USC Track & Field Heads To First Big Ten Outdoor Championships

Friday, May 16

Eugene, Ore.

TBA

USC

Big Ten Championships

Photo by: Kirby Lee-Image of Sport

USC Track & Field Heads To First Big Ten Outdoor Championships

May 14, 2025 | Track & Field

Complete Notes (PDF)Live Stats Watch May 16 (B1G+)Watch May 17 (B1G+)Watch May 18 (Big Ten Network)

Men's team ranked No. 1, women's team No. 2

The USC Track and Field team will compete at its first Big Ten Track & Field Championships to be held a Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. from May 16-18. The men's team enters the week ranked No. 1 and the women's team No. 2. The men's team's No. 1 rankings this season are its first since the USTFCCCA started compiling rankings in 2008. The four times this season both teams have been ranked in the top two in the country are the first for USC in the rankings history.

HOW TO WATCH: The 2025 Big Ten Track & Field Championships will air on B1G+ and RunnerSpace on May 16 and 17. On May 18, the field events will begin at 10 a.m. on B1G+ and RunnerSpace and the track portion will be televised on the Big Ten Network beginning at 12:30 p.m.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS HAVE A FAMILIAR FEEL: USC will be competing at the Big Ten Championships for the first time, but they will have former Pac-12 Conferece foes Oregon, UCLA and Washington with them and will be competing at Hayward Field where the Trojans have competed at least once in 16 of the last 19 complete outdoor seasons, for a total of 21 meets.

CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The USC men have won five titles and have finished in the top three at the conference meet in 25 of the last 32 seasons. The women's team has won four conference titles and finished in the top three in 18 of the last 28 completed seasons. USC's men's team has 34 outdoor conference titles in school history. The USC men's and women's teams both placed second at the last two Pac-12 T&F Championships.

ROARING AROUND THE TRACK: USC's women's 4x100m relay team posted an NCAA-leading time of 42.36 to win the Mt. SAC Relays Elite competition, which is 0.38 seconds faster than the next team on the NCAA descending order list and 0.67 seconds faster than the next-fastest Big Ten relay team. USC's time of 42.36 is the second-fastest in school history and currently ranks eighth in the world. USC's relay time is the second-fastest pre-NCAA Championships 4x100m time since the beginning of the 2019 season (2023 Texas, 41.89 at the Big 12 Championships).

MEN'S 4X100M RELAY SETS SCHOOL RECORD: Travis Williams, Max Thomas, Garrett Kaalund and Edward Nketia won the men's 4x100m relay at the Texas A&M 44 Farms Team Invitational on April 12 with a school-record time of 38.41. USC set the meet and facility record and broke the previous USC record of 38.49 set in 2022. Their time is currently ranked second in the country.

KAALUND'S FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS: USC junior transfer sprinter Garrett Kaalund ranks in the NCAA's top four in four different events. He ranks fourth in the 100m (9.93w), second in the 200m (20.05), second in the 400m (44.73) and second as part of USC's 4x100m relay (38.41).

THINGS ARE BRIGHT WITH WHYTE: USC sophomore Madison Whyte won both the 200m and 400m at the Texas A&M 44 Farms Team Invitational on April 11-12. Whyte won the 200m on April 11 with a then NCAA-leading and second on the world list time of 22.32. That time set the meet and facility record, as well as moving her into a third-place tie on USC's all-time 200m list. The next day Whyte won the 400m dash and matched her PR of 50.91. She bettered her 400m time in winning at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet on May 4 with a time of 50.78, ninth on the NCAA list. Both times are Big Ten leading times. Whyte also ran on USC's 4x400m relay which won at the Dual Meet on May 4 with a time of 3:27.72, which leads the Big Ten and ranks 8th in the country.

BRACKINS JR. IS BACK: Senior hurdler Johnny Brackins Jr. did not open up his outdoor season until the USC-UCLA Dual Meet on May 4. He then won the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.53 (+1.7) and the 400m hurdles with a PR of 50.11 at the Franson Last Chance Invite on May 10. He also ran 13.48 (+2.2w) in the prelims on May 9. Brackins now ranks tied for 16th in the 110m hurdles and 14th in the 400m H among NCAA athletes and first in the 110m hurdles and second in the 400m H among Big Ten hurdlers. He was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week for May 14.

TOP 20 TROJANS: The following Trojans rank among the top 20 in the country in events:

Men: Jacob Andrews (20th - 400m), Johnny Brackins Jr. (T-16th - 110m H, 14th - 400m H), Racquil Broderick (8th - DT), Elias Gerald (7th - HJ), Jaren Holmes (6th - TJ), William Jones (4th - 400m), Garrett Kaalund (4th - 100m, 2nd - 200m, 2nd - 400m), Yougendy Mauricette (20th - 400m H), Edward Nketia (T-5th - 100m), JC Stevenson (5th - LJ), Max Thomas (3rd - 100m, T-6th - 200m), Travis Williams (19th - 100m), 4x100m (2nd).

Women: Jassani Carter (12th - 200m), Dajaz DeFrand (T-7th - 100m, 10th - 200m), Ashley Erasmus (7th - SP), Yemi John (T-11th - 400m), Samirah Moody (4th - 100m, 8th - 200m), Brianna Selby (T-10th - 100m), Nonah Waldron (9th - 100m H), Madison Whyte (2nd - 200m, 9th - 400m), 4x100m (1st) and 4x400m (8th).

ERASMUS ERASES USC SHOT PUT RECORD...AGAIN!: Freshman Ashley Erasmus set the USC freshman women's shot put record with her second throw of the season of 56-10 (17.32m), then broke the school record with a mark of 58-5.75 (17.82m) in her third attempt at the Trojan Invitational on March 22. She bettered her school record with a mark of 58-10 (17.93m) to win at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet on May 4. That mark currently ranks seventh among all NCAA throwers. Erasmus has won all six shot put competitions she has competed in this season. Erasmus also had a PR of 176-11 (53.92m) in the discus throw at the Texas A&M 44 Farms Invitational on April 12 to move into a seventh-place tie on USC's all-time list in the event.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Keep up with everything USC track & field this year by following @USC_Track_Field on Instagram, X and TikTok.

NEXT MEET: Qualified Trojans will be competing next at the NCAA West Regional to be held held at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas from May 28-31.