the high jump title at the 2019 ACC Indoor Championships. He finished his first season with six All-ACC indoor selections and four All-AC outdoor selections. His 2019 event squad in the women's long jump was ranked No. 1.
From 2013-18 Petersmeyer was the head track and field coach at San Jose State. During his stint at San Jose State, he guided Destiny Longmire to 14th in the long jump to earn second-team All-America honors in 2018. She was the first San Jose State woman athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the five-year history of the program. The San Jose women's triple jump crew was ranked No. 1. He also coached a record six San Jose women's athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. Four of his athletes won Mountain West individual titles and in 2015, distance runner Rebecca Garcia was named a Capital One Academic All-America third-team honoree.
He served as an assistant coach at Boise State from 2009-13. Petersmeyer coached three All-Americans, 17 conference champions and guided Kurt Felix to the 2012 NCAA decathlon title.
Petersmeyer was an assistant coach at TCU from 2006-09. He coached Jonathan Jackson to become the first TCU athlete to win league titles in both the long jump and triple jump. Jackson was a back-to-back All-American in 2007-08 under Petersmeyer with a pair ot third-place finishes at the NCAA Championships. He also coached Whitney Gipson and Neidra Covington to All-America honors in 2009. Gipson went on to place third at the 2009 USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships and Covington became a three-time All-American under Petersmeyer. Gipson later went on to set the NCAA women's indoor record in the long jump.
From 1999-2006 he served as an assistant coach at Baldwin Wallace (2004-06), Columbia (2002-04) and Northern Arizona (1999-02). At Baldwin Wallace he guided his team to an indoor and outdoor conference title, at Columbia he coached the school's first women's field event Ivy League champion and at Northern Arizona he helped guide the team to seven Big Sky championships and to five Top 12 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. He was a graduate assistant from 1998-99 at Allegheny College.
Petersmeyer has a long history of coaching athletes to international success, including guiding McEwen to a fifth-place finish in the high jump at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and the 2022 USA high jump title. Petersmeyer coached Roderick Townsend to the gold medal and a world record in the high jump at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Townsend also earned the silver medal in the long jump. In 2019 he guided Ty Butts to an eighth-place finish in the women's high jump at the World Championships. In 2017 he was an assistant coach for Team USA at the Para World Championships and led Townsend to a gold in the high jump. He and Townsend teamed up in 2016 at the Rio Paralympic Games and Townsend set an Internvational Paralympics Committee (IPC) world record in the high jump. Petersmeyer was a coach for Grenada at the 2012 London Games and the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Russia. He coached Kurt Felix to a bronze medal in the decathlon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
Petersmeyer is originally from Delphos, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor's Degree from Baldwin Wallace in 1996. He was a two-time NCAA All-American and a nine-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion and the Baldwin Wallace school record-holder in the 400m hurdles. He was inducted into the Baldwin Wallace Athletic Hall of Fame. Petersmeyer also earned a Master's degree from Northern Arizona in 2002. and a MBA with Distinction from Manchester Metropolitan in 2022.
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