Saturday, March 15
Virginia Beach, Va.
TBA
USC
vs
NCAA Indoor Championships
Players Mentioned
Sprints
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Jumps/Hurdles
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Sprints
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Jumps
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Sprints
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Sprints
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Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
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Sprints
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Jumps
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Jumps
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Jumps
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Sprints
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/ Track & FieldPhoto by: Kirby Lee-Image of Sport
USC Men Win Team Title, Women Place Third At NCAA Indoor T&F Championships
March 15, 2025 | Track & Field
Men earn first indoor team title since 1972
The USC men's team won the team title and the women's team placed third during the final day of the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships being held at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va. today (March 15). Junior Dajaz DeFrand was the only individual event-winner, taking home the crown in the women's 60m dash final.
USC was one of two schools to have both the men's and women's teams finish in the top three and its 74 combined points were more than any other program. The celebration was delayed for over an hour for the Trojans as Arkansas logged a protest and requested a chance for them to run the 4x400m over-alone on the track. After things were sorted out and a decision was made, the results remained as they were and the USC men had won the title.
The USC men's team title was its third NCAA Indoor team title in program history and its first since the 1972 season (also won in 1967). The men used a complete team effort to win the team title, as they did not win any individual events.
The women's team's third-place finish was its highest since it placed second in 2019 and the 35 points scored were its most since also scoring 35 points to place fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2021. Three of the top six women's teams were from the Big Ten.
"We have been dealing with adversity all season long," said USC Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts. 'I'm just so proud of them. We had scoring opportunities in so many events. Even when we faced adversity, we never gave up, they kept fighting. That's what we do at USC, we Fight On!."
Women's Team Scores: 1.) Oregon (55), 2.) Georgia (39), 3.) USC (35), 4.) Oklahoma (31), Washington (31) and Arkansas (31), 7.) Texas A&M (27), 8.) Illinois (25.5), 9.) BYU (24), 10.) Texas Tech (21.5).
USC will next be in action when it hosts the outdoor season-opening 2025 Ron & Sharlene Allice Trojan Invitational on March 21-22. The hammer throw and discus throw will be held on March 21 at the Colich Throws Facility in Wilmington, Calif. The remainder of the meet will be held at Allyson Felix Field on March 22. The action begins both days at 11 a.m.
USC was one of two schools to have both the men's and women's teams finish in the top three and its 74 combined points were more than any other program. The celebration was delayed for over an hour for the Trojans as Arkansas logged a protest and requested a chance for them to run the 4x400m over-alone on the track. After things were sorted out and a decision was made, the results remained as they were and the USC men had won the title.
The USC men's team title was its third NCAA Indoor team title in program history and its first since the 1972 season (also won in 1967). The men used a complete team effort to win the team title, as they did not win any individual events.
The women's team's third-place finish was its highest since it placed second in 2019 and the 35 points scored were its most since also scoring 35 points to place fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2021. Three of the top six women's teams were from the Big Ten.
"We have been dealing with adversity all season long," said USC Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts. 'I'm just so proud of them. We had scoring opportunities in so many events. Even when we faced adversity, we never gave up, they kept fighting. That's what we do at USC, we Fight On!."
- Junior Elias Gerald and graduate transfer Brady Palen were the first Trojans in action on the day when they competed in the men's high jump at noon, five hours before the next men's individual event. Gerald and Palen finished in a three-way tie for fifth with a clearance of 7-2.25 (2.19m) to earn first-team All-America honors and compile six points for USC in the team scoring. They both cleared 6-11 (2.11m) and 7-1 (2.16m) on their first attempts, but it took them three attempt to clear 7-2.25. Only the eventual winner (Wilson, Nebraska) cleared the next height of 7-3.25 (2.22m), which would have matched Gerald and Palen's indoor PR. It was Gerald's initial first-team All-America honor and Palen's second indoor first-team All-America finish.
- Senior Travis Williams finished fifth with a season-best time of 6.54 and junior JC Stevenson was sixth with a time of 6.55 in the men's 60m dash final. Stevenson set the USC record with the top qualifying time of 6.46 in the semifinals yesterday. Williams and Stevenson earned first-team All-American honors and earned USC seven points in the team competition. For Williams, it was his second consecutive fifth-place finish in the men's 60m final at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
- Junior William Jones placed fifth in the men's 400m final with a time of 45.86. He finished third in the first section and fifth overall. He earned first-team All-America honors and four more points in the team competition. For Jones, it was his second consecutive season placing fifth in the 400m at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
- Senior Johnny Brackins Jr. took fourth in the men's 60m hurdles final with a time of 7.54 (7.539), 0.003 seconds out of third place. He was second in the event last season with a time of 7.57. Brackins Jr. became a first-team All-American in the event and earned USC's men's team five more points.
- Junior transfer Garrett Kaalund won the first section and finished fourth overall in the men's 200m final with a time of 20.56. Graduate student Johnnie Blockburger was fourth in the second section and sixth overall with a time of 20.84. The pair picked up first-team All-America honors and eight points in the team competition. It is the first individual-event indoor All-America honors for both athletes. USC's was in first place after 15 of 17 events with 34 points, , two points ahead of Auburn and four ahead of Arkansas. Arkansas did not score in the 3000m race, so it came down to the 4x400m and Auburn did not have a team in the final.
- USC's quartet of Jones, Kaalund, sophomore Jacob Andrews and Blockburger pretty much had the team title locked up when Arkansas was bumped and lost the baton, but the Trojans finished the race with a time of 3:04.76 to finish fourth overall and earn first-team All-America honors and five more team points.
- The women got the day started when junior transfer Dajaz DeFrand won the women's 60m dash title with a PR and facility-record time of 7.09. Her time moved her from fourth to tied for second on USC's all-time list with Angela Williams and TeeTee Terry. Williams and Terry are USC's only other NCAA women's 60m dash champions, with Terry being the last in 2019. Samirah Moody, who is the USC record-holder in the event at 7.07, placed fifth today with a time of 7.17, .007 seconds behind the fourth-place finisher. DeFrand and Moody earned first-team All-America honors and the USC women its first 14 points in the team competition.
- DeFrand then came back and placed fourth in the women's 200m with a time of 22.70 and sophomore Madison Whyte, from nearby Newport News, Va., took fifth with a time of 22.80. Both earned first-team All-America honors and nine points for USC in the team competition.
- Graduate student Temi Ojora earned first-team All-America honors in the women's triple jump by placing third with a season-best jump of 44-11.50 (13.70m) in the fifth round. The result was Ojora's second consecutive All-America honors in the NCAA indoor triple jump and she earned USC six more team points.
- The women's 4x400m relay team of junior Yemi John, junior Jassani Carter, junior Christine M. Mallard and Whyte closed out the meet in style with a school-record time of 3:26.97 to win its section and place third overall. The quartet broke the previous USC record of 3:27.03 set by Cameron Pettigrew, Amalie Iuel, Deanna Hill and Kendall Ellis in 2017. The Trojans earned six more points and jumped up to third in the final team standings.
Women's Team Scores: 1.) Oregon (55), 2.) Georgia (39), 3.) USC (35), 4.) Oklahoma (31), Washington (31) and Arkansas (31), 7.) Texas A&M (27), 8.) Illinois (25.5), 9.) BYU (24), 10.) Texas Tech (21.5).
USC will next be in action when it hosts the outdoor season-opening 2025 Ron & Sharlene Allice Trojan Invitational on March 21-22. The hammer throw and discus throw will be held on March 21 at the Colich Throws Facility in Wilmington, Calif. The remainder of the meet will be held at Allyson Felix Field on March 22. The action begins both days at 11 a.m.
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