Click here for a complete recap of day two at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in which 10 Trojans advanced to the NCAA Championships.
"I was pleased with the overall outcome of the NCAA first round meet," said USC Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith Gilbert on Saturday. "On the women's side it was one of the best meets of the season and we have a strong team of 10 women heading to the NCAA final round."
On Friday, Adoree' Jackson earned USC's first spot at the NCAA Championships, finishing third overall in the long jump with a mark of 25-5.25 (+2.4w). Two of his fellow men's teammates would follow suit, with sophomore Randall Cunningham tying for first in the high jump and Ricky Morgan Jr. finishing in eighth in the 400m to advance in competition.
The Women of Troy had a strong showing early in the meet as well, with both Tynia Gaither and Deanna Hill securing spots in the 100m race in Eugene and Amalie Iuel and Jaide Stepter running the second and third fastest times in the 400m IH to advance as well. Kendall Ellis earned a trip to the 400m race at the NCAA Championships and long jumpers Alexis Faulknor and Margaux Jones both leapt into the long jump finals to round out the group.
Four more Trojans joined the party on Saturday as Destinee Brown and Cameron Pettigrew helped the Trojans' 4x100m and 4x400m relays advance, respectively. In field competition, Nick Ponzio finished fifth in the shot put to move on to the Championships while Tera Novy advanced in the women's discus.
The four-day NCAA Championships meet will begin on Wednesday, June 8 at Hayward Field in Eugene and will continue through Saturday. The meet will be broadcast on ESPN, but be sure to follow @USC_Track_Field for event by event updates, photos and more!
