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Power 5 Trailblazer Challenge
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USC Holds Historic Power 5 Trailblazer Challenge Meet This Weekend
March 22, 2018 | Track & Field, Features
The Trojans will host a historic Power 5 Trailblazer Challenge track meet featuring USC, Miami, Mississippi, Ohio State and Tennessee on March 23-24. These five programs are the only Power 5 conference schools with a woman leading both the men's and women's track an field programs. The majority of the meet will be held on March 24 at Loker Stadium from noon to 3:30 p.m. The hammer throw and discus competitions will be held at Long Beach State on March 23 from noon to 3 p.m. This will be the second and final home meet of the season for the Trojans. Generall admission for adults is $10 and the price of admission for youths (3-12) and seniors (65+) will be $5. The events on Friday at Long Beach State will be free to the public. In addition, there will be a Special Olympics 100m dash on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. which will feature athletes from the Special Olympics Southern California.
POWER 5 TRAILBLAZER CHALLENGE HEAD COACHES - The meet features very successful women's head coaches which are in charge of both the men's and women's programs. Caryl Smith Gilbert is in her fifth year at the helm of the Trojan program and will be joined at the meet by Miami's Amy Deem (27 seasons), Tennessee's Beth Alford-Sullivan (4 seasons), Ohio State's Karen Dennis (12 seasons) and Mississippi's Connie Price-Smith (3 seasons).
TROJANS SET 2 WORLD & 3 USA RECORDS AT INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - Michael Norman won the men's 400m with a world-record time and was part of the winning world record-setting 4x400m relay, Kendall Ellis won the women's 400m with a USA-record time and was part of the winning women's relay and Randall Cunningham won the men's high jump by tying the school record at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas on March 10. The USC men's team placed second with 37 points and the women's team took seventh with 28 points.
MEN & WOMEN WIN MPSF TITLES - USC won both the men's and women's team titles at the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seatte, Wash. on Feb. 23-24. USC men winning titles were Rai Benjamin (400m), T.J. Brock (60m), Randall Cunningham (HJ), Robert Ford (800m) and Nick Ponzio (SP). Trojan women claiming crowns were: Kyra Constantine (400m), Kendall Ellis (200m), Dior Hall (60m H), TeeTee Terry (60m).
MEN'S 4X400M RELAY SETS WORLD RECORD...AGAIN - USC's men's 4x400m relay team of Zach Shinnick, Rai Benjamin, Ricky Morgan Jr. and Michael Norman shattered the world record and set a school, collegiate and USA record with a winning time of 3:00.77 at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10. USC had originally claimed the record at the Tiger Paw Invitational earlier this season with a time of 3:01.98, but a team from Poland broke it with a time of 3:01.77 on March 4.
USC'S RETURNING OUTDOOR ALL-AMERICANS - USC has five returning women's outdoor All-Americans in Anna Cockrell (100m H, 400m H), Kendall Ellis (400m, 4x400m), Dior Hall (100m H), Deanna Hill (200m, 4x400m), Ky Westbrook (100m). The Trojans have four returning men's outdoor All-Americans in Marquis Morris (110m H), Michael Norman (400m), Nick Ponzio (SP) and Eric Sloan (LJ).
WHO'S NEW ON THE 2018 TROJANS -Â There are 13 new women's athletes on this season's outdoor roster: Angie Annelus (sprints), Julia Bounds (distances), Chanel Brissett (hurdles), Jennifer Daly (distances), Mackenzie Ellison (distances), Breana Jemison (throws), Cassidy Palka (HJ), Kaelin Roberts (sprints), Shante Robinson (sprints/hurdles), Natasha Stamp (throws), Twanisha "TeeTee" Terry (sprints) and Sydney Tullai (distances). There are 8 new athletes on the men's roster: Rai Benjamin (hurdles/sprints), Cameron Collins (multis), David Hulme (distances), Jaydon Logan (hurdles/sprints), Nick Moore (sprints), Cameron Samuel (hurdles/sprints), Earnest Sears (jumps) and Zach Shinnick (sprints).
