University Southern California Trojans
2017-18 USC Athletics Year in Review
July 03, 2018 | USC Athletics, Features
4TH PLACE IN LEARFIELD DIRECTORS' CUP
FALL SPORTS
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Finish: Pac-12 Championships appearance
Key Moment: Amber Gore represented USC at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country West Regional 6K for the second consecutive year and placed 103rd with a time of 21:39.9 on Nov. 10, 2017.
FOOTBALL
Record: 11-3 (8-1 Pac-12)
Finish: PAC-12 CHAMPION; Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic appearance
Final Ranking: #12
Key Moment: The Trojans secured their first conference title since 2008 after defeating then-No. 12 Stanford, 31-28, in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game on Dec. 1, 2017.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Record: 15-4-1 (8-2-1 Pac-12)
Finsh: T-2nd in Pac-12; NCAA Tournament Second Round
Final Ranking: #13
Key Moment: Erika Okuma scored a sudden-victory goal 18 seconds into second overtime of the Trojans' first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Eastern Washington on Nov. 11, 2017.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Record: 25-10 (14-6 Pac-12)
Finish: T-2nd in Pac-12; NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
Final Ranking: #7
Key Moment: The 10th-seeded Women of Troy upset No. 7 Minnesota with a 3-0 sweep on Dec. 8, 2017 to advance to the program's 12th all-time NCAA regional title match.
MEN'S WATER POLO
Record: 27-4 (1-2 MPSF)
Finish: MPSF CHAMPION; NCAA Runner-Up
Final Ranking: #3
Key Moment: The Trojans' 7-5 victory over UCLA in the MPSF Championship on Nov. 19, 2017 gave USC back-to-back conference titles (11th overall) and clinched its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
WINTER SPORTS
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Record: 24-12 (12-6 Pac-12)
Finish: Pac-12 Tournament Runner-Up; NIT Second Round
Key Moment: Jordan McLaughlin connected with Chimezie Metu on a go-ahead alley-oop layup with 0.8 seconds left on Feb. 15, 2018 to defeat Oregon at home, 72-70, snapping a three-game skid and helping the Trojans toward securing a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Record: 20-11 (9-9 Pac-12)
Finish: Pac-12 Tournament Second Round
Key Moment: On a night honoring Tammy Blackburn (a former high school player under coach Mark Trakh) for her fight against breast cancer, Kristen Simon hit a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in overtime to cap off USC's thrilling 53-52 win over Utah on Feb. 22, 2018.
MEN'S SWIM & DIVE
Finish: 3rd at Pac-12 Championships; 6th at NCAA Championships
Final Ranking: #9
Key Moment: The Trojans' 200-yard medley relay team of Robert Glinta, Carsten Vissering, Dylan Carter and Santo Condorelli won the NCAA title on March 23, 2018 with a time of 1:21.82.
WOMEN'S SWIM & DIVE
Finish: 4th at Pac-12 Championships; 12th at NCAA Championships
Final Ranking: #8
Key Moment: Louise Hansson won USC's first-ever NCAA title in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 49.80 — the second-fastest in history.
SPRING SPORTS
BASEBALL
Record: 26-28 (12-18 Pac-12)
Finish: T-8th in Pac-12
Key Moment: After the Trojans overcame an 8-0 deficit, Stephen Dubb drew a walk-off walk to defeat Cal 9-8 on May 5, 2018 and win the home weekend series against the Golden Bears.
WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Record: 27-14
Finish: Pac-12 Championships Runner-Up; 5th at NCAA Championships
Final Ranking: #5
Key Moment: The fifth-seeded Women of Troy upended No. 2 Pepperdine, 3-2, in an elimination match on May 5, 2018 to keep USC alive at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships.
MEN'S GOLF
Finish: PAC-12 CHAMPION; 9th at NCAA West Regional
Final Ranking: #19
Key Moment: Justin Suh finished 16-under to win the Pac-12 individual title (school-record fifth victory of the season) while also leading the Trojans to their first conference team championship since 2011 on April 25, 2018.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Finish: Pac-12 Championships Runner-Up; T-3rd at NCAA Championships
Final Ranking: #5
Key Moment: The Women of Troy, led by a lineup of four freshmen and a sophomore, won five tournaments and placed in the Top 5 of the NCAA Championships for the third straight season and defeated Duke, 3-1-1, in match-play quarterfinals before falling to Alabama, 3-1-1, in the semifinal round.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Record: 10-8 (6-4 Pac-12)
Finish: Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals
Key Moment: The Women of Troy survived two consecutive overtime games at home, scoring golden goals against then-No. 15 Colorado, 8-7, on March 16, 2018 and against Oregon, 9-8, on March 18.
WOMEN'S ROWING
Finish: 4th at Pac-12 Championships; 12th at NCAA Championships
Final Ranking: #12
Key Moment: The Women of Troy defeated UCLA in their annual dual meet, 5-2, on April 28, 2018 to extend their winning streak over their crosstown rival to 17-0.
MEN'S TENNIS
Record: 20-9 (6-2 Pac-12)
Finish: Pac-12 Championships Runner-Up; NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
Final Ranking: #11
Key Moment: The Trojans sent two pairs — Brandon Holt and Riley Smith; Jack Jaede and Laurens Verboven — to the 2018 NCAA Doubles bracket, with all four Trojans earning ITA All-America honors.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Record: 13-10 (5-5 Pac-12)
Finish: Pac-12 Championships Quarterfinals
Final Ranking: #49
Key Moment: The Women of Troy posted their most impressive win of the duals season with a 4-3 upset over then-No. 20 Oregon on March 16, 2018.
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Finish: MPSF INDOOR CHAMPION; NCAA Indoor Championships Runner-Up; 3rd in Pac-12 Championships; 4th in NCAA Outdoor Chammpionships
Final Ranking: #4
Key Moment: Michael Norman set a world-record indoor time in the 400-meter at 44.52, then helped Rai Benjamin, Ricky Morgan Jr. and Zach Shinnick break the 4x400m relay world record at 3:00.77 at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10, 2018.
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Finish: MPSF INDOOR CHAMPION; 7th in NCAA Indoor Championships; PAC-12 OUTDOOR CHAMPION; NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPION
Final Ranking: #1
Key Moment: Kendall Ellis completed a dramatic comeback on the last leg of the 4x400m relay to win the final race, giving USC national titles in both the 4x400m and the overall team championship on June 9, 2018.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Record: 8-20 (3-7 MPSF)
Finish: MPSF Semifinals
Key Moment: On Senior Night, the Trojans sent Connor Inlow, Gert Lisha, Jon Rivera and Jack Wyett off with a 3-2 upset over then-No. 3 UCLA on March 31, 2018.
WOMEN'S WATER POLO
Record: 26-1 (5-0 MPSF)
Finish: MPSF CHAMPION, NCAA CHAMPION
Final Ranking: #1
Key Moment: The Women of Troy defeated No. 2 Stanford in a 5-4 victory in home waters to capture their sixth national championship in program history.
