University Southern California Trojans
Trojans Sprint Toward NCAA Championships
June 21, 1999 | Track & Field
May 28, 1999
NCAA DIVISION I OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thirteen members of the USC men's track and field team and 13 members of
the Women of Troy squad meet the rest of the nation's best in Boise, Id.,
at the 1999 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 2-5
(Wednesday-Saturday) at Boise State University. Competition in the field
begins at noon on June 2 at Bronco Stadium, while events on the track start
at 2 p.m. The final events of the meet on June 5 will be the 4x400m relays
(women's at 9:10 p.m. and men's at 9:20). The No. 2-ranked USC men's team
is fresh off its second Pacific-10 Conference championship in the last
three years and 31st overall. The No. 5-ranked Women of Troy squad
finished second at the recent Pac-10 meet (May 21-22). Both Trojan squads
are guided by USC director of track and field Ron Allice, who was recently
named the USTCA West Region Coach of the Year. At last year's NCAA meet in
Buffalo, N.Y., the USC men finished seventh and the Women of Troy squad
were fifth.
ON THE AIR
CBS will televise the NCAA Championships nationally on a tape-delayed basis
on Sunday, June 6, at 9 a.m.
USC'S NCAA TITLE HISTORY
The Trojan men's program has won an unprecedented 26 NCAA outdoor national
titles (including nine straight in 1935-43), plus two NCAA indoor crowns.
USC's men also have had 105 individual champions over the years, including
defending 400m champion Jerome Davis. The Women of Troy have had eight
individual collegiate champions and six Top 10 NCAA team finishes in school
history, including last season's fifth-place showing at the 1998 meet in
Buffalo, N.Y.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The USC men's team is currently ranked at No. 2 according to Trackwire (May
26). The Trojans trail No. 1 Arkansas by 14 points. SMU's men's squad is
close behind at No. 3 with 39 points. The Women of Troy are ranked at No.
5 with 49 points, behind Texas (72), UCLA (56), LSU (54) and BYU (51).
THE 1999 USC TROJANS
USC, the most successful men's track and field program in collegiate
history, owns an unprecedented 26 NCAA Outdoor Championships (and two
indoor titles). According to Track & Field News, the 1999 USC men's team
might add to that championship total this year as the magazine tabbed the
Trojans as the title favorite in its NCAA Preview. Leading the way for the
USC men's team is defending NCAA 400m champion Jerome Davis. The USC
women's team, picked to finish third at the NCAAs by Track & Field News in
that same issue, is led by senior sprinter Torri Edwards, who clocked an
11.11 last year to tie Olympian Inger Miller's 100m school record. Also in
the mix for the Trojans are a pair of freshman sprint sensations. On the
men's side, Sultan McCullough qualified for the NCAAs with a 10.17 clocking
in the 100m. At the same time, the Women of Troy have Angela Williams, the
owner of the all-time national high school 100m record (11.11), who has
already run 10.96w. Sports Illustrated calls Edwards and Williams ,the
country's best sprint tandem.0/00 Davis (200m, 400m, 4x100m, 4x400m), Edwards
(100m, 200m) and McCullough (100m, 4x100m) combined to play a role in eight
Pac-10 individual titles at the recently completed conference meet in
Tempe, Ariz.
NCAA OUTDOOR LEADERS
USC is home to several athletes who have clocked some of the NCAA's top
times this season. Senior Jerome Davis owns the nation's No. 2 time in the
400m at 44.95 (May 22 at the Pac-10 Championships) and is the defending
NCAA champion in that event. Davis also anchored USC's 4x400m relay team
which clocked a leading 3:02.68 at the Pac-10 Championships. The other
members of the team were LeRoy Jordan, DeJon Joyner and Felix Sanchez, who
ran the nation's second-fastest 400m hurdles time with a blazing 49.49 at
the USC-UCLA dual meet (May 1). USC's quartet of Charles Lee, Vince
Williams, Sanchez and Davis has also run the nation's No. 2 time in the
4x400m relay at 3:02.89 (April 3). On the women's side, freshman sprint
sensation Angela Williams' 10.96w (April 3) in the 100m is the nation's
best. She has also run a 11.01w, which is the second-fastest time clocked
so far this year (teammate Torri Edwards, who recently won the Pac-10 title
in the event, isn't far behind in seventh at 11.17w). And junior Natasha
Danvers owns the nation's top time in the 400m hurdles at 55.75 (May 22 at
the Pac-10 Championships).