NORMAN SETS WORLD INDOOR 400M RECORD - Michael Norman won the men's 400m title at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10 with the fastest indoor time ever of 44.52. He broke the previous world record of 44.57 set by Kerron Clement of USA in 2005. Â
ELLIS SET USA WOMEN'S INDOOR 400M RECORD - Kendall Ellis then won the women's 400m race at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10, setting the USC, collegiate and USA records with a winning time of 50.34. She broke the previous USA record of 50.46 set by Phyllis Francis in 2014.
MORGAN NAMED PAC-12 MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK - USC senior Ricky Morgan Jr. was named the Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete of the Week for the week of March 12-18. Morgan Jr. opened his outdoor season by winning the men's 200m dash with a time of 20.92 (+1.6) at the Trojan Invitational on March 17, just off his PR of 20.88 set in 2016. Morgan's time is the sixth-fastest by an NCAA runner in the early season, and fourth-fastest wind-legal time. It is the second Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete Of The Week honor for Morgan Jr., also being selected on March 29, 2016.
NORMAN, SMITH GILBERT & WATTS EARN USTFCCCA REGIONAL HONORS -- Michael Norman was named men's track athlete of the year,, Caryl Smith Gilbert men's and women's head coach of the year and Quincy Watts men's assistant of the year for the West Region it was announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on March 5. Norman scorched the track at the Tiger Paw Invitational on his way to the fifth-fastest time in collegiate indoor history in the 400m of 45.00. Later in that same meet, Norman took the baton last for the Trojans' 4×400 relay team that ran a collegiate record-setting and then world record-setting time of 3:01.98. Smith Gilbert, in her fifth year at USC, led the Trojan men's team to an MPSF Championship where her athletes won five individual titles. On the season, her athletes posted 14 school top-10 marks, as well as a world record in the 4×400m relay. Her squad currently ranks fifth nationally. Smith Gilbert also led the USC women to their fourth Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship in five years, as well as a top-five national team ranking heading in to the NCAA Championships. Smith Gilbert was named the MPSF Women's Coach of the Year after the Trojans won four individual event crowns on their way to claiming the team trophy.  Watts, in his fifth year as an assistant coach at USC, helped guide the Trojan men's team to an MPSF Championship. His athletes finished 1-2-3 in the 400m at the conference championships. On the season, Michael Norman posted the fifth-fastest 400 time in collegiate history at 45.00. The 4×400 relay team, which Watts works closely with, set a world, collegiate and school record with a time of 3:01.98 at the Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb.10.
ELLIS, BENJAMIN & NORMAN NAMED TO BOWERMAN POST-INDOOR WATCH LISTS - USC's Kendall Ellis was named to The Bowerman Post-Indoor list (on March 14) and Rai Benjamin and Michael Norman were named to the same men's list (on March 15) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Bowerman is awarded annually at the end of the track and field season to the most outstanding track and field athlete.
NORMAN & WATTS EARN USTFCCCA NATIONAL HONORS - Michael Norman was named national men's track athlete of the year and Quincy Watts the national men's assistant coach of the year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on March 13. During the regular season, Michael Norman became one of the fastest men in NCAA history. At the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas on March 10, Norman turned his attention to a bigger stage: the world. Norman became the fastest man in world history over 400 meters indoors when he clocked a time of 44.52 to win the NCAA title, which lowered the previous record of 44.57 and also stands as the American record, collegiate record and meet record. The sophomore from Murrieta, California also anchored the Trojan 4×400m team to an all-time world best mark of 3:00.77. Norman is the first athlete from Southern California to win a national indoor award. Watts, in his fifth year as an assistant coach at USC, led USC's sprinters and 4x400m relay team to greatness this season. He oversaw an incredible performance by his runners at the NCAA Indoors, as USC athletes broke the world record in the 400m (Michael Norman, 44.52) and established an all-time world best in the 4×400m (3:00.77). All told, Watts' athletes combined for 27 of the Trojans' 37 points in College Station, Texas, which helped them to a runner-up finish. Don't forget that during the regular season, Norman clocked the then-fifth fastest time in collegiate indoor history and the 4×400m relay broke what was the collegiate indoor record at the time. He also helped guide the Trojan men's team to an MPSF Championship ans his athletes finished 1-2-3 in the 400m at the conference championships.
