Trevor Ferguson began to clap, and the Historic Hayward Field crowd joined in.

This was the first attempt for Ferguson in the long jump, and the Oregon redshirt senior seemed to have a spring in his step as he pounded down the runway — each pace punctuated with the clapping from the fans.

He was competing for the Ducks in at the Oregon Relays.

Ferguson hit the board and launched himself into the air, soaring for a huge first jump. The crowd roared in approval as his mark was posted — 25 feet 4.5 inches, the first time he has ever gone over 25 feet. It also would have been a personal record if it wasn’t wind-aided.

“I’ve been searching for 25 feet for a while, so its good to get it out of the way for myself and the team,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson is an important member of the program, though he isn’t as heralded as some of his teammates. He has the ability to score in multiple events and is well versed as a long jumper, triple jumper and hurdler. This is especially important in the postseason where every point helps.

“Oregon has done so much for me, I just want to give back any way I can,” Ferguson said.

The kid from Oregon City is easy to root for, and everyone on the team thinks the world of him.

“Trevor is a phenomenal teammate. He helps me so much,” freshman Nate Moore said. “Not even just on the track, but with the little things like showing up on time and being accountable.”

Ferguson has taken on more of a leadership role this year helping his younger teammates during meets and practices. Not the most vocal member of the team, Ferguson leads through his actions. He is inspiring through his competitiveness and refuses to take a moment off.

“(Ferguson) is a senior. He is a stud,” Johnson said. “Leads that group of jumpers we have and is always the first one up.”

With Ferguson’s support of the  long jumpers, it wasn’t surprising to see Moore finishing second (25-2.5) and fellow freshman Charles Nelson placing third (24-0.75).

“I definitely feel like I am a leader throughout our group and team,” Ferguson said. “Its nice to have those younger guys who are skilled push me.”

Ferguson has a couple of goals this season.

The first is to stay healthy, something he has struggled with at times during his career. One way he is attempting to prevent injuries is by reducing the amount of events he partakes in during meets, therefore reducing the stress on his body.

His main goal, unsurprisingly, is team-oriented. In his final season with the Ducks, Ferguson wants to help bring home the hardware one last time.

“Last year I made it to Nationals, but didn’t perform as well as I wanted to,” Ferguson said. “I want to try to get to regionals, get to Nationals and score some points for the team.”

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur