University Southern California Trojans
USC Track And Field Sprints Toward Pac-10 Championships
May 16, 2000 | Track & Field
May 16, 2000
THE MEET
The USC men's and women's track and field teams join the rest of the league's elite at the 2000 Pac-10 Conference Championships on May 20-21 (Saturday-Sunday), which will be held at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Competition begins on May 20 at 1 p.m. with the men's long jump (running events will begin at 3:00 p.m.). The first day concludes with the men's 10,000m at 7:55 p.m. Competition begins on May 22 at 2 p.m. with the men's discus (running events will begin at 5 p.m.). The awards ceremony, which concludes the meet, is scheduled for 8:15 p.m (shortly after the 4 X 400m relays). Tickets are currently available through the Duck ticket office at 1-800-WEBFOOT. Single session tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for children/seniors. Two-day passes are $12 for adults and $8 for children/seniors.
ON TELEVISION
The 2000 Pacific-10 Conference Championships will be televised in the Los Angeles area on a delayed basis by FOX Sports Net on Friday, May 26, 2000 starting at 10 a.m. PT.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The USC men's team is currently ranked at No. 5 by Trackwire (behind Arkansas, Stanford, Auburn and TCU), while the USC women are ranked at No. 4 (behind Texas, LSU and UCLA). According to the latest NCAA form chart put out by Track and Field News, however, the Women of Troy are the choice to win the NCAA team championship, while the men are tabbed at the fifth spot. In the USTCA Power Rankings (dual meet comparisons), the USC men are ranked No. 3, with the women at No. 8.
NCAA OUTDOOR LEADERS
USC is home to several athletes who have clocked NCAA leading times so far this season. Senior Felix Sanchez owns the nation's top time in the 400m IH at 48.86 (April 16) and is the defending Pac-10 champion in that event. On the women's side sophomore Angela Williams has the nation's top 100m time at 11.03 (April 16), sophomore Kinshasa Davis has the top 200m time at 22.69 (April 16) and junior Brigita Langerholc has the best 800m time at 2:02.01 (April 16). Williams and Davis make up one half of USC's 400m relay team which clocked a nation-leading 43.27 back on April 1. Langerholc and Davis also run legs on the Women of Troy's 1600m relay squad which until recently led the nation with a time of 3:31.31.
PAC-10 COMBINED EVENT CHAMPIONSHIPS
At last weekend's 2000 Pac-10 Combined Event Championships (May 13-14) at Hayward Field, USC's men's team picked up several key points. In the decathlon, Casey Thompson (7,050), Marcell Allmond (6,931) and Russell Silvers (6,871) finished fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively (California's Brevan Hart won the event with 7,890 points). In the heptathlon, Spring Harris finished ninth (3,755) and Lydia Rolle finished 10th (3,408), with Missy Vanek of California winning (5,505). The Women of Troy did not receive any points, but the USC men picked up seven points heading into this weekend's championships. California and Oregon have 13 points apiece.
THE USC TROJANS
USC, celebrating its centennial season, owns an unprecedented 26 NCAA Outdoor Championships (plus two indoor titles). Leading the way for the 2000 men's team is 1999 NCAA hammer runner up Norbert Horvath, 1999 Pac-10 400m IH champion Felix Sanchez, and 1999 All-American and school-record pole vaulter, Dennis Kholev. The Trojans also added a stellar recruiting class to the mix that was rated second in the nation by Track and Field News. The USC women's team is led by four school record holders: 1999 NCAA 100m champion Angela Williams (11.04), 1999 Pac-10 800m champion Brigita Langerholc (1:59.87), 1999 Pac-10 400m IH champion Natasha Danvers (55.69) and 1999 hammer All-American Jennifer Vail (202-7).
THE CHAMP
The aforementioned Angela Williams is the defending NCAA 100m champion and the USC 100m record-holder at 11.04--and she's only a sophomore! She was ranked ninth in the world and ran the fastest junior time in the world in 1999. Williams finished third in the 100m at the U.S. championships and has a good chance at competing in Sydney for the U.S. Olympic team. The 5-2 Williams has a season-best of 11.03w and ran the leadoff leg on USC's school-record 43.27 400m relay.
POLE POSITION
Junior pole vaulter Denis Kholev broke Dave Kenworthy's school record on April 1 when he vaulted 18-3 [5.56] to finish second at the Centennial Invitational. Kholev, who finished seventh at the NCAAs in 1999, is a native of the Ukraine who later served three years in the Israeli Defense Forces.