SMITH GILBERT AND BENJAMIN EARN MPSF HONORS - USC junior Rai Benjamin was named Men's Athlete of the Meet and Caryl Smith Gilbert the Men's and Women's Coach of the Year by the Moutain Pacific Sports Federation after the Trojans swept the men's and women's team titles. Â
ECSTASY AND AGONY FOR CUNNINGHAM - Randall Cunningham won his second national title in the high jump, first indoors, when he cleared 7-6.00/2.29m. That jump was an indoor PR and tied the school record set by Jesse Williams in 2006. He was the only jumper clean through that height, but on his first attempt at 7-7.25/2.32m he suffered a broken left tibia bone on his approach. The other two jumpers remaining could not clear the height and he won the NCAA high jump title, despite breaking his leg. Cunningham had surgery on March 11 and is expected to miss the 2018 outdoor season.
EXPECT ONE LAST THRILL FROM HILL - USC senior sprinter Deanna Hill ranks in USC's all-time top 10 in the 100m (T6 - 11.17) and 200m (3rd - 22.41) and ran on USC's school record women's 4x100m (42.90) and 4x400m relays (3:23.35). She is a seven-time outdoor first-team All-American, having scored in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m at the NCAA Championships. Hill opened up her 2018 outdoor season by running her first collegiate 400m race and won at the Trojan Invitational on March 17 with a time of 53.26, which ranks seventh in the country. Hill is also one of USC's tri-captains this season.
IT'S A BIRD...I'TS A PLANE...IT'S SUPER SLOAN! - USC redshirt senior Eric Sloan has shown flashes of his immense talent, with the only thing slowing him down being injuries. He ranks third on USC's all-time triple jump list with a jump of 55-6.25/16.92m and is 10th on USC's all-time long jump list with a best of 25-9.25/7.85 meters. Last season Sloan won the Pac-12 triple jump title and placed third in the long jump, before placing sixth in the long jump at nationals. In 2016, Sloan finished fourth in the triple jump at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, but suffered a leg injury which would keep him out all of the outdoor season. He rehabilitated throughout the season and was able to place 12th in the triple jump finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Sloan also finished 11th at the 2017 USA Track and Field Championships in the triple jump.
WHAT WILL COCKRELL DO NEXT? -- Sophomore hurdler Anna Cockrell was named the 2017 Pac-12 Track & Field Women's Freshman of the Year as she placed second in both the 100m and 400m hurdles, as well as running a leg on USC's winning 4x400m relay. The only other USC conference Women's Freshman of the Year award-winners were co-winners Shalina Clarke and Shana Woods in 2007 and Virginia Powell in 2003. Cockrell continued on to become a two-time outdoor All-American, placing second in the 400m hurdles and eighth in the 100m hurdles. Along the way, she set the USC freshman record in the 400m hurdles (55.14) and the indoor 60m hurdles (7.98). Cockrell ran the 55.14 in the 400m hurdles at the USA T&F Championships, where she placed eighth. She enters the season ranked fourth on USC's all-time 100m hurdles list (12.89) and third in the 400m hurdles (55.14). Cockrell also ran the third leg on USC's second-fastest 4x400m relay of all-time (3:26.09). Cockrell is one of the USC women's team's tri-captains.
THE STEADY LEADERSHIP OF MORGAN - USC senior Ricky Morgan Jr. for the second consecutive season will serve as one of USC's team captains. Morgan Jr. was a 2016 400m All-American, finishing seventh, and was a NCAA semifinalist in the event in 2015 and 2017. He has a best outdoor 400m time of 45.44 and a 200m time of 20.88. He opened his 2018 campaign running the 200m dash at the Trojan Invitational on March 17 and won with a time of 20.92 (+1.6).
