After four days in Eugene, the USC track & field team is returning to Los Angeles with one individual national champion, seven two-time All-Americans and a new school record in the women's 4x100m relay. Tynia Gaither and Deanna Hill each scored in three events, leading the group of repeat All-Americans on the women's side, while Randall Cunningham soared to an individual national title in the high jump, becoming the first Trojan since 2006 to win the event for the men.
The USC women's team finished tied for ninth, but did feature impressive performances from several experienced Trojans in the midst of the somewhat underwhelming team outcome. The 4x100m relay team of Gaither, Hill, Destinee Brown and Alexis Faulknor was the highlight of the week, posting a second-place finish in a school record time of 42.90 on Saturday. Gaither and Hill also each scored in both the 100m and 200m, with Gaither, a redshirt senior finishing fourth and fifth respectively, and Hill, a sophomore, securing fifth and seventh, respectively. They are the only Trojan women to score in both the 100m and 200m since Carol Rodriguez in 2006, and are now both repeat All-Americans. Jaide Stepter wrapped up a strong Trojan career finishing sixth in the 400m IH, bettering her eighth-place finish in 2015. Tera Novy rounded out the group of individual event scorers, placing seventh in the discus to become a two-time All-American as well.
Despite sending just four athletes to the NCAA Championships, the USC men's team earned a 12th-place finish at the meet thanks to Cunningham's dominating individual performance. The Trojan men have now finished in the Top 12 for 12 consecutive years. Cunningham seemingly breezed past the competition in the high jump, clearing all heights on his first five attempts en route to his winning mark of 7-4.50. He is USC's 11th high jump champion, and now a two-time All-American after finishing eighth in 2015. Sophomore Adoree' Jackson also performed well in the field, finishing fifth in the long jump to become a two-time All-American alongside Cunningham. Also scoring for the USC men was Ricky Morgan Jr. who placed seventh in the 400m.
Waaaaaay up ????. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/GjFC6NEB1e
-- @USC_Track_Field (@USC_Track_Field) June 11, 2016
"We came to the men's NCAA Championships with four sophomores. To leave here with three All-Americans and an NCAA Champion is quite a feat any way you look at it," said USC Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith-Gilbert on Friday.
Here's Cunningham after winning the 2016 high jump title...
