Wednesday, May 24
Sacramento, Calif.
All Day
USC
vs
NCAA West Preliminary Rounds
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Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics
USC Track & Field Heads To NCAA West Preliminary Rounds In Sacramento
May 22, 2023 | Track & Field
Weekly Release (PDF)Preliminary Rounds Schedule (PDF)Live StatsWatch WednesdayWatch ThursdayWatch FridayWatch Saturday
Women's team ranked No. 4 and men's team No. 12
The Trojan track and field team will be competing at the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif. from May 24-27. The top 48 declared athletes in each individual event and the top 24 relays in each region will be competing with the top 12 in each event area and relays advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held in Austin, Texas from June 7-10.
TRAVELING TROJANS -- The following are the 38 qualified and declared individual opportunities for the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. The men's team will have 16 individual chances to score, plus the two relays. The women's team will have 22 individual chances to score plus the two relays.
Women (22): Janiah Brown (800m), Jassani Carter (100m, 200m), Caisja Chandler (100m, 200m), Karlee Freeman (SP, DT), Yemi John (400m), Allie Jones (100m H, LJ), Jan'Taijah Jones (400m), Bailey Lear (400m), Gigi Maccagnini (800m), Christine M. Mallard (400m), Samirah Moody (100m, 200m), Summer Mosley (HT), Temi Ojora (LJ, TJ), Lauren Reed (TJ), Maci Simmons (400m H), Jalaysiya Smith (100m H). In addition, traveling for the women's team are Kimberly Harris and Jasmine Jones.
Men (16): Ashton Allen (200m), Chris Borzor (100m, 200m), Johnny Brackins Jr. (110m H, LJ), Elias Gerald (HJ), Christian Johnson (HT), William Jones (400m), Tade Ojora (110m H), Matthew Okonkwo (200m), Nikolaos Polychroniou (HT), Bobby Poynter (800m), JC Stevenson (LJ), Brendon Stewart (100m), Dallas Wise (HJ, TJ). Michael Phillippy is also traveling for the Trojan men.
TROJANS PLACE 2ND AT THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS -- Both the USC men's and women's teams placed second at the 2023 Pac-12 T&F Championships. The team's combined 264 points scored were the most of any school. USC athletes won nine different conference titles during the three days: Men's 4x100m, Women's 4x400m, Allie Jones (Heptathlon), Johnnie Brackins Jr. (Long Jump), Tade Ojora (M-110m Hurdles), Caisja Chandler (W-200m), William Jones (M-400m), Jan'Taijah Jones (W-400m) and Elias Gerald (M-High Jump).
JONES & BLOCKBURGER IMPRESS IN PAC-12 400M FINAL -- USC freshman William Jones in his third collegiate 400m race won the Pac-12 title in the event with a time of 44.65, just off the Trojan freshman record of 44.60 set by Michael Norman in 2017. Jones moved to No. 5 in the country and No. 2 in the West in the 400m. Junior Johnnie Blockburger finished second in the 400m at the Pac-12 Championships with his best time as a Trojan of 44.80. He now ranks tied for No. 8 among NCAA runners and tied for fourth in the West in the event. Blockburger had been the defending two-time Pac-12 400m champion and was attempting to become the first Pac-12 male athlete to win three 400m titles since USC's Jerome Davis won four consecutive crowns from 1996-1999.
THE GREEK HAMMER - Sophomore hammer thrower Nikolaos Polychroniou from Athens, Greece, had a PR of 238-1 (72.56m) to win the USC-UCLA Dual Meet hammer throw competition on April 30. His throw moved him from ninth to sixth on USC's all-time list and currently ranks seventh in the country and third in the West. His previous best throw of 234-2 (71.37m) was set when he won the hammer throw competition at the Trojan Invitational on April 7. He threw 233-0 (71.02m) to place second in the hammer throw at the Pac-12 Championships.