DIOR BACK IN FASHION IN THE HURDLING WORLD - USC redshirt junior hurdler Dior Hall is fully health this season, following her comeback season last year in which she kept regaining her form, finishing seventh at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a season-best time of 12.82 (+1.6) and earning All-America honors. Hall has a best of 12.74 (+1.7) which she ran in placing third at the 2015 NCAA Championships, which is the USC freshman record in the event. During the 2018 indoor season, Hall ran a PR of 7.94 in the 60m hurdles and then won the MPSF indoor title with a time of 7.99. She also advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event. Â
THE PONZ OF THE SHOT PUT - USC redshirt senior Nick Ponzio enters the season ranking sixth on USC's all-time shot put list with a best mark of 64-1.00/19.53m. He is a two-time outdoor All-American in the event, placing sixth at the 2017 NCAA Championships whith a career-best tying mark of 64-1.00. Ponzio also placed second in the shot put at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships and has finished in the top four of the conference meet all three seasons. During the indoor season Ponzio won the MPSF Indoor title with a PR of 64-4.50/19.62m, which ranks third on USC's all-time list. He also advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event.
USC GETS A GEM IN JEMISON - USC redshirt senior Breana Jemison is a tranfer from UC Riverside, where she set the school record with a mark of 56-11.50/17.36m. In her first outdoor meet as a Trojan at the Trojan Invitational on March 17, she won the shot put with a mark of 53-1.50/16.19m which ranks seventh on USC's all-time list. During the indoor season, Jemison had a best mark of 56-8.00/17.27m which ranks second on USC's all-time indoor list. She finished ninth in the shot put at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in the shot put with a mark of 54-4.50/16.57m.
BUY STOCK IN BROCK - USC sophomore sprinter T.J. Brock is primed for a strong second season if his indoor campaign is any indication. Brock won the MPSF indoor 60m title with a time of 6.67 and posted an indoor PR of 6.64 which ranks sixth on USC's all-time indoor list. Brock is USC's top returning 100m runner from last season with a wind-legal best of 10.30 (+1.7) run at the Texas Relays. He also had a wind-aided PR of 10.16 (+4.2w) at the 2017 NCAA West Prelims. He also ran anchor on USC's 4x100m relay team last year which placed 10th at the NCAA Championships with a time of 39.05, 10th on USC's all-time list. Brock graduated from Chaminade College Prep in 2016 where he was a two-time California state champion in the 100m dash. He won the 100m dash at the 2015 Mt. SAC Relays with a wind-aided time of 10.20, the second-fastest California high school time to Quincy Watts' 10.17. T.J.'s father Tarrik is the outfield/baserunning coordinator for the Dodgers and played in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs. His mother Kanika (Conwright) was his track coach in high school and ran track for USC (1993-95).
JONES SET TO JUMP EVEN FARTHER - USC junior Margaux Jones is USC's indoor long jump record-holder (21-0.50/6.41m) and ranks sixth on USC's outdoor list (20-10.75/6.37m). Jones took second in the long jump at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships and third in 2016. Jones placed second in the long jump at the 2018 MPSF Indoor Championships with a jump of 19-11.75/6.09m and placed 12th at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Jones is an Art History/Pre-Med major at USC and hopes to attend medical school for internal medicine after graduation.
GET TO KNOW THE NEW GUY RAI - USC junior Rai Benjamin is an All-American hurdler who transfered to USC from UCLA. Benjamin placed second in the 400m hurdles at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a PR of 48.33, just .01 second behind the winner. He also won the 2017 Pac-12 title in the event with a time of 49.52. Benjamin's PR of 48.33 in the 400m hurdles is the same as Olympic champion and USC record-holder Felix Sanchez ran while running as a Trojan. Benjamin also has an outdoor PR of 45.72 in the open 400m race. Benjamin demonstrated his talent during the 2018 indoor campaign by winning the MPSF indoor 400m title with a time of 45.94. He ran the second-fastest indoor 200m time in school history of 20.34 to place third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Benjamin also ran a leg on USC's 4x400m relay team which beat the world record with a time of 3:00.77.
McARTHUR SURE TO LEAVE HER MARK - USC freshman hammer thrower Joy McArthur is a former USATF Junior hammer throw champion and ranks second all-time on the high school girls hammer throw list. She began throwing the hammer just to years ago. McArthur opened her collegiate career by winning the hammer throw at the Trojan Invitational on March 16 with a mark of 197-1/60.07m, just outside the Trojans' top 10 in the event. She currently ranks ninth in the country in the hammer throw. She has a hammer throw PR of 203-8/62.07m.
