USCs Johnnie Blockburger and Jasmine Jones were named Pac-12 Track Athletes of the Year, while Californias Rowan Hamilton and Oregons Jaida Ross were named Pac-12 Field Athletes of the year in a vote of Conference coaches announced on Thursday.
USCs Racquil Broderick and Madison Whyte were named Pac-12 Mens and Womens Track & Field Freshman of the Year, respectively. For the second year in a row, Washingtons Andy Powell and Oregons Jerry Schumacher were named Pac-12 Mens and Womens Coach of the Year, respectively.
PAC-12 MENS TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Johnnie Blockburger, USC
Johnnie Blockburger earned Pac-12 Mens Track Athlete of the Year honors after an impressive collection of performances at the Conference Meet in Boulder last weekend. The senior from Tucson secured Athlete of the Meet honors after winning the mens 200m and 400m competitions and anchoring the Trojans to a victory in the 4x100m relay. Blockburger ran a converted time of 44.62 in the 400m, the fourth-fastest time in the NCAA this year.
Its Blockburgers first Pac-12 Track Athlete of the Year honor after winning Freshman of the Year acclaim while competing for Arizona in 2019. Its the 15 all-time Mens Track Athlete of the Year award for USC and first since Isaiah Jewett in 2021.
PAC-12 WOMENS TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jasmine Jones, USC
Jasmine Jones was named Pac-12 Womens Track Athlete of the Year after doubling as the league champion in the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles last weekend in Boulder. Jones truly dominated the 400m hurdles, clocking a world-leading time of 53.87 for the win. The performance was good for a meet record and the sixth-fastest time in Pac-12 history, as she became only the sixth woman in Conference history to duck under 54 seconds in the event. Following her victory in the 60m hurdles at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, Jones has won all three of her 400m hurdle finals in the outdoor campaign.
Its the seventh all-time Track Athlete of the Year award for the USC women and first since Twanisha Terry secured the honor in 2021, capping a three-peat for the Trojans in the award (2019 Anglerne Annelus, 2018 Kendall Ellis).
PAC-12 MENS FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Rowan Hamilton, California
Rowan Hamilton was named Pac-12 Mens Field Athlete of the Year in his first year with the Cal program. The sixth-year student from British Columbia won the mens hammer throw competition at the Pac-12 Meet with a mark of 76.53m (251-1), the best performance at the championship meet since USCs Balazs Kiss set the meet record in 1995 (81.94m, 268-10). Hamilton broke Cals school record in the event at the Mt. SAC Relays earlier in the year, going 77.16m (253-2) for the top performance in the NCAA this year.
Hamilton becomes just the second Golden Bear to win Mens Field Athlete of the Year, joining Mykolas Alekna in 2022.
PAC-12 WOMENS FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jaida Ross, Oregon
Oregons Jaida Ross earned her first-career Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Year after a sensational outdoor campaign through the Pac-12 Track & Field Championships last weekend. The junior from Medford, Ore., doubled with wins in the shot put and discus at the Conference Meet, matching the effort from Jorinde van Klinken who also earned victories in the two events in 2023. Ross is undefeated in three appearances in the shot put outdoors this year. Ross also made history earlier in the season, setting the collegiate record in the shot put with a toss of 19.71m (64-08.00) at the Triton Invite which she then matched with the same mark at the Desert Heat Classic (April 27).
Shes just the fourth Oregon student-athlete to win the Field Athlete of the Year award, joining Brianne Theisen (2010, 2012), Jenna Prandini (2014), and Jamsine Todd (2015).
PAC-12 MENS TRACK & FIELD FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Racquil Broderick, USC
USC thrower Racquil Broderick was named Pac-12 Mens Track & Field Freshman of the Year after notching the win in the discus at the Pac-12 Championships last weekend. He took the win with a throw of 58.65m (192-5) and became the first Trojan to win the event since Gordon Hovey in 1999. Broderick also owns the fifth-best discus mark in the NCAA this year, going 62.34m (204-6) at the Beach Opener on March 1.
The Trojans have now won the Mens Freshman of the Year award in back-to-back years (William Jones, 2023).
PAC-12 WOMENS TRACK & FIELD FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Madison Whyte, USC
Madison Whyte earned Pac-12 Womens Track & Field Freshman of the Year honors after a busy weekend at the Pac-12 Championships, appearing in four events for the Trojans across six preliminary/final performances in Boulder. Whyte picked up third-place finishes in the womens 200m and 400m competitions and contributed to USCs third place 4x400m squad, as well as ran a leg on the Trojans winning 4x100m relay. She is the second-ranked freshman in the 200m and fourth-ranked freshman in the 400m in the NCAA this year.
Its the seventh all-time Freshman of the Year honor for the USC women and first since Lanae-Tava Thomas in 2019, which capped a three-peat for the Trojans in the award (2018 Twanisha Terry, 2017 Anna Cockrell).
PAC-12 TRACK & FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR: Andy Powell, Washington
Andy Powell was named Pac-12 Mens Track & Field Coach of the Year for the second-straight year after leading the Huskies to their second-straight team title at the Pac-12 Championships. Washington nearly matched its winning point total in 2023 (151 pts) with 150 in 2024, fending off the Trojans and clinching the league championships with a fifth-place finish from Leo Daschbach in the 5000m on Sunday. Under Powells direction, the Huskies have won back-to-back Conference titles after a streak of 15-straight titles from Oregon ahead of the 2023 Conference Meet.
Notably, Powell becomes just the fifth coach in Pac-12 Mens Track & Field history to repeat as Coach of the Year after winning the award for the first time, joining Bill Dellinger (Oregon 1978-79), Bob Larsen (UCLA, 1987-90), Vin Lananna (Stanford, 2000-01), and Robert Johnson (Oregon, 2013-14). Its the fourth all-time Mens Coach of the Year award for the Washington program.
PAC-12 WOMENS TRACK & FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR: Jerry Schumacher, Oregon
Jerry Schumacher repeated as Pac-12 Womens Coach of the Year after guiding the Ducks to their second-straight Conference title under his direction (third-straight overall). Oregon scored 150 points to win the league title last week in Boulder, holding off a charge from USC (136 pts), ultimately clinching the Conference crown with the Ducks victory in the 4x400m relay. Notably, Oregon set a new meet record with its winning time of 3:27.34.
Its the 12th all-time Coach of the Year honor for the Oregon womens program. Schumacher has guided the Oregon women to the No. 3 national ranking ahead of the NCAA West Preliminary Round.