USC Has Highest Finish At Pac-12 Cross County Championships Since 2014

The young USC women's cross country team placed 11th at the 2021 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships held on the Regional Athletics Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah today (Oct. 29), the highest team finish for the Trojans since also finishing 11th in 2014.  Giovanna Pisano, one of USC's five freshman runners in the race, became the Trojans' highest finisher at the Pac-12 Championships since 2016.

All eight USC runners at the meet improved their standing on the final 2K lap and the Trojans were one of just two teams to move up in the standings on the final lap.  The Trojans were in 12th place at both the 2K and 4K markers.

"Today was progress and growth. There is a lot a progression in the program.  The results may not have shown it today, but will show in the near future," said USC Associate Head Coach for Cross Country Jebreh Harris.  "We have more in us and we have acknowledged what we need to capitalize on. I love the camaraderie the team showed each other from beginning to end, good and bad. We have more racing in us coming up soon, so we are looking forward to the next challenge." 

Pisano finished 66th overall (57th in scoring) with a time of 23:09.2, picking up seven places on the final lap.  Pisano has finished as USC's top runner in its last two meets, after being the team's second-place finisher in the first two meets.  The last Trojan with a higher finish at the Pac-12 Championships was Sophia Racette in 2016 who placed 60th.

Junior Mihajla Milovanovic was the next Trojan to cross the line with a time of 23:30.4, good for 75th overall (64th in scoring).  Freshman Gigi Maccagnini was USC's third finisher, completing the course with a time of 23:33.1 (66th in scoring).  Maccagnini, USC's top finisher in each of her two previous USC races,  picked up six positions in the standings on the final lap.

The Trojans' fourth finisher was senior Jemima Russell at 23:56.6, good for 83rd overall (70th in scoring).  Russell passed 12 runners on her final lap of the course.  Freshman Maya Lacamp was USC's final scoring runner, finishing 89th (75th in scoring) with a time of 24:11.7.  Just behind Lacamp was senior Alyssa Brewer, who took 92nd (78th in scoring) with a time of 24:23.7.

USC's final two runners were freshmen Ritika Singh who finished 97th (82nd in scoring) with a time of 25:32.9 and Isabelle Cairns who finished 98th with a time of 25:45.7.  It was Cairns first career 6K race.