ON DECK: CALIFORNIA COLLEGIATE - USC will be competing at the California Collegiate Invitational on March 31 in San Diego, Calif.
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POWER 5 TRAILBLAZER CHALLENGE HEAD COACHES - The meet features very successful women's head coaches which are in charge of both the men's and women's programs. Caryl Smith Gilbert is in her fifth year at the helm of the Trojan program and will be joined at the meet by Miami's Amy Deem (27 seasons), Tennessee's Beth Alford-Sullivan (4 seasons), Ohio State's Karen Dennis (12 seasons) and Mississippi's Connie Price-Smith (3 seasons).
TROJANS SET 2 WORLD & 3 USA RECORDS AT INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - Michael Norman won the men's 400m with a world-record time and was part of the winning world record-setting 4x400m relay, Kendall Ellis won the women's 400m with a USA-record time and was part of the winning women's relay and Randall Cunningham won the men's high jump by tying the school record at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas on March 10. The USC men's team placed second with 37 points and the women's team took seventh with 28 points.
MEN & WOMEN WIN MPSF TITLES - USC won both the men's and women's team titles at the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seatte, Wash. on Feb. 23-24. USC men winning titles were Rai Benjamin (400m), T.J. Brock (60m), Randall Cunningham (HJ), Robert Ford (800m) and Nick Ponzio (SP). Trojan women claiming crowns were: Kyra Constantine (400m), Kendall Ellis (200m), Dior Hall (60m H), TeeTee Terry (60m).
MEN'S 4X400M RELAY SETS WORLD RECORD...AGAIN - USC's men's 4x400m relay team of Zach Shinnick, Rai Benjamin, Ricky Morgan Jr. and Michael Norman shattered the world record and set a school, collegiate and USA record with a winning time of 3:00.77 at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10. USC had originally claimed the record at the Tiger Paw Invitational earlier this season with a time of 3:01.98, but a team from Poland broke it with a time of 3:01.77 on March 4.
USC'S RETURNING OUTDOOR ALL-AMERICANS - USC has five returning women's outdoor All-Americans in Anna Cockrell (100m H, 400m H), Kendall Ellis (400m, 4x400m), Dior Hall (100m H), Deanna Hill (200m, 4x400m), Ky Westbrook (100m). The Trojans have four returning men's outdoor All-Americans in Marquis Morris (110m H), Michael Norman (400m), Nick Ponzio (SP) and Eric Sloan (LJ).
WHO'S NEW ON THE 2018 TROJANS -Â There are 13 new women's athletes on this season's outdoor roster: Angie Annelus (sprints), Julia Bounds (distances), Chanel Brissett (hurdles), Jennifer Daly (distances), Mackenzie Ellison (distances), Breana Jemison (throws), Cassidy Palka (HJ), Kaelin Roberts (sprints), Shante Robinson (sprints/hurdles), Natasha Stamp (throws), Twanisha "TeeTee" Terry (sprints) and Sydney Tullai (distances). There are 8 new athletes on the men's roster: Rai Benjamin (hurdles/sprints), Cameron Collins (multis), David Hulme (distances), Jaydon Logan (hurdles/sprints), Nick Moore (sprints), Cameron Samuel (hurdles/sprints), Earnest Sears (jumps) and Zach Shinnick (sprints).
NORMAN SETS WORLD INDOOR 400M RECORD - Michael Norman won the men's 400m title at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10 with the fastest indoor time ever of 44.52. He broke the previous world record of 44.57 set by Kerron Clement of USA in 2005. Â
ELLIS SET USA WOMEN'S INDOOR 400M RECORD - Kendall Ellis then won the women's 400m race at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10, setting the USC, collegiate and USA records with a winning time of 50.34. She broke the previous USA record of 50.46 set by Phyllis Francis in 2014.
MORGAN NAMED PAC-12 MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK - USC senior Ricky Morgan Jr. was named the Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete of the Week for the week of March 12-18. Morgan Jr. opened his outdoor season by winning the men's 200m dash with a time of 20.92 (+1.6) at the Trojan Invitational on March 17, just off his PR of 20.88 set in 2016. Morgan's time is the sixth-fastest by an NCAA runner in the early season, and fourth-fastest wind-legal time. It is the second Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete Of The Week honor for Morgan Jr., also being selected on March 29, 2016.