USC at the 1999 PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The USC men's track and field team won its second Pacific-10 Conference
title in the last three years at the 1999 Pac-10 Outdoor Track & Field
Championships, which were held on May 21-22 at Arizona State's Sun Angel
Stadium. On the women's side, USC's Women of Troy finished second to UCLA,
which won for the third consecutive season and for the seventh time in the
1990s. The Trojan men, who captured their 31st conference title, were led
by senior Jerome Davis, the defending NCAA Champion in the 400 meters.
Davis won his fourth consecutive Pac-10 400m title, the first athlete in
conference history to do so, while running a personal-best of 44.95. Davis
also won the 200m dash (20.58) and anchored the Trojans' winning 4x100 and
4x400 relay teams. Freshman Sultan McCullough took the 100m title with a
time of 10.18 seconds. Junior Felix Sanchez won the 400m hurdles in 50.50
while Norbert Horvath won the hammer throw with a personal-best of 227-9.
Gordon Hovey took the discus title (188-3) to round out the scoring for the
Trojans. ,This championship is the result of a lot of hard work,0/00 USC
director of track and field Ron Allice said. ,This team performed with
heart. There are people on this team that you just can't replace. Jerome
Davis will go down as one of the greatest Trojans ever. He carried this
team on his shoulders.0/00 The Women of Troy also had several stellar
performances. Senior Torri Edwards won the 100m (11.33) and 200m (23.23),
while junior Natasha Danvers set a Pac-10 meet record in the 400m hurdles
(55.75). Sophomore Brigita Langerholc held off teammate Grazyna Penc to
win the 800m (2:05.85), while junior Anna Lopaciuch took the 1500m
(4:25.79), with Penc again finishing second. The Trojans won the 4x400
relay in 3:31.63 but were disqualified from the 4x100 relay due to a faulty
handoff.
Men's Team Standings: 1. USC 164, 2. UCLA 136, 3. Stanford 105.5, 4. Arizona 78, 5. Arizona State 77.5, 6. Oregon 76.5, 7. Washington State 69, 8. California 59.5, 9. Washington 52.
Women's Team Standings: 1. UCLA 160.50, 2. USC 140, 3. Washington State 123, 4. Stanford 122.50, 5. Oregon 64, 6. Arizona 62, 7. Washington 56, 8. Arizona State 45, 9. California 41.
SO FAR THIS SEASON
Most recently, the USC men's team won the 1999 Pacific-10 Conference
championship. It was the Trojans' second league title in the past three
years. The Women of Troy finished as runner-up to UCLA. Both Trojan
squads are 4-2 in dual meet competition this season. Both squads swept
past California, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly
Pomona at the Trojan Invitational on March 6 at Cromwell Track & Field
Stadium. That meet was highlighted by freshman Sultan McCullough's blazing
time of 10.17 in the 100m (fifth fastest in Trojan history, new freshman
record and new Cromwell Field record) in his collegiate debut. On March
27, both USC teams lost dual meets at Louisiana State. LSU beat the Trojan
men, 77-71, while the Women of Troy fell, 78-62. On May 1, both USC teams
lost dual meets to crosstown rival UCLA. The Bruins beat the Trojan men,
82-81, while the Women of Troy fell, 91-63. Individually, USC has 41
athletes qualified (automatic or provisional) for the NCAA Championships
(17 on the men's side and 24 on the women's).
PAC-10 PROMINENCE
The Pacific-10 Conference has lived up to its nickname as ,The Conference
of Champions0/00 in the sport of track and field. On the men's side, 43
Pac-10 teams have won NCAA Championships and, since 1960, 182 individuals
and 22 relay squads have captured national titles. The NCAA began
sponsoring NCAA Championships for women in 1987 and since then the Pac-10
has collected three team titles, 44 individual crowns and three relay
championships.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
USC intermediate hurdler Felix Sanchez was selected as the Trackwire
National Athlete of the Week for the competitive weekend of April 30-May 2.
At the USC-UCLA dual meet on May 2, Sanchez knocked over half a second off
of his 400m hurdles PR while blowing away the field in 49.49, which remains
the nation's top time this season.