BRACKINS JR.CRACKS USC'S TOP 10 LIST DAYS AFTER TRANSFERRING -- After placing 17th in the long jump at the 2022 NCAA Champioships on June 8 while at Baylor, Brackins Jr. transferred to USC and began summer school. On June 24 while representing USC, he won the USA U20 Championships long jump title with a leap of 26-4.25/8.03m (+0.9). That jump moved him into fifth on USC's all-time long jump list. Brackins Jr. won the 2023 Pac-12 long jump title with a wind-aided PR of 27-2.75/8.30m (+4.0). During the 2023 indoor season, Brackins Jr. placed fifth in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a leap of 26-9.25/8.16m, second on USC's all-time list. He is also an elite hurdler, placing third at the 2022 Big 12 Championships in the event and reaching the NCAA semifinals. This season he has a wind-aided best of 13.44 (+2.1w) in the 110m hurdles. He took second in the 110 hurdles at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships with a time of 13.75 (-1.3). He was named Men's T&F Athlete of the Pac-12 Championships as he combined to earn 20.5 points in the team competition.
TROJANS EARN A PAIR OF PAC-12 AWARDS -- USC graduate student Allie Jones was named the Pac-12 Women's Field Athlete of the Year and William Jones was named Pac-12 Men's Track & Field Freshman of the Year, it was announced by the Conference on May 19. The multi-talented Allie Jones won her second consecutive Pac-12 heptathlon title on May 13, finishing with a PR of 6234 points. She broke her USC record of 6217 which she set on April 13, a record previously held by Wendy Brown which had stood for 35 years. Jones' total ranks third on the Pac-12 all-time heptathlon list, trailing only Jackie Joyner-Kersee (6440) and Brianne Theisen (6307). Jones' 6234 points in the heptathlon leads all NCAA athletes in 2023. She also ranks sixth nationally in 100m hurdles with a time of 12.81. William Jones, in just his third collegiate 400m race, won the Pac-12 title with a PR of 44.65 on May 14. Jones' time was just 0.05 seconds off the USC freshman record of 44.60 set by Michael Norman in 2017. It is also the fastest time in the Pac-12 finals since Norman won in 2018 with a time of 44.40 and the fifth-fastest all-time at the Pac-12 Championships. Jones now ranks fifth nationally on the NCAA 400m descending order list and seventh on USC's all-time list for the event.
TRAVELING TROJANS -- The following are the 38 qualified and declared individual opportunities for the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. The men's team will have 16 individual chances to score, plus the two relays. The women's team will have 22 individual chances to score plus the two relays.
Women (22): Janiah Brown (800m), Jassani Carter (100m, 200m), Caisja Chandler (100m, 200m), Karlee Freeman (SP, DT), Yemi John (400m), Allie Jones (100m H, LJ), Jan'Taijah Jones (400m), Bailey Lear (400m), Gigi Maccagnini (800m), Christine M. Mallard (400m), Samirah Moody (100m, 200m), Summer Mosley (HT), Temi Ojora (LJ, TJ), Lauren Reed (TJ), Maci Simmons (400m H), Jalaysiya Smith (100m H). In addition, traveling for the women's team are Kimberly Harris and Jasmine Jones.
Men (16): Ashton Allen (200m), Chris Borzor (100m, 200m), Johnny Brackins Jr. (110m H, LJ), Elias Gerald (HJ), Christian Johnson (HT), William Jones (400m), Tade Ojora (110m H), Matthew Okonkwo (200m), Nikolaos Polychroniou (HT), Bobby Poynter (800m), JC Stevenson (LJ), Brendon Stewart (100m), Dallas Wise (HJ, TJ). Michael Phillippy is also traveling for the Trojan men.
