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Photo by: Travis Ellison
Stevenson, John And Jones Tie Or Set USC Records At Red Raider Invite
January 24, 2025 | Track & Field
Trojan athletes combine to post 10 all-time top 10 Trojan marks
The USC track and field team had another outstanding day at the track winning seven events, setting or matching three school records and registering one Trojan freshman record at the Red Raider Invite held at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas today (Jan. 24). JC Steveson tied the USC men's 60m record, Yemi John set the Trojan women's 600-yard record, Williams Jones set the USC men's 600-yard record and Ashley Erasmus set the Trojan woman's indoor freshman shot put record. In all, USC athletes combined to post 10 all-time Trojan top 10 times or marks today.
"This meet provided us a good opportunity to improve in regards to getting individuals qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, a position in the top 16 in the country," said USC Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts. "I'm very proud of what our women's team accomplished today. We competed really well, our freshman performed well, Samirah Moody solidified her place at number two in the country in the 60m and Dajaz DeFrand continued her success.
"I was proud of how Rachael (Uvieghara) competed coming off a slow start in her first six weeks at USC due to an injury not related to track...to see her compete at a high level today was awesome. Yemi John our returning Olympian ran the 600-yard race today and had the seventh-fastest NCAA time ever in the event. Ashley (Erasmus), coming back from surgery which kept her out of the Olympics, in her first meet did well, posting a top 14 mark in the country as a freshman. Falyn (Lott) on the jumps side had another solid performance and our 4x400m relay team won as well."
"On the men's side, Johnny Brackins Jr. was consistent as normal and won the men's 60m hurdles," added Watts. "We had another fantastic performance from JC Stevenson, who took this week off from the long jump to compete in the 60m and now has the leading time in the country. He gives us another scoring opportunity, as we already know he has qualified in the long jump.
"Some other really exciting results were the times by Eddie (Nketia) and Taylor (Banks) in the 60m. They both solidified themselves for the Big Ten Conference Championships and put themselves in the mix for Nationals. It is just the second meet of the season, but our 60m squad is really excelling. Max Thomas competed in the 200m and is the NCAA leader with a time which will qualify for Nationals. William Jones ran the 600-yard race this week and posted the third-fastest time in NCAA history. Nathan Cumberbatch in his first 800m did really well and our 4x400m relay ran 3:04 which is one of the top times in the county. I'm looking forward to when we can add Jacob Andrews to our 4x400m. The future looks bright in that event. Also, Brady Palen cleared 7-1.50 which is a top 10 mark. I'd grade out today as a strong B, very good overall."
"This meet provided us a good opportunity to improve in regards to getting individuals qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, a position in the top 16 in the country," said USC Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts. "I'm very proud of what our women's team accomplished today. We competed really well, our freshman performed well, Samirah Moody solidified her place at number two in the country in the 60m and Dajaz DeFrand continued her success.
"I was proud of how Rachael (Uvieghara) competed coming off a slow start in her first six weeks at USC due to an injury not related to track...to see her compete at a high level today was awesome. Yemi John our returning Olympian ran the 600-yard race today and had the seventh-fastest NCAA time ever in the event. Ashley (Erasmus), coming back from surgery which kept her out of the Olympics, in her first meet did well, posting a top 14 mark in the country as a freshman. Falyn (Lott) on the jumps side had another solid performance and our 4x400m relay team won as well."
"On the men's side, Johnny Brackins Jr. was consistent as normal and won the men's 60m hurdles," added Watts. "We had another fantastic performance from JC Stevenson, who took this week off from the long jump to compete in the 60m and now has the leading time in the country. He gives us another scoring opportunity, as we already know he has qualified in the long jump.
"Some other really exciting results were the times by Eddie (Nketia) and Taylor (Banks) in the 60m. They both solidified themselves for the Big Ten Conference Championships and put themselves in the mix for Nationals. It is just the second meet of the season, but our 60m squad is really excelling. Max Thomas competed in the 200m and is the NCAA leader with a time which will qualify for Nationals. William Jones ran the 600-yard race this week and posted the third-fastest time in NCAA history. Nathan Cumberbatch in his first 800m did really well and our 4x400m relay ran 3:04 which is one of the top times in the county. I'm looking forward to when we can add Jacob Andrews to our 4x400m. The future looks bright in that event. Also, Brady Palen cleared 7-1.50 which is a top 10 mark. I'd grade out today as a strong B, very good overall."
- The junior Stevenson tied the USC school record in the 60m dash with a winning time of 6.50 in the final. His time matched that of Trojan Davonte Burnett who ran 6.50 in winning the 2022 NCAA indoor title in the event. Graduate student Taylor Banks ran a personal best of 6.59 to place fourth and move into 10th on USC's all-time list and sophomore Edward Nketia, in his Trojan debut, had a PR of 6.61 to place fifth in the final. The trio reached the finals by Stevenson running 6.59, Nketia 6.63 and Banks 6.69, fifth second and fifth respectively. Stevenson is now No. 1 and junior Max Thomas No. 2 on the 2025 NCAA descending order list in the 60m and they are second and fourth on the 2025 world leaders list. Stevenson is also now tied for the 11th-fastest 60m performer in collegiate history.