MAMBO NUMBER TWO
Junior triple jumper Djeke Mambo (whose older brother Kedjeloba is also a jumper for Troy) jumped a career-best 53-10 3/4 at the Trojan Invitational to automatically qualify for the NCAAs. It was also the second best triple jump in USC history (behind Tom Cochee's 54-4 1/2). Djeke earned All Pac-10 honors in the long jump last season.
HAMMER TIME
USC has an outstanding hammer tradition, but this year's unit, led by throws coach Dan Lange, may be the deepest in recent memory. Five current Trojan hammer throwers are on the USC all-time top 10 chart. Four of them have thrown over 200 feet in 2000. Two have automatically qualified for the NCAAs, while two are provisionally qualified. Troy returns the 1999 Pac-10 champ and NCAA runner up in junior Norbert Horvath (PR: 241-11), while junior Szabolcs Maroti (225-9) and senior Dagan Massey (209-3) were both Pac-10 finalists last season. Senior David Spitz (206-1) and freshman Lucais MacKay (198-0) round out the unit.
LITTLE TREE
Sophomore Candace Young--one of three daughters of former USC and NFL great Charle "Tree" Young who compete for USC track and field--is one of the most improved athletes on the west coast in 2000. Young has a personal-best of 11.49 in the 100m and 23.75 in the 200m. She also runs the second leg on the Women of Troy's school-record 400m relay squad.
DYNAMIC DUO
The Women of Troy feature a pair of throwers who are currently in three of the all-time USC top-10 charts. Junior hammer All-American Jennifer Vail and sophomore Cynthia Ademiluyi are both triple threats in the hammer, discus and the shot put. Vail finished seventh at the NCAA meet in 1999 and is the Women of Troy record-holder in the hammer (202-7). Ademiluyi shattered her PR with a mark of 52-10 1/2 in the shot that landed her in second on the all-time school charts (it would have easily automatically qualified for the NCAAs, but it was recorded before March 1 when marks did not count toward qualifying.)
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
USC has two of the finest 400m hurdlers around in senior team captain Felix Sanchez and senior Natasha Danvers. Sanchez is second on the all-time Trojan list with a PR of 48.60 and is a good bet this year to top the record of 48.56 set by Tom Andrews in 1976. So far he has the best time in the nation this season (48.86). Sanchez has dual citizenship (U.S.-Dominican Republic) and will be competing for the Dominican Republic in the 2000 Olympics. Danvers is perhaps the best athlete on the USC squad. The London native is the Woman of Troy record-holder in the 400m IH at 55.69 and has the best mark in the Pac-10 this season at 56.71. She is also accomplished in the 100m HH with a season-best of 13.19w and is a stellar high-jumper as well, with a season-best jump of 5-10. Sanchez and Danvers are also vital parts of the Trojans' 1600m relay squad.
THE INCREDIBLE LANGERHOLC
Junior Brigita Langerholc tops the Women of Troy in two events this season. Already the school-record holder in the 800m (1:59.87), she has a nation-leading 2:02.01 so far this season and will be one of the favorites in that event at the NCAA Championships in June. Langerholc, who hails from Slovenia, also ran USC's best 400m time this year at the USTCA Invitational (52.93-NCAA Provisional) and is a member of USC's school-record 1600m relay team.
TREPAGNIER WITH THE JUMP(ER)
The UCLA dual meet witnessed the return of one of the best high jumpers in the Pac-10. Jeff Trepagnier, a starting guard for the USC basketball team (he averaged 15.9 ppg and 6.6 rpg) won the dual meet with a jump of 6-9 and is the leading returnee from last year's Pac-10 meet (in which he placed second). The 6-4 Trepagnier is seventh on the all-time Trojan chart with a best of 7-0 1/2....and he's only taken part in three competitions!
KINSHASA RISING
Sophomore Kinshasa Davis came to USC as one of the most celebrated female athletes in prep history. Slowed by injuries her first two years (she redshirted her first season), Davis is back on track for greatness. She owns the fastest 200m time in the nation this season at 22.69--second fastest all-time on the Women of Troy and Pac-10 charts--and has an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 53.04 in the 400m (sixth on the USC charts). Davis also is the anchor for USC's school-record 400m and 1600m relays. At the 1999 NCAA Championships in Boise, she ran the anchor leg on USC's 1,600m squad that overtook UCLA in dramatic fashion to deny the Bruins a share of the national title.
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 1998 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. 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.
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. Last season, Troy finished fifth at the NCAAs. The Women of Troy have had nine individual collegiate champions, including defending 100m champ Angela Williams, and seven Top 10 NCAA team finishes in school history, including last season's third-place showing at the 1999 meet in Boise, Idaho.
