USC Track & Field Falls To UCLA In Annual Dual Meet Despite Three Meet Records

Sunday, May 4

Westwood, Calif.

TBA

USC

USC-UCLA Dual Meet

Photo by: Travis Ellison

USC Track & Field Falls To UCLA In Annual Dual Meet Despite Three Meet Records

May 04, 2025 | Track & Field

Results (PDF)

Erasmus breaks her school shot put record, Cumberbatch wins two events

Ashley Erasmus won and broke her school shot put record, Nathan Cumberbatch won two races and USC set three meet records, but the Trojans fell at the annual USC-UCLA Dual Meet being held at Drake Stadium in Westwood Calif. today (May 4). The USC men's team came up one point short at 82-81 and the women's team saw its 10-year run as champions fall with a 92-71 setback. The Trojans had either swept or split every Dual Meet dating back to the 2014 season.

"We had some bright moments today," said USC Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts. "In the throws area we had some bright moments and on the track with Nathan (Cumberbatch) winning the 800m and 1500m and Gigi (Maccagnini) taking second in the 800m with a strong race. We had some bright moments, but overall, we blew some opportunities and just have to be better. The team fought…it's the Dual Meet. The UCLA women won pretty convincingly and on the men's side it came down to the long jump and the 4x400m relay. They hit a big jump to go 1-2 in the long jump which took them over the top. It is a tough loss, but give UCLA all the credit."

Women's Meet:

The women's competition started with the hammer throw and junior transfer Karyssa Owens took second with a best throw of 190-5 (58.04m) in the fifth round which put her in the lead. She was passed on the final throw of the competition. Sophomore Jenna Gallaway took third with a best mark of 177-4 (54.07m).
The next event for the women was the 1500m race and redshirt junior Jacqueline Duarte placed sixth (4:45.72), sophomore Haley Spoden seventh (4:58.69) and sophomore Angelina Vasquez eighth (5:12.11). USC's women trailed 14-4 after the first two events.
Freshman Falyn Lott tied for second in the women's high jump with a clearance of 5-7.25 (1.71m). Sophomore Alyssa Hope had a personal-best clearance of 5-5.25 (1.66m) to tie for fourth.
The women's 4x100m relay team of freshman Olivia Pace, junior transfer Dajaz DeFrand, junior Christine M. Mallard and freshman Brianna Selby won with a time of 42.79. That time ranks eighth on USC's all-time list. UCLA's team set a school record with a time of 43.03.
USC did not run anyone in the women's 3000m steeplechase and after five scored events, the Trojans trailed 30-11.
None of USC's women's javelin throwers had competed in the event collegiately before, but freshman Ashley Erasmus placed third with a throw of 116-10 (35.62m) to earn a point. Gallaway placed fifth with a best mark of 78-5 (23.90m) and sophomore Reese Garland had no mark. USC now trailed 38-12.
The Trojan women went 1-2 in the triple jump with junior Jada Foreman winning with a leap of 40-11.50/12.48m (+0.0) and junior Lauren Reed taking second with a jump of 40-1.25/12.22m (+0.0). Sophomore Jada Gatlin placed fourth with a jump of 39-2.50/11.95m (+0.0) and senior Ahnyx Bush took sixth with a best jump of 38-3.25/11.66 (+0.0).
Sophomore Nonah Waldron placed second in the women's 100m hurdles with a time of 13.03 (-0.1). After eight events, USC's women trailed 45-23.
Sophomore Madison Whyte won the women's 400m race with a PR and meet-record time of 50.78, breaking the time of 50.91 by UCLA's Monique Henderson in 2005. Whyte moved from tied for sixth to fourth on USC's all-time list and ninth on the NCAA descending order list. Junior Yemi John placed second with a PR of 51.01. That time moved her from 10^th to ninth on USC's all-time list and to tied for 11^th on the NCAA descending order list. Mallard was fifth with a time of 52.54 and junior Takiya Cenci was sixth with a time of 54.64.
Erasmus broke her school record in winning the women's shot put with a mark of 58-10 (17.93m). That throw moved Erasmus to seventh on the NCAA descending order list. Reese Garland placed third with a best mark of 46-7.50 (14.21m). Owens placed fourth also with a best throw of 46-7.50 (14.21m), but Garland had a better second-best throw to break the tie.
The Trojans went 1-2 in the women's 100m dash to close the gap to 50-45 after 11 events. Senior Samirah Moody won with a time of 11.09 (+0.2) to tie the meet record set by TeeTee Terry in 2021. Junior Jassani Carter placed second with a time of 11.24 (+0.2). Freshman Tiana Eyakpobeyan was fifth (11.33), Pace was sixth (11.51) and sophomore Jordan Washington was eighth (11.96).
Senior Gigi Maccagnini had a season-best time of 2:09.04 to take second in the 800m race. Sophomore transfer Isabella Duarte had a time of 2:15.44 to finish fifth.
Waldron had a college-best time of 58.20 to place second and Lott a PR of 58.81 to place third in the women's 400m hurdles.
The 200m did not go USC's way, as DeFrand took third with a time of 23.06 (-0.2) to earn the Trojans' only point in the event. Carter was fourth (23.09), Eyakpobeyan fifth (23.14), Moody sixth (23.21) and Pace seventh (24.04). USC now trailed 69-53.
The Trojans bounced back with a sweep in the women's discus throw to cut the lead to 69-62. Reece Garland won with a mark of 171-7 (52.30m), Owens was second with a throw of 168-5 (51.35m) and Erasmus took third with a best throw of 167-8 (51.10m). Sophomore Jenna Gallaway had a best mark of 125-0 (38.11m) to finish fifth.
UCLA then swept the women's pole vault to pull away at 78-62 and on the brink of victory. Gallaway tried to steal a point for USC with a clearance of 7-2.50 (2.20m), but finished fourth.
The next event, the 3000m race, sealed it as the Bruins swept to go up 87-62. Jacqueline Duarte placed fourth in the event with a PR of 10:37.98 and Spoden placed fifth with a PR of 10:38.03.
Hope placed second in the women's long jump with a best leap of 19-7/5.97m (+0.0) and Foreman placed third with a jump of 19-2.75/5.86m (+0.0) to earn USC four points. Reed placed fourth with a jump of 19-0/5.79m (+0.0) and Lott was fifth with a best jump of 18-7.00/5.66m (+0.0).
The USC women closed out the meet in style with the 4x400m relay team of Mallard, Whyte, Cenci and John winning with a meet-record time of 3:27.72, making the final score 92-71 UCLA.

