Getting To Know USC Track & Field's Janiah Brown

Junior Janiah Brown is in her first season as a distance runner on the USC track and field and cross country teams. She came to USC after two seasons at Mt. SAC, fulfilling a life-long dream of becoming a Trojan. We had a chance to catch up with her the other day.
 
Q: How have you been enjoying your first season at USC?

J.B.: I like it a lot. It has been incredible, honestly. It is such an honor to be on this team and be part of such an amazing program. With athletics, with academics, I have so much support and I have tutoring. It is like nothing I've ever experienced before so I'm really happy to be here.

Q: What were your reasons for choosing USC?

J.B.: This school has always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I've always wanted to go to USC. It didn't work out after high school, but at college (Mt. SAC) I just worked hard and I got here. I'm just so happy.

Q: Have you always run cross country?

J.B: I've been doing cross country since I was about 11, so I'm pretty used to it  I like it. It helps me with track. It helps me get stronger, so I appreciate the sport. It is a little tough sometimes, but I just work through it.

Q: What would you say is your favorite event?

J.B.: 800m, I really like the 800m

Q: Did you play any other sports growing up?

J.B.: In middle school I played volleyball and basketball, but track was always the main sport.

Q: Do you have any goals for this season?

J.B.: I want to have a PR and I want to make it to Nationals and Pac-12s. I just want to be mentally healthy and physically healthy.

Q: What is something about you that people might not know?

J.B.: People might not know that I'm left handed, that's something different. 

Q: Use three adjectives to describe you and explain why?

J.B.: I'd have to say funny… I think I'm pretty funny (laughing). I'm a hard worker and I think I'm a caring person. It might not seem like it sometimes., but I care for my teammates a lot. I might not show it, but I do care for them.

Q: Do you listen to music to warmup before a race?

J.B.: So with the music, I stopped listening to music during the warm-ups. I noticed that it distracts me. I just get into the song too much and I like to hear what is going on that the track meet, what is going on around me, so I just stopped listening to music.

Q: Is there anyplace you like to go or something you like to do when you really want to get away from things…?

J.B.: I like to go home (Calabasas, Calif.), like at my dad's and be around family. It is a good space to just be away and be with your family and have that time to bond with them.

Q: Do you cook your own meals or have a go-to spot?

J.B.: No, I go to (Little) Galen.

Q: Do you have a sports hero and if so, why?

J.B.: I'll say I have two of them. My uncle Charles (White) came here, and Allyson Felix. I look up to both of them because they are really hard workers. Stuff doesn't just come easy. You look over the years, how much they progressed, it is just amazing to see. Allyson Felix, I have always looked up to her, since I was a little girl. She is amazing to watch and how she carries herself. She is an amazing person and you can tell she loves the sport.