PAC-10 ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
USC has been honored with four Pacific-10 Conference Athlete of the Week
selections so far this season. Senior Jerome Davis was named the Pac-10
Athlete of the Week for the week of April 19. He ran a season-best 45.25
in the 400 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 18, posting the nation's
fastest time this year. Women of Troy freshman Angela Williams was named
the Pac-10 Athlete of the Week for the week of April 19. She ran the 100
meters in 11.08w at the Mt. SAC Relays and ran the opening leg of USC's
4x100-meter relay, which clocked a blazing 43.40. Angela, a freshman from
Chino, Calif., was also named the Pac-10 Athlete of the Week for the week
of May 3, when she won the 100m at the USC-UCLA dual meet in 11.01w and ran
the opening leg of USC's 4x100m relay, which clocked a 43.35 to set a new
national dual meet record, USC school record and Pac-10 record. Women of
Troy sophomore Jennifer Vail was named the Pac-10 Athlete of the Week for
the week of April 12. She won the women's hammer throw at the USTCA
Regional Track & Field Invitational on April 10 at UNC-Chapel Hill with an
NCAA qualifying distance of 191-6 (58.38). This was also a personal-best
for Jennifer and the second-best hammer mark in Women of Troy history. She
also finished second in the discus (152-8) and third in the shot put (42-6
3/4).
USC-UCLA DUAL MEET
The UCLA men's and women's teams defeated USC in dual meet action before a
capacity crowd of 3,291 at Cromwell Field on May 1. The Bruin men's team
beat the Trojans in a nail-biter, 82-81, recording their 21st consecutive
victory over the Trojans. The margin of victory was the smallest in the
66-meet history of the crosstown rivalry. UCLA trimmed USC's lead in the
overall series to 38-28. The last time the Trojans defeated UCLA was in
1977 (91-63) before a record crowd of 15,514 at Drake Stadium in Westwood.
The Bruin women downed the Women of Troy, 91-63, and now lead the series
13-3. The last time the USC women got by the Bruins in a dual meet was in
1992 (80-30), which also marked UCLA's last dual meet defeat on the women's
side (the Bruins are 61-0 since that set-back). USC captain Jerome Davis
led the Trojans, winning two individual events -- 200m (20.70) and 400m
(45.61) -- and ran legs on both of Troy's relay victories. There was also
a USC double winners on the women's side as Grazyna Penc won the 800m
(2:04.24) and 1,500m (4:23.51). The Women of Troy's 4x100m relay set a new
national dual meet record with a blazing 43.35, which is also a new USC
school record and Pacific-10 Conference record. The USC runners were
Angela Williams, Torri Edwards, Malika Edmonson and Candace Young.
Williams also won the 100m in 11.01w and now has the two fastest times in
the nation under any conditions (10.96w and 11.01w) and Edwards took the
200m in 23.33.
HOOPS HOPS
One of the most interesting sidelights to USC's track and field season, has
been the stunning performance of Trojan men's basketball player Jeff
Trepagnier in the high jump. At the USC-UCLA dual meet on May 1, he
competed in his first-ever track and field meet at any level and proceeded
to win the event with a leap 6-9 3/4 and narrowly missed on three attempts
to clear 7-0. Trepagnier followed up his impressive debut with another
amazing performance at the 1999 Pac-10 Championships, where he finished
second at 7-0 1/2 (tied for seventh-place on USC's all-time chart). Known
as one of the best leapers in college basketball, Trepagnier (a 6-foot-3,
185-pound forward) averaged 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last
season as a sophomore for head coach Henry Bibby's squad.
RON ALLICE
Following in the footsteps of USC's legendary track coaches, Ron Allice has
made quite an impression during his first five seasons in Troy as the
Director of Track and Field. Most recently he guided the Trojan men's team
to the 1999 Pacific-10 Conference championship (USC's second league title
in the past three seasons and 31st overall) and directed the Women of Troy
to a strong runner-up finish. At last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships,
he led the USC men's team to seventh place and the Women of Troy to fifth
(as a combined men's and women's program, that performance ranked USC
behind only two schools at the 1998 NCAAs and was the best in school
history). In 1997, Allice directed the Trojan men's team to its first
Pac-10 title since 1977 before finishing third at the NCAAs. In 1996,
Allice guided the USC women's team to its first-ever Pac-10 title and
directed the men's squad to a 10th-place finish at the NCAAs. And in his
first year at USC in 1995, he led the men's team to a fourth-place finish
at the NCAAs. Allice is well known for his ability to win. His overall
dual meet coaching mark is 179-33-1 in 32 years at five schools, including
11 state championships in 16 years at Long Beach City College, his previous
stop before landing at Troy. Allice's programs have produced more than 200
All-Americans, plus 16 Olympians, four world record holders and seven
American record holders. He has coached at his high school, junior college
and college alma maters on the way to compiling his outstanding coaching
statistics.