Men's Meet:

The Trojan men started the day in a 9-0 hole as the Bruins swept the men's hammer throw. USC freshman Kaden Garland placed fourth with a throw of 182-11 (55.77m).
Junior Elias Gerald then won the men's high jump competition with one jump. He entered at 6-8.75 (2.05m) and made it on his first attempt, while the remaining jumpers went out at that height. Gerald kept going and finished with a best clearance of 7-0.25 (2.14m). Freshman Ezra Frech placed fourth with a best clearance of 5-10.75 (1.80m).
Sophomore Nathan Cumberbatch won the men's 1500m race with a PR of 3:43.55, which moved him from seventh to sixth on USC's all-time list. Graduate transfers Roberto Ruelas (3:59.23) and Alfredo Reina Corona (4:14.53) finished sixth and seventh respectively.
USC had no one entered in the men's pole vault and after four events trailed 26-10.
Graduate transfer Jake Heydon won the men's javelin throw with his best mark of 198-2 (60.42m), which came in the final round. Freshman Preston Beery threw the javelin for the first time and placed fifth with a best mark of 140-3 (42.75m).
The men's 4x100m relay team of graduate transfer Taylor Banks, junior Jaelen Knox, junior JC Stevenson and senior Curtis Johnson III ran uncontested to pick up the five points. They jogged around the track for a time of 54.74.
Senior Dylan Gatua placed fourth in the men's steeplechase with a time of 10.25.28. After seven events scored, the USC men's team trailed 39-20.
Graduate transfer Jaren Holmes won the men's triple jump with a best leap of 50-5.25/15.37m (+0.0) to earn USC five points and win the event 5-4.
Transfer senior Brithton Senior won the men's 110m hurdles with a season-best time of 13.58 (+1.0). His time ties him for 24^th on the NCAA descending order list. Senior Johnny Brackins Jr. in his first race of the outdoor season, hit a hurdle and placed fourth with a time of 14.68 (+1.0).
USC's men swept the 400m race in impressive fashion. Junior transfer Garrett Kaalund won with a PR of 44.73 which moves him to tied for seventh on USC's all-time list with Bryshon Nellum and to second on the NCAA descending order list. It was just his second 400m race as a collegian. Junior William Jones placed second with a season-best time of 44.76 (4^th on the NCAA list this season) and sophomore Jacob Andrews took third with a PR of 45.46. USC had now cut the Bruins lead to 47-39 after 10 events.
Stevenson won the men's 100m dash with a time of 10.26 (-0.6) and senior Travis Williams took second, also with a time of 10.26 (-0.6). Stevenson edged Williams by 0.006 seconds. Knox placed fourth with a time of 10.63 (-0.6) and Johnson III took fifth with a season-best time of 10.70 (-0.6). USC had pulled within one point at 48-47.
Cumberbatch then won the 800m race with a time of 1:48.12 to tie the meet at 52-all. Senior Jack Carter placed fifth with a PR of 1:50.45 and freshman Chase McCallum took sixth with a time of 1:52.90.
The men's discus throw finished next and freshman Shaiquan Dunn took second with a mark of 176-3 (53.72m). Kaden Garland was fifth (161-10/49.33m) and Beery was sixth (151-11/46.31m). The Trojans' Racquil Broderick was held out do to an injury.
Brackins Jr. placed second in the men's 400m hurdles with a personal-best time of 50.53 to earn USC three points. The Trojans now trailed 64-58.
When Dunn won the shot put and Berry took second, the men's team had its first lead of the day at 66-65. Dunn's winning mark was a PR of 60-6.75 (18.46m) and Beery had a PR of 58-2.00 (17.73m). Kaden Garland placed fourth with a best throw of 55-5.00 (16.89m).
The Trojan men then swept the 200m race to take a 75-65 lead with three events remaining. Junior Max Thomas won his first 200m race of the season with a time of 20.33 (+1.4) which moves him to tied for seventh on the NCAA descending order list. Williams took second with a PR of 20.86 (+1.4) and sophomore transfer Edward Nketia took third, also with a season-best time of 20.86 (+1.4), 0.004 seconds behind Williams. Andrews took fourth with a time of 21.23 (+1.4).
UCLA then swept the men's 3000m race to pull within one point at 75-74. Ruelas had a PR of 8:32.56 to place fourth in the event.
The long jump then sealed USC's fate as a last-round jump by a Bruin dropped Stevenson down to third with his best jump of 24-4.50/7.43m (+0.0), meaning the Bruins had an 82-76 lead and had clinched the win. Holmes placed fourth with a jump of 24-0.75/7.33m (+0.0), Gerald was fifth with a jump of 23-0.00/7.01m (+0.0) and Frech was seventh with a jump of 19-8.00/5.99m (+0.0).
The Trojans then ran their first men's 4x400m relay race of the season and the team of Jones, Andrews, Knox and Kaalund won with a time of 3:05.54. The final score would end up 82-81 UCLA.