TROJANS PLACE 2ND AT THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS -- Both the USC men's and women's teams placed second at the 2023 Pac-12 T&F Championships. The team's combined 264 points scored were the most of any school. USC athletes won nine different conference titles during the three days: Men's 4x100m, Women's 4x400m, Allie Jones (Heptathlon), Johnnie Brackins Jr. (Long Jump), Tade Ojora (M-110m Hurdles), Caisja Chandler (W-200m), William Jones (M-400m), Jan'Taijah Jones (W-400m) and Elias Gerald (M-High Jump).
JONES & BLOCKBURGER IMPRESS IN PAC-12 400M FINAL -- USC freshman William Jones in his third collegiate 400m race won the Pac-12 title in the event with a time of 44.65, just off the Trojan freshman record of 44.60 set by Michael Norman in 2017. Jones moved to No. 5 in the country and No. 2 in the West in the 400m. Junior Johnnie Blockburger finished second in the 400m at the Pac-12 Championships with his best time as a Trojan of 44.80. He now ranks tied for No. 8 among NCAA runners and tied for fourth in the West in the event. Blockburger had been the defending two-time Pac-12 400m champion and was attempting to become the first Pac-12 male athlete to win three 400m titles since USC's Jerome Davis won four consecutive crowns from 1996-1999.
THE GREEK HAMMER - Sophomore hammer thrower Nikolaos Polychroniou from Athens, Greece, had a PR of 238-1 (72.56m) to win the USC-UCLA Dual Meet hammer throw competition on April 30. His throw moved him from ninth to sixth on USC's all-time list and currently ranks seventh in the country and third in the West. His previous best throw of 234-2 (71.37m) was set when he won the hammer throw competition at the Trojan Invitational on April 7. He threw 233-0 (71.02m) to place second in the hammer throw at the Pac-12 Championships.
BRACKINS JR.CRACKS USC'S TOP 10 LIST DAYS AFTER TRANSFERRING -- After placing 17th in the long jump at the 2022 NCAA Champioships on June 8 while at Baylor, Brackins Jr. transferred to USC and began summer school. On June 24 while representing USC, he won the USA U20 Championships long jump title with a leap of 26-4.25/8.03m (+0.9). That jump moved him into fifth on USC's all-time long jump list. Brackins Jr. won the 2023 Pac-12 long jump title with a wind-aided PR of 27-2.75/8.30m (+4.0). During the 2023 indoor season, Brackins Jr. placed fifth in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a leap of 26-9.25/8.16m, second on USC's all-time list. He is also an elite hurdler, placing third at the 2022 Big 12 Championships in the event and reaching the NCAA semifinals. This season he has a wind-aided best of 13.44 (+2.1w) in the 110m hurdles. He took second in the 110 hurdles at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships with a time of 13.75 (-1.3). He was named Men's T&F Athlete of the Pac-12 Championships as he combined to earn 20.5 points in the team competition.
TROJANS EARN A PAIR OF PAC-12 AWARDS -- USC graduate student Allie Jones was named the Pac-12 Women's Field Athlete of the Year and William Jones was named Pac-12 Men's Track & Field Freshman of the Year, it was announced by the Conference on May 19. The multi-talented Allie Jones won her second consecutive Pac-12 heptathlon title on May 13, finishing with a PR of 6234 points. She broke her USC record of 6217 which she set on April 13, a record previously held by Wendy Brown which had stood for 35 years. Jones' total ranks third on the Pac-12 all-time heptathlon list, trailing only Jackie Joyner-Kersee (6440) and Brianne Theisen (6307). Jones' 6234 points in the heptathlon leads all NCAA athletes in 2023. She also ranks sixth nationally in 100m hurdles with a time of 12.81. William Jones, in just his third collegiate 400m race, won the Pac-12 title with a PR of 44.65 on May 14. Jones' time was just 0.05 seconds off the USC freshman record of 44.60 set by Michael Norman in 2017. It is also the fastest time in the Pac-12 finals since Norman won in 2018 with a time of 44.40 and the fifth-fastest all-time at the Pac-12 Championships. Jones now ranks fifth nationally on the NCAA 400m descending order list and seventh on USC's all-time list for the event.
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