NORMAN, SMITH GILBERT & WATTS EARN USTFCCCA REGIONAL HONORS -- Michael Norman was named men's track athlete of the year,, Caryl Smith Gilbert men's and women's head coach of the year and Quincy Watts men's assistant of the year for the West Region it was announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on March 5. Norman scorched the track at the Tiger Paw Invitational on his way to the fifth-fastest time in collegiate indoor history in the 400m of 45.00. Later in that same meet, Norman took the baton last for the Trojans' 4×400 relay team that ran a collegiate record-setting and then world record-setting time of 3:01.98. Smith Gilbert, in her fifth year at USC, led the Trojan men's team to an MPSF Championship where her athletes won five individual titles. On the season, her athletes posted 14 school top-10 marks, as well as a world record in the 4×400m relay. Her squad currently ranks fifth nationally. Smith Gilbert also led the USC women to their fourth Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship in five years, as well as a top-five national team ranking heading in to the NCAA Championships. Smith Gilbert was named the MPSF Women's Coach of the Year after the Trojans won four individual event crowns on their way to claiming the team trophy.  Watts, in his fifth year as an assistant coach at USC, helped guide the Trojan men's team to an MPSF Championship. His athletes finished 1-2-3 in the 400m at the conference championships. On the season, Michael Norman posted the fifth-fastest 400 time in collegiate history at 45.00. The 4×400 relay team, which Watts works closely with, set a world, collegiate and school record with a time of 3:01.98 at the Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb.10.
ELLIS, BENJAMIN & NORMAN NAMED TO BOWERMAN POST-INDOOR WATCH LISTS - USC's Kendall Ellis was named to The Bowerman Post-Indoor list (on March 14) and Rai Benjamin and Michael Norman were named to the same men's list (on March 15) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Bowerman is awarded annually at the end of the track and field season to the most outstanding track and field athlete.
NORMAN & WATTS EARN USTFCCCA NATIONAL HONORS - Michael Norman was named national men's track athlete of the year and Quincy Watts the national men's assistant coach of the year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on March 13. During the regular season, Michael Norman became one of the fastest men in NCAA history. At the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas on March 10, Norman turned his attention to a bigger stage: the world. Norman became the fastest man in world history over 400 meters indoors when he clocked a time of 44.52 to win the NCAA title, which lowered the previous record of 44.57 and also stands as the American record, collegiate record and meet record. The sophomore from Murrieta, California also anchored the Trojan 4×400m team to an all-time world best mark of 3:00.77. Norman is the first athlete from Southern California to win a national indoor award. Watts, in his fifth year as an assistant coach at USC, led USC's sprinters and 4x400m relay team to greatness this season. He oversaw an incredible performance by his runners at the NCAA Indoors, as USC athletes broke the world record in the 400m (Michael Norman, 44.52) and established an all-time world best in the 4×400m (3:00.77). All told, Watts' athletes combined for 27 of the Trojans' 37 points in College Station, Texas, which helped them to a runner-up finish. Don't forget that during the regular season, Norman clocked the then-fifth fastest time in collegiate indoor history and the 4×400m relay broke what was the collegiate indoor record at the time. He also helped guide the Trojan men's team to an MPSF Championship ans his athletes finished 1-2-3 in the 400m at the conference championships.
SMITH GILBERT AND BENJAMIN EARN MPSF HONORS - USC junior Rai Benjamin was named Men's Athlete of the Meet and Caryl Smith Gilbert the Men's and Women's Coach of the Year by the Moutain Pacific Sports Federation after the Trojans swept the men's and women's team titles. Â
ECSTASY AND AGONY FOR CUNNINGHAM - Randall Cunningham won his second national title in the high jump, first indoors, when he cleared 7-6.00/2.29m. That jump was an indoor PR and tied the school record set by Jesse Williams in 2006. He was the only jumper clean through that height, but on his first attempt at 7-7.25/2.32m he suffered a broken left tibia bone on his approach. The other two jumpers remaining could not clear the height and he won the NCAA high jump title, despite breaking his leg. Cunningham had surgery on March 11 and is expected to miss the 2018 outdoor season.