USC TRACK & FIELD HISTORY
In addition to Troy's 26 NCAA outdoor titles (including nine straight,
1935-43), two indoor NCAA titles and 31 conference crowns, the USC men's
program has had 38 unbeaten and untied seasons, including a string of 16 in
a row (1946-61). Since starting the track and field program in 1900, the
Trojan men have compiled a dual-meet record of 398-108-4 (.784). Since
1912, 61 USC trackmen have equalled or bettered world records, and there
have been 105 NCAA individual or relay winners from Troy. Seventy-four
Trojan men and 13 Women of Troy have won 117 places on national Olympic
teams over the years. Trojans have won 25 individual Olympic titles and
shared in nine relay wins. Gold medal winners include long jumper Randy
Williams, pole vaulter Bob Seagren, sprinter Charles Paddock, quartermiler
Quincy Watts and hammer thrower Balazs Kiss. USC has also been associated
with 14 members of the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame. The USC
women's program has developed into one of the nation's finest. The Women
of Troy have had eight individual collegiate champions and six Top 10 NCAA
team finishes in school history (including fifth in 1998), and won the
school's first-ever Pac-10 women's team title on May 19, 1996.
NEW STADIUM
USC's Cromwell Track & Field, which is named after legendary Trojan coach
Dean Cromwell who led USC track teams to 12 NCAA Championships, will soon
be expanded to include a new 3,000-seat stadium (complete with offices and
locker rooms), which will be named after Katherine B. Loker, who made the
project possible through a generous gift to the University. Removal of the
existing bleachers has already begun and construction of the new facility
is expected to begin very soon. Cromwell Track & Field was used as a
training and warm-up facility during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The track's Rekortan surface, the same one that was installed for the
Olympic competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, has eight 42-inch
lanes. Cromwell Track & Field Stadium was the site of the first USC-UCLA
Dual Meet held on the USC campus in 1995. The meet was also held there in
1997 and this season on May 1.
USC MEN'S TRACK & FIELD NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
YEAR COACH CAPTAIN W L T + * 1926 Dean Cromwell Bud Houser 4 0 0 1 2 1930 Dean Cromwell Jess Mortensen 4 0 0 1 - 1931 Dean Cromwell Ernie Payne 4 0 0 1 - 1935 Dean Cromwell Norm Paul, Harry Tompkins 6 0 0 1 - 1936 Dean Cromwell Foy Draper 4 0 1 1 1 1937 Dean Cromwell Bill Sefton 4 1 0 1 1 1938 Dean Cromwell Adrian Talley, Hal Smallwood 4 0 0 1 1 1939 Dean Cromwell Payton Jordan, Bud Day 4 0 0 1 1 1940 Dean Cromwell Mickey Anderson, Louis Zamperini 5 0 0 1 1 1941 Dean Cromwell Howard Upton, Johnny Wilson 4 0 0 1 1 1942 Dean Cromwell Leroy Weed, Mel Bleeker 5 0 0 1 1 1943 Dean Cromwell Cliff Bourland, Searles Talley 3 1 0 1 - 1949 Jess Hill Mel Patton, Bill Bayless 7 0 1 1 1 1950 Jess Hill Bob Chambers, Henry Aihara 5 0 0 1 1 1951 Jess Mortensen Art Barnard, Jack Rowan 6 0 0 1 1 1952 Jess Mortensen Art Garcia, Frank Flores 6 0 0 1 1 1953 Jess Mortensen Jack Davis, Sim Iness 6 0 0 1 1 1954 Jess Mortensen Jim Lea, Will Wright 5 0 0 1 1 1955 Jess Mortensen Des Koch, Howard Bugbee 5 0 0 1 1 1958 Jess Mortensen Rink Babka, Max Truex 6 0 0 1 1 1961 Jess Mortensen Bob Avant, Bobby Staten 7 0 0 1 1 1963 Vern Wolfe Rex Cawley, Kevin Hogan, Julio Marin 11 0 0 1 1 1965 Vern Wolfe Lew Hoyt, Chris Johnson, Theo Viltz 6 2 0 1 4 1967 Vern Wolfe Gary Carlsen, Dave Buck 6 1 0 1 2 1968 Vern Wolfe Earl McCullouch, Chuck Schultz 7 0 0 1 1 1976 Vern Wolfe Ken Randle 7 0 0 1 1+ Finish in NCAA Outdoor meet * Finish in conference meet (conference finish is PCC record from 1936 through 1958 and Pac-8/Pac-10 from 1960 to present.) USC also finished first at NCAA Indoor Championships in 1967 and 1972.
