USC T&F Sends Large Contingent To NCAA West Prelims in Texas

Wednesday, May 28

College Station, Texas

TBA

USC

NCAA West Preliminary Rounds

May 18, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Madison Whyte of Southern California (left) wins the women's 200m in 22.66 as part of a USC sweep of the top four places during the Big Ten Championships at Hayward Field. From left: Whyte, Samirah Moody, Dajaz Defrand and Jassani Carter. