Track & Field | May 20, 2019

The No. 2-ranked USC women's team and the No. 10-ranked men's team will be at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds held in Sacramento, Calif. on May 23-25. There will be 48 athletes in each event, with the top 12 after the Preliminary Rounds in each region moving on to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas from June 5-8.

TRAVELING TROJANS -  USC has 13 men and 18 women entered to compete this week at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds: Men: Allen Jr. (200m), Barnum (100m), Bultman (HT), Green (400m H), Jewett (800m), Katnik (SP), Morris (110m H), Ojora (110m H), Robinson (100m, 200m), Samuel (400m H), Sears (HJ), Stewart (100m, 200m), VanDorpe (800m).  Women: Annelus (100m, 200m), Brewer (800m), Brissett (100m H), Cockrell (100m H, 400m H), Constantine (400m), Freeman (SP, DT), Hall (100m H), Harmon-Thomas (HJ), Jones (LJ), Lear (400m), Marten (TJ), McArthur (HT), McGlaston (100m H), Roberts (400m), Russell (800m), Terry (100m, 200m), Thomas (100m, 200m), Weber (1500m). The USC women's 4x100m and 4x400m relays are also entered.  The men's team did not enter any relay teams.

WOMEN WIN PAC-12 TITLE; MEN PLACE 5TH -- The USC women's team won the 2019 Pac-12 team title, its second consecutive and third in program history.  USC's women won seven events, including sweeping the top three spots in the 100m, 200m and 100m hurdles.  USC scored all 154 of its points on the final day to defeat Oregon by 17 points.  The men's team finished in fifth place at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships with 78 points, winning the 800m (Jewett), 400m hurdles (Samuel), high jump (Sears) and the 4x400m relay.  

FOUR TROJANS EARN PAC-12 HONORS -  USC picked up four of the eight 2019 Pac-12 season honors on May 15: Angie Annelus (Women's Track Athlete of the Year), Ayden Owens (Men's Freshman of the Year), Lanae-Tava Thomas (Women's Freshman of the Year) and Caryl Smith Gilbert (Women's Head Coach of the Year).

WOMEN'S 4x100M RELAY SETS SCHOOL RECORD - The USC women's 4x100m relay team of Mecca McGlaston, Angie Annelus, Lanae-Tava Thomas and TeeTee Terry set the USC school record with a time of 42.44 in the Pac-12 prelims on May 11.  Channel Brissett took over for McGlaston in the final on May 12 and the team won the conference title with the second-fastest time in school history of 42.45.  Those are the two fastest times in the world this season.

WOMEN'S 4X400M RELAY SETS MEET RECORD - USC's women's 4x400m relay team of Bailey Lear, Anna Cockrell, Kyra Constantine & Kaelin Roberts won the Pac-12 title with a meet-record time of 3:29.23 which ranks 9th on USC's all-time list and fifth among NCAA teams.

TOP 25 TROJANS - USC's women have 19 marks that currently rank in the top 25 nationally, while the men's team has 10. Trojans in the top 25 are: Angie Annelus (T-8 - W-100m, T-7 - W-200m), Alyssa Brewer (24 - W-800m), Chanel Brissett (2 - W-100m H), Anna Cockrell (10 - W-100m H, 2 - W-400m H), Kyra Constantine (6 - W-400m), Dior Hall (12, W-100m H), Alexa Harmon-Thomas (T-22 - W-HJ), Isaiah Jewett (4 - M-800m), Matthew Katnik (14 - M-SP),  Bailey Lear (14 - W-400m), Mecca McGlaston (18 - W-100m H), Marquis Morris (15 - M-110m H), Omotade Ojora (13 - M-110m H), Ayden Owens (1 - M-Decathlon, 14 - M-110m H), Kaelin Roberts (T-17 - W-200m, 5 - W-400m), Cameron Samuel (1 - M-400m H), Earnest Sears III (T-1, M-HJ), TeeTee Terry (2 - W-100m, T-17 - W-200m), Lanae-Tava Thomas (18 - W-100, 15 - W-200m), W -4x100m (1st), M- 4x100m (19th), W-4x400m (5th), M - 4x400m (11th).  Of this group, Morris, Hall and Harmon-Thomas are the only seniors and 13 of the marks have been posted by freshmen or sophomores.

RELAY ROULETTE - USC's 4x100m relay currently ranks first in the world with a school record of 42.44 set in the Pac-12 prelims on May 11.  USC also ran 42.45 to caputure the Pac-12 title and 42.77 to win at the Mt. SAC Relays in April, the top three times by an NCAA quartet this season.  The common denominator on the relay has been Angie Annelus, Lanae-Tava Thomas and TeeTee Terry running legs 2-4 respectively.  Running the lead-off legs were Mecca McGlaston (42.44), Chanel Brissett (42.45) and Dior Hall (42.77).

FABULOUS FRESHMEN - Karlee Freeman is the top freshman woman discus thrower and is ninth among freshmen in the shot put, but she isn't the only USC freshman making their mark in the early season.  Ayden Owens leads overall in the decathlon and ranks 13th among freshmen in the long jump and is fifth in the 110m hurdles.  In addition among the men, Omotade Ojora ranks third among freshmen in the 110m hurdles, Sam VanDorpe is sixth in the 800m,  Brendon Stewart is 11th among freshmen in the 100m dash, while Eric Allen Jr. is 13th in the 100m and seventh in the 200m.  For the freshmen women, Lanae-Tava Thomas ranks fourth in the 100m and sixth in the 200m, Alyssa Brewer is second in the 800m, Bailey Lear is first in the 400m and Jemima Russell is fourth in the 800m among freshmen.

BRISSETT ON BOWERMAN POST-CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WATCH LIST - USC sophomore Chanel Brissett was named to the 10-woman Post-Conference ChampionshipWatch List for the Bowerman on May 15.

NEXT MEET: NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS - Qualified Trojans will next be competing at the 2019 NCAA T&F Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas from June 5-8.