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Bronco Stadium
Boise State University - Boise, Idaho
Wednesday, June 2, 1999
Time Event Division Round 12:00 Noon Hammer Women Final 2:00 p.m. 100-Meter Dash Decathlon 2:45 p.m. Long Jump Decathlon 4:05 p.m. Shot Put Decathlon 5:00 p.m. Discus Men Final 5:00 p.m. Long Jump Women Final 5:00 p.m. 400-Meter Relay Women Semifinal 5:20 p.m. 400-Meter Relay Men Semifinal 5:30 p.m. High Jump Decathlon 5:45 p.m. 400-Meter Hurdles Women Semifinal 6:10 p.m. 400-Meter Hurdles Men Semifinal 6:35 p.m. 800-Meter Run Women Semifinal 6:55 p.m. 800-Meter Run Men Semifinal 7:10 p.m. 3,000-Meter Run Women Semifinal 7:30 p.m. 400-Meter Dash Decathlon 7:50 p.m. 200-Meter Dash Women Preliminary 8:10 p.m. 200-Meter Dash Men Preliminary 8:30 p.m. 10,000-Meter Run Men Final
Thursday, June 3, 1999
Time Event Division Round 1:00 p.m. 110-Meter Hurdles Decathlon 1:45 p.m. Discus Decathlon 3:45 p.m. Pole Vault Decathlon 4:30 p.m. Shot Put Women Final 5:00 p.m. Long Jump Men Final 5:00 p.m. 100-Meter Hurdles Women Preliminary 5:20 p.m. 110-Meter Hurdles Men Preliminary 5:40 p.m. 1,500-Meter Run Women Semifinal 5:55 p.m. 1,500-Meter Run Men Semifinal 6:10 p.m. 400-Meter Dash Women Semifinal 6:15 p.m. High Jump Women Final 6:25 p.m. 400-Meter Dash Men Semifinal 6:30 p.m. Javelin Decathlon 6:40 p.m. 100-Meter Dash Women Preliminary 6:55 p.m. 100-Meter Dash Men Preliminary 7:10 p.m. 3,000-Meter Steeple Men Semifinal 7:35 p.m. 1,600-Meter Relay Women Semifinal 7:55 p.m. 1,600-Meter Relay Men Semifinal 8:10 p.m. 10,000-Meter Run Women Final 8:45 p.m. 1,500-Meter Run Decathlon
Friday, June 4, 1999
Time Event Division Round 1:30 p.m. 100-Meter Hurdles Heptathlon 2:15 p.m. High Jump Heptathlon 3:00 p.m. Javelin Men Final 4:30 p.m. Shot Put Heptathlon 5:50 p.m. 200-Meter Dash Heptathlon 6:00 p.m. Pole Vault Men Final 6:10 p.m. 400-Meter Relay Women Final 6:20 p.m. 400-Meter Relay Men Final 6:30 p.m. 400-Meter Hurdles Women Final 6:45 p.m. 400-Meter Hurdles Men Final 6:45 p.m. Triple Jump Women Final 7:00 p.m. 100-Meter Dash Women Semifinal 7:00 p.m. Javelin Women Final 7:15 p.m. 100-Meter Dash Men Semifinal 7:30 p.m. 800-Meter Run Women Final 7:40 p.m. 800-Meter Run Men Final 7:50 p.m. 100-Meter Hurdles Women Semifinal 8:05 p.m. 110-Meter Hurdles Men Semifinal 8:20 p.m. 3,000-Meter Run Women Final 8:35 p.m. 200-Meter Dash Women Semifinal 8:45 p.m. 200-Meter Dash Men Semifinal 9:05 p.m. 5,000-Meter Run Men Final
Saturday, June 5, 1999
Time Event Division Round 12:00 Noon Hammer Men Final 2:00 p.m. Long Jump Heptathlon 3:30 p.m. Javelin Heptathlon 5:45 p.m. 800-Meter Run Heptathlon 6:00 p.m. Pole Vault Women Final 6:00 p.m. Triple Jump Men Final 6:15 p.m. Discus Women Final 6:20 p.m. High Jump Men Final 6:30 p.m. 100-Meter Hurdles Women Final 6:40 p.m. 110-Meter Hurdles Men Final 6:50 p.m. 400-Meter Dash Women Final 7:00 p.m. 400-Meter Dash Men Final 7:00 p.m. Shot Put Men Final 7:10 p.m. 100-Meter Dash Women Final 7:20 p.m. 100-Meter Dash Men Final 7:30 p.m. 1,500-Meter Run Women Final 7:45 p.m. 1,500-Meter Run Men Final 8:00 p.m. 200-Meter Dash Women Final 8:10 p.m. 200-Meter Dash Men Final 8:25 p.m. 3,000-Meter Steeple Men Final 8:45 p.m. 5,000-Meter Run Women Final 9:10 p.m. 1,600-Meter Relay Women Final 9:20 p.m. 1,600-Meter Relay Men Final
