Orem High’s Puka Nacua Adds Another State Record To His Resume
May 18, 2019, 8:16 PM | Updated: Jun 3, 2020, 2:11 pm
OREM, Utah – Orem High athlete Puka Nacua set another Utah high school state record and it’s not even football season.
The Orem High senior, who led his team to the 2018 and 2019 4A football state titles, can now say he’s broken what was considered an almost unbreakable record.
At the 4A state track championships at BYU, Nacua broke Todd Smith’s 46-year old record in the long jump. In 1973, Smith, as a student at Hillcrest, leapt for a distance of 23′ 9.5″. On Saturday, Nacua eclipsed Smith’s mark with a jump of 23’10.25″.
The Utah HS State record for long jump, 4A was 23’ 9.5” by Todd Smith Hillcrest HS 1973. @AsapPuka is the new record holder by .75” @kslsports @SBAfterhours #GameNightLive https://t.co/TdoGuqtnzH
— Hemā Heimuli Jr. (@x_hems) May 18, 2019
It’s not the first time that Nacua has written himself in the state record book. On the gridiron, Nacua also set marks in single-game receiving yards, season receiving yards, season receiving touchdowns, season yards per game, as well as the top marks in career receiving yards and touchdowns. Nacua’s latest record is now his seventh entry into the state record books.
Thanks to Nacua, Orem has won back-to-back state titles in both track and football. He’ll have a compelling argument for the most dominant athlete in state history, at least certainly in recent memory.
Earlier this year, Nacua announced his decision to commit to the University of Washington to play football for the Huskies live on KSL SportsBeat.
There’s no telling how many records he’ll break in Seattle.
@AsapPuka 👀 @kslsports @OremTigerFball @RossApo1_MILEWR @levelupelites pic.twitter.com/1rmsg0d1fd
— Hemā Heimuli Jr. (@x_hems) August 17, 2018