EXPECT ONE LAST THRILL FROM HILL - USC senior sprinter Deanna Hill ranks in USC's all-time top 10 in the 100m (T6 - 11.17) and 200m (3rd - 22.41) and ran on USC's school record women's 4x100m (42.90) and 4x400m relays (3:23.35). She is a seven-time outdoor first-team All-American, having scored in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m at the NCAA Championships. Hill opened up her 2018 outdoor season by running her first collegiate 400m race and won at the Trojan Invitational on March 17 with a time of 53.26, which ranks seventh in the country. Hill is also one of USC's tri-captains this season.
IT'S A BIRD...I'TS A PLANE...IT'S SUPER SLOAN! - USC redshirt senior Eric Sloan has shown flashes of his immense talent, with the only thing slowing him down being injuries. He ranks third on USC's all-time triple jump list with a jump of 55-6.25/16.92m and is 10th on USC's all-time long jump list with a best of 25-9.25/7.85 meters. Last season Sloan won the Pac-12 triple jump title and placed third in the long jump, before placing sixth in the long jump at nationals. In 2016, Sloan finished fourth in the triple jump at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, but suffered a leg injury which would keep him out all of the outdoor season. He rehabilitated throughout the season and was able to place 12th in the triple jump finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Sloan also finished 11th at the 2017 USA Track and Field Championships in the triple jump.
WHAT WILL COCKRELL DO NEXT? -- Sophomore hurdler Anna Cockrell was named the 2017 Pac-12 Track & Field Women's Freshman of the Year as she placed second in both the 100m and 400m hurdles, as well as running a leg on USC's winning 4x400m relay. The only other USC conference Women's Freshman of the Year award-winners were co-winners Shalina Clarke and Shana Woods in 2007 and Virginia Powell in 2003. Cockrell continued on to become a two-time outdoor All-American, placing second in the 400m hurdles and eighth in the 100m hurdles. Along the way, she set the USC freshman record in the 400m hurdles (55.14) and the indoor 60m hurdles (7.98). Cockrell ran the 55.14 in the 400m hurdles at the USA T&F Championships, where she placed eighth. She enters the season ranked fourth on USC's all-time 100m hurdles list (12.89) and third in the 400m hurdles (55.14). Cockrell also ran the third leg on USC's second-fastest 4x400m relay of all-time (3:26.09). Cockrell is one of the USC women's team's tri-captains.
THE STEADY LEADERSHIP OF MORGAN - USC senior Ricky Morgan Jr. for the second consecutive season will serve as one of USC's team captains. Morgan Jr. was a 2016 400m All-American, finishing seventh, and was a NCAA semifinalist in the event in 2015 and 2017. He has a best outdoor 400m time of 45.44 and a 200m time of 20.88. He opened his 2018 campaign running the 200m dash at the Trojan Invitational on March 17 and won with a time of 20.92 (+1.6).
DIOR BACK IN FASHION IN THE HURDLING WORLD - USC redshirt junior hurdler Dior Hall is fully health this season, following her comeback season last year in which she kept regaining her form, finishing seventh at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a season-best time of 12.82 (+1.6) and earning All-America honors. Hall has a best of 12.74 (+1.7) which she ran in placing third at the 2015 NCAA Championships, which is the USC freshman record in the event. During the 2018 indoor season, Hall ran a PR of 7.94 in the 60m hurdles and then won the MPSF indoor title with a time of 7.99. She also advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event. Â
THE PONZ OF THE SHOT PUT - USC redshirt senior Nick Ponzio enters the season ranking sixth on USC's all-time shot put list with a best mark of 64-1.00/19.53m. He is a two-time outdoor All-American in the event, placing sixth at the 2017 NCAA Championships whith a career-best tying mark of 64-1.00. Ponzio also placed second in the shot put at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships and has finished in the top four of the conference meet all three seasons. During the indoor season Ponzio won the MPSF Indoor title with a PR of 64-4.50/19.62m, which ranks third on USC's all-time list. He also advanced to the NCAA Championships in the event.
