Track & Field | April 25, 2019

 The No. 4-ranked USC women's team and the No. 8-ranked men's team will be hosting UCLA (W-No. 24/M-No. 21) in the annual Dual Meet at Loker Stadium on April 28 beginning at 11 a.m. with field events and at noon with the running events.  The hammer throw will take place on April 27 beginning at 1 p.m. at CS Northridge.  This is the first USC-UCLA Dual Meet where both the men's and women's teams were ranked within the Top 25 since the 2013 season.

DUAL MEET HISTORY -  USC swept the 2018 Dual Meet with the men winning 103-53 and the women winning 86-77. It was USC's second sweep in the past four seasons.  USC's men lead 44-41 and the Trojan women trail 22-13 in the all-time Dual Meet series.  USC's women have won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the Bruins, including the last five.  USC's men have gone 2-2 in the last four Dual Meets.  A USC male athlete has won the 100m and 200m dashes in 15 of the last 16 Dual Meets and the 400m dash 12 consecutive seasons.  A USC woman athlete has won the 100m dash 16 of the last 17 Dual Meets and the 200m for 10 consecutive seasons.  USC's women have won the 4x100m relay 14 consecutive times.  

TROJANS EXCEL AT THREE MEETS AROUND THE SOUTHLAND - Last week USC had a strong showing at the Bryan Clay Invitational, Mt. SAC Relays and the Beach Invitational. Things started with Ayden Owen's school record in the decathlon at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17-18, then Mecca McGlaston (200m), Marquis Morris (110m hurdles) and Zach Shinnick (400m) won open collegiate races at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 19.  Nathan Bultman had season-best hammer throws on April 18 at Mt. SAC and then again at the Beach Invitational on April 19.  In the Invitational portion of the Mt. SAC Relays on April 20, Angie Annelus (200m), Isaiah Jewett (800m) and Cameron Samuel (400m hurdles) won individual events, and the men's 4x400m and women's 4x100m relays took home titles.  The women's 4x100m relay ran 42.93, third on USC's all-time list and currently No. 2 in the world.

TOP 20 TROJANS - USC's women have 15 marks that currently rank in the top 20 nationally, while the men's team has eight. Trojans in the top 20 are: Angie Annelus (15 - W-100m, T-4 - W-200m), Alyssa Brewer (16 - W-800m), Chanel Brissett (3 - W-100m H), Kyra Constantine (12 - W-400m), Dior Hall (7, W-100m H), Alexa Harmon-Thomas (T-15 - W-HJ), Isaiah Jewett (2 - M-800m), Matthew Katnik (10 - M-SP),  Bailey Lear (15 - W-400m), Mecca McGlaston (12 - W-100m H), Marquis Morris (14 - M-110m H), Omotade Ojora (15 - M-110m H), Ayden Owens (1 - M-Decathlon), Kaelin Roberts (10 - W-200m), Cameron Samuel (3 - M-400m H), Earnest Sears III (T-3, M-HJ), TeeTee Terry (T-8 - W-100m, T-14 - W-200m), Lanae-Tava Thomas (14 - W-100, 20 - W-200m), W -4x100m (1st), M - 4x400m (7th).  Of this group, Morris, Hall and Harmon-Thomas are  the only seniors and 12 of the marks have been posted by freshmen or sophomores.

WOMEN REACH UNCHARTED HIGH GROUND - The USC women's was ranked No. 1 in the country for four consecutive weeks (March 18-April 15) in the 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings, a program first.  The previous most consecutive No. 1 rankings by the USC women's team in the USTFCCCA rankings of two weeks occurred in the 2018 season when it ended up winning the NCAA team title.

FABULOUS FRESHMEN - Karlee Freeman is the top freshman woman discus thrower so far this season, but she isn't the only USC freshman making their mark in the early season.  Ayden Owens leads overall in the decathlon and ranks fifth among freshmen in the long jump and 110m hurdles.  In addition among the men, Omotade Ojora ranks second among freshmen in the 110m hurdles, Sam VanDorpe is second in the 800m and Brendon Stewart is fifth among freshmen in the 100m dash.  For the freshmen women, Lanae-Tava Thomas ranks third in the 100m and fourth in the 200m, Alyssa Brewer is second in the 800m, Bailey Lear is third in the 400m and Jemima Russell is fifth in the 800m among freshmen.

OWENS HAS RECORD-SETTING DECATHLON - USC freshman Ayden Owen made his first collegiate outdoor multi-event competition a special one as he scored a USC record of 8,130 points in winning the decathlon at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17-18.  His point total is the current world leader and set the Puerto Rico national record in the event.  Owens set seven personal bests in the 10 events and won three events (100m, 110m hurdles & 400m) outright.  He didn't clinch the win until the final event, running down 2018 Pac-12 champion Harrison Williams of Stanford in the final stretch of the 1500m race to win the two-day event by 18 points.

BRISSETT & ROBERTS ON BOWERMAN MID-OUTDOOR WATCH LIST - USC sophomores Chanel Brissett and Kaelin Roberts were named to the 10-woman Mid-Outdoor Watch List for the Bowerman on April 17.

NEXT MEET: PAC-12 MULTI-EVENTS - USC will next be competing at the Pac-12 Multi-Events Championships held in Tucson, Ariz. on May 4-5.