RON ALLICE
Under the guidance of Director of Track and Field Ron Allice, the Trojan men are on a run of six consective top 10 finishes - a feat last accomplished during the 1970s under Verne Wolfe. Meanwhile, the Women of Troy have finished in the top 10 three of the last four years - a level of success not seen since the late 1980s. Last year the men's track team won its second Pac-10 title in three years under Allice. Then, at last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships, he led the USC men's team to fifth place and the Women of Troy to third. It was the women's best showing since 1987. As a combined men's and women's program, that performance was the best in school history. In fact, USC was the only school in the country in 1999 that finished in the top five in both men's and women's track and field. In 1998, the Trojan men's team finished in seventh place while the women's team finished in fifth place. In 1997, Allice directed the Trojan men's team to its first Pacific-10 Conference title since 1977 (and 30th overall) 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. At last year's NCAA Outdoor Championship Allice is well known for his ability to win. His overall dual meet coaching mark is 192-36-1 in 33 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 403-109-4 (.786). 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 27 individual Olympic titles and shared in 13 relay wins. The NCAA has used many scoring systems over the years, but E. Garry Hill, the editor of Track and Field News has gone back to 1921 and rescored all the meets using a 10-8-6-4-2-1 system. Over the years the Trojans have scored nearly as many points as the second and third place teams combined.
Team Points
1. USC 2598 2. UCLA 1543 3. Oregon 1289 4. Illinois 1038 5. Stanford 961 6. Wash. St. 950 7. Michigan 950 8. Cal 913 9. UTEP 884 10. Kansas 815
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Kinshasa Davis was selected the Pac-10 Women's Track Athlete of the Week on April 17 for her nation-leading 22.69 200m time at the Mt. Sac Relays. Freshman Ryan Wilson of Gahanna, Oh., was selected for the same honor on April 24 for finishing third in the 110m HH at the USTCA Invitational with a time of 13.79 (+4.5). In the semi-finals he also had an NCAA provisional time of 13.90 (+2.5).
COMBINED EXCELLENCE
USC was the only school in the nation in 1999 to place both its men's and women's programs in the top five at the NCAA Championships.
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. Construction is expected to begin this June.
USC Track & Field NCAA Outdoor Qualifiers
MEN (17) Sultan McCullough 100m 10.22 (P) Kareem Kelly 100m 10.33 (P) Ryan Wilson 110m HH 13.90w (P) Djeke Mambo 110m HH 13.92w (P) Leroy Jordan 400m 46.09 (P) Andre Ammons 400m 46.16 (P) Felix Sanchez 400m IH 48.86 (A) Djeke Mambo Triple Jump 53-10 3/4 (A) Kedjeloba Mambo Triple Jump 52-10 3/4 (P) Denis Kholev Pole Vault 18-3 (A) Norbert Horvath Hammer 228-2 (A) Szabolcs Maroti Hammer 225-9 (A) Dagan Massey Hammer 209-3 (P) David Spitz Hammer 206-1 (P) Denis Kholev Pole Vault 18-3 (A) Darrell Rideaux Sultan McCullough Vince Williams Kareem Kelly 400m Rly 39.18 (A) Leroy Jordan, Vince Williams, Andre Ammons, Felix Sanchez 1600m Rly 3:04.10 (P)
(A) - Automatic qualifying mark -- currently 7 (P) - Provisional qualifying mark -- currently 10
WOMEN (15)
Angela Williams 100m 11.03w (A) Candace Young 100m 11.48w (P) Kinshasa Davis 200m 22.69 (A) Brigita Langerholc 400m 52.93 (P) Kinshasa Davis 400m 53.04 (P) Brigita Langerholc 800m 2:02.01 (A) Natasha Danvers 100m HH 13.19w (P) Myriam Tschomba 100m HH 13.62w (P) Natasha Danvers 400m IH 56.71 (A) Stephanie Jones Long Jump 20-5 3/4 (P) Tatyana Obukhova Triple Jump 41-9 3/4 (P) Cynthia Ademiluyi Discus 172-4 (P) Jennifer Vail Hammer 202-7 (A) Angela Williams, Candace Young, Malika Edmonson, Kinshasa Davis 400m Rly 43.27 (A) Brigita Langerholc Natasha Danvers, Malika Edmonson, Kinshasa Davis 1600m Rly 3:31.31 (A)
(A) - Automatic qualifying mark -- currently 7 (P) - Provisional qualifying mark -- currently 8