USC GETS A GEM IN JEMISON - USC redshirt senior Breana Jemison is a tranfer from UC Riverside, where she set the school record with a mark of 56-11.50/17.36m. In her first outdoor meet as a Trojan at the Trojan Invitational on March 17, she won the shot put with a mark of 53-1.50/16.19m which ranks seventh on USC's all-time list. During the indoor season, Jemison had a best mark of 56-8.00/17.27m which ranks second on USC's all-time indoor list. She finished ninth in the shot put at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in the shot put with a mark of 54-4.50/16.57m.
BUY STOCK IN BROCK - USC sophomore sprinter T.J. Brock is primed for a strong second season if his indoor campaign is any indication. Brock won the MPSF indoor 60m title with a time of 6.67 and posted an indoor PR of 6.64 which ranks sixth on USC's all-time indoor list. Brock is USC's top returning 100m runner from last season with a wind-legal best of 10.30 (+1.7) run at the Texas Relays. He also had a wind-aided PR of 10.16 (+4.2w) at the 2017 NCAA West Prelims. He also ran anchor on USC's 4x100m relay team last year which placed 10th at the NCAA Championships with a time of 39.05, 10th on USC's all-time list. Brock graduated from Chaminade College Prep in 2016 where he was a two-time California state champion in the 100m dash. He won the 100m dash at the 2015 Mt. SAC Relays with a wind-aided time of 10.20, the second-fastest California high school time to Quincy Watts' 10.17. T.J.'s father Tarrik is the outfield/baserunning coordinator for the Dodgers and played in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs. His mother Kanika (Conwright) was his track coach in high school and ran track for USC (1993-95).
JONES SET TO JUMP EVEN FARTHER - USC junior Margaux Jones is USC's indoor long jump record-holder (21-0.50/6.41m) and ranks sixth on USC's outdoor list (20-10.75/6.37m). Jones took second in the long jump at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships and third in 2016. Jones placed second in the long jump at the 2018 MPSF Indoor Championships with a jump of 19-11.75/6.09m and placed 12th at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Jones is an Art History/Pre-Med major at USC and hopes to attend medical school for internal medicine after graduation.
GET TO KNOW THE NEW GUY RAI - USC junior Rai Benjamin is an All-American hurdler who transfered to USC from UCLA. Benjamin placed second in the 400m hurdles at the 2017 NCAA Championships with a PR of 48.33, just .01 second behind the winner. He also won the 2017 Pac-12 title in the event with a time of 49.52. Benjamin's PR of 48.33 in the 400m hurdles is the same as Olympic champion and USC record-holder Felix Sanchez ran while running as a Trojan. Benjamin also has an outdoor PR of 45.72 in the open 400m race. Benjamin demonstrated his talent during the 2018 indoor campaign by winning the MPSF indoor 400m title with a time of 45.94. He ran the second-fastest indoor 200m time in school history of 20.34 to place third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Benjamin also ran a leg on USC's 4x400m relay team which beat the world record with a time of 3:00.77.
McARTHUR SURE TO LEAVE HER MARK - USC freshman hammer thrower Joy McArthur is a former USATF Junior hammer throw champion and ranks second all-time on the high school girls hammer throw list. She began throwing the hammer just to years ago. McArthur opened her collegiate career by winning the hammer throw at the Trojan Invitational on March 16 with a mark of 197-1/60.07m, just outside the Trojans' top 10 in the event. She currently ranks ninth in the country in the hammer throw. She has a hammer throw PR of 203-8/62.07m.
ON DECK: CALIFORNIA COLLEGIATE - USC will be competing at the California Collegiate Invitational on March 31 in San Diego, Calif.
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USC Track & Field - 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships: Day 4 Highlights (6/14/25)
Saturday, June 14
USC Track & Field - 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships: Day 3 Highlights (6/13/25)
Friday, June 13
USC Track & Field - 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships: Day 2 Highlights (6/12/25)
Thursday, June 12
USC Track & Field - 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships: Day 1 Highlights (6/11/25)
Wednesday, June 11
