NEW ORLEANS (July 7, 2026) – LSU redshirt junior Jack Larriviere has been selected as the
June Allstate Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month, presented by LCMC Health. The Athlete of the Month has been selected by the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee since 1957. To be eligible, an athlete must either be a native of the greater New Orleans area or compete for a team in the metropolitan region.
A graduate of Jesuit High School, Larriviere earned the bronze medal in the javelin at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 10. The New Orleans native narrowly qualified for the finals, delivering a throw of 76.00 meters (249 feet, 4 inches) on his third attempt to secure one of the final-round spots, as only the top nine competitors advanced after three throws.
In the finals, Larriviere uncorked a throw of 77.91 meters (255-7) to finish third in the nation.
Larriviere did not begin competing in the javelin until his senior year at Jesuit but quickly emerged as one of the nation's top prospects. He set the Louisiana high school record at the LHSAA Championships with a throw of 69.76 meters (228 feet, 10½ inches) to win the Class 5A title. The former Gatorade Louisiana Boys Track & Field Player of the Year finished his lone high school season ranked No. 3 nationally in the event.
A chemical engineering major at LSU, Larriviere overcame a serious lower back injury that sidelined him during portions of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He has since returned to become one of the Tigers' top performers and now ranks second in LSU history in the javelin.
Larriviere was selected over three other outstanding area athletes for the June honor:
Sophia Macias finished runner-up at the 98th Louisiana Amateur Golf Championship on June 20 at Beaver Creek Golf Course in Zachary. The Denham Springs native and rising Tulane sophomore advanced to the championship match before falling to fellow Denham Springs native Evelynn Artieta, 3 and 2. Artieta took the lead with an eagle on the par-5 second hole and never surrendered it. Macias earned her lone hole victory with a birdie on the par-4 seventh, while both competitors produced an impressive back nine featuring six combined birdies over holes 10 through 15. Artieta closed out the match after a par on the 16th hole. Macias reached the finals by defeating defending champion Jade Neves of Sacred Heart in the semifinals.
Chance Pecoraro, a rising junior at Brother Martin High School, was named the Most Valuable Player of the Crescent City Sports Prep Summer League championship playoffs after helping K's for Kids capture its third consecutive league title.
In the semifinals, Pecoraro threw a six-inning no-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 10-0 victory over Lakeshore-based Messina's Catering. Over five summer league appearances, he posted a 3-0 record with one save and a 0.00 ERA, allowing just one hit while striking out 31 batters in 17 innings.
Ciara Sergi, a 16-year-old from Mandeville, teamed with Brooke Franklin of Brentwood, Tennessee, to capture the girls' 16 doubles title at the USTA Southern Championships in Mobile, Alabama. Sergi and Franklin rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 11-9 victory over top-seeded Piper Johnson and Elle Groslimond in the championship match after trailing 8-6 in the deciding super tiebreaker. Earlier in June, Sergi was also named The Times-Picayune's Metro Girls Tennis Player of the Year after winning the LHSAA Division I singles championship and her second consecutive regional title as a sophomore for Mandeville High School.