- The junior John won the women's 600-yard race with a school-record time of 1:18.55. She broke the USC record of 1:19.50 set by Gervaise McCraw in 1986. Her time is the seven-fastest ever by a collegiate woman in the event.
- The junior Jones won the men's 600-yard race with a school-record time of 1:07.52. That time was just off the NCAA 600-yard record on a banked track of 1:07.44 set last week at this track by Baylor's Nathaniel Ezekiel. The USC record which Jones broke was that of Lloyd Johnson, who had a time of 1:10.9 in 1978. Sophomore Yougendy Mauricette, who placed sixth with a time of 1:09.59, also beat the previous school record and now ranks second on USC's all-time list.
- The freshman Erasmus set the USC freshman woman's shot put record on her first collegiate throw with a mark of 55-2.75 (16.83m), then bettered it with a shot put of 55-9.25 (17.00m) in her fourth attempt to place second. Erasmus' mark also moves her into third on USC's all-time women's indoor shot put list and to 14th on the NCAA descending order list. Erasmus has the top mark by any freshman in the country so far this indoor season.
- Junior Max Thomas won the men's 200m race with a PR and NCAA-leading time of 20.53. His time moves him from seventh to tied for fourth on USC's all-time list. Graduate student Johnnie Blockburger was third with a time of 20.71 and junior Jaelen Knox was eighth with a PR of 21.21. Thomas currently has the third-fastest indoor 200m time in the world and Blockburger the fifth-fastest in the world with his time of 20.69 run last week.
- Senior Samirah Moody won the women's 60m dash with a time of 7.15, her best time in the event since the 2023 NCAA Championships. Moody owns the school record with a time of 7.07 also set in 2023. The Trojans captured the top five places in the final, with junior Dajaz DeFrand taking second with a time of 7.19, freshman Rachael Uvieghara placing third with a PR of 7.29, freshman Avery Lewis finishing fourth with a time of 7.30 and freshman Brianna Selby in fifth with a time of 7.33. Moody now ranks second and DeFrand third on the NCAA descending order list entering this weekend's action. DeFrand also moved from tied for fifth to alone in fifth on the USC all-time top 10 list.
- Senior Johnny Brackins Jr. won the men's 60m hurdles with a time of 7.56. He advanced first out of the prelims with a time of 7.67. Last week Brackins Jr. set the USC record with a time of 7.49 at the Spokane Sports Showcase.
- The women's 4x400m relay team of John, Maira Scott, Moody and Madison Whyte won by nearly four seconds over the second-place team with a time of 3:35.82. Whyte's anchor split of 52.63 was the fastest of any runner for the 11 teams which competed.
- The men's 4x400m relay team of Jones, Thomas, Nathan Cumberbatch and Blockburger placed second with a time of 3:04.00, just edged out by Virginia Tech which ran 3:03.99. USC's time was the fourth-fastest in school history and trails only Virginia Tech and Florida on the NCAA descending order list this season.
- The sophomore Cumberbatch was the top collegian and took second overall in the men's 800m race with a time of 1:50.30. Freshman Luke Metcalf, in his collegiate debut, finished ninth with a PR of 1:54.40.
- Graduate transfer Brady Palen finished second and junior Elias Gerald third in the men's high jump competition. Palen cleared 7-1.50 (2.17m) which ties him with Gerald and Tim Walker for fifth on USC's all-time indoor list. Gerald had a best clearance today of 6-11.50 (2.12m).
- The sophomore Whyte took second in the women's 200m race with a time of 23.16, freshman Mia Brahe-Pedersen was fourth with a time of 23.65 and freshman Maira Scott was sixth with a time of 23.86.
- Freshman Falyn Lott placed third in the women's long jump with an indoor PR of 19-10.25 (6.05m). Freshman Avery Lewis, in her first meet, placed 10th with a best jump of 18-6.00 (5.64m).
- Sophomore Nonah Waldron placed fourth (8.42) and senior Jalaysiya Smith fifth (8.43) in the women's 60m hurdles final. Both athletes ran 8.33 in the prelims to advance second (Waldron) and third (Smith) to the final. Lott ran a PR of 8.65 in the prelims to advance fourth out of the prelims, but she did not compete in the final.
- Freshman Shaiquan Dunn made his Trojan debut and placed fifth in the men's shot put competition with a best mark of 58-3.75 (17.77m). His top throw came in the final round.
- Junior Jada Foreman placed eighth in the women's triple jump with a slight PR of 40-7.00 (12.37m) and junior Lauren Reed tied for 10th with a jump of 38-2.25 (11.64m).
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