USC Track and Field Heads to NCAA West Regionals in Search of Nationals Qualifying Spots

Wednesday, May 27

Fayetteville, Ark.

USC

NCAA West Regional

USC Track and Field Heads to NCAA West Regionals in Search of Nationals Qualifying Spots

May 25, 2026 | Track & Field

The Trojans qualified 40 individual entries and all four relays

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The USC track and field team will embark on four days of qualifying rounds at John McDonnell Field for the NCAA West Regionals. 12 Trojan men and 21 Women of Troy, along with all four relay teams, will look for a chance to compete in Eugene for NCAA Championships in two weeks.

QUALIFYING STANDARDS
The top 48 student-athletes in the west region in each event are accepted into the first-round competitions, beginning Wednesday. The top 24 relay teams for both the 4x100m and 4x400m are accepted. Full lists of qualifiers can be found here.

TROJANS TO WATCH
In the women's 100m, USC holds the top two seeds with Brianna Selby and Dajaz DeFrand. They hold the only sub-11 times in the region this season. In the women's 200m, DeFrand and Christine Mallard also slot in the top-eight. Madison Whyte is the No. 2 seed in the women's 400m with the school record time from this season at 49.64. These Women of Troy also make up the school record 4x100m relay team from this season with an NCAA-leading time of 42.12. On the field side, Ashley Erasmus will be one to watch at shot put after breaking her own school record this season at 18.07m to take the No. 2 seed.

On the men's side, Edward Nketia and Garrett Kaalund will be a fun watch in the 100m and 200m, respectively. Both rank in the top three of their respective events. Freshman Jack Stadlman is seeded sixth in the 400m. The throwers showed out this season with Racquil Broderick, Mico Lampinen and Vincent Ugwoke in the top-10 for discus and Mico Lampinen and Max Lampinen in the top-10 of the hammer throw field.

SEASON RECAP
The team started the season by hosting the Ron and Sharlene Allice Trojan Invitational, winning 18 events. The women's 4x100m relay secured the world and NCAA lead, Oluwatosin Awoleye ran a time of 4:21.16 in the 1500m slot in at No. 7 in the USC all-time list, and Jada Foreman started her senior season with the No. 9 mark in USC history at 13.14m.

At the LSU Battle on the Bayou, Oluwatosin Awoleye had a dominant 800m debut, placing second and setting a new USC freshman record in a time of 2:02.12. At the Pacific Coast Invitational, Ashley Erasmus broke her shot put school record, set last year, with a new mark of 18.07m (59-3.5) on her way to a win.

The most impressive meet of the season came at Mt. SAC Relays. The team shattered two school records within an hour in the women's 4x100m relay and Madison Whyte in women's 400m. Garrett Kaalund opened his outdoor season, notching an NCAA-leading time of 20.10 on the way to a win. Additionally, Edward Nketia and Kaalund set the No. 2 and No. 3 times in the NCAA this season in the 100m, respectively. The Trojans hosted UCLA to close out the regular season, splitting the win with the crosstown rival. The Women of Troy won their side with a score of 93-69 while the men fell to the Bruins, 87-76.

The Trojans most recently competed at Big Ten Championships, bringing home nine gold medals. The women claimed third place with Madison Whyte at the helm with wins in the 4x100m relay, 200m, 400m and 4x400m relay. On the men's side, Edward Nketia secured two of the men's four Big Ten titles, winning the 100m and 200m.

2025 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the women placed second overall, securing national titles in the 100m and the 4x100m relay. The men won the NCAA team championship with 41 total points, adding to their indoor team title within the same season.

FOLLOW ALONG
The NCAA West Regional Championships will begin on Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. PT with men's hammer throw. A full schedule can be found at usctrojans.com. Live updates will be available on Instagram and X @usc_track_field with streaming available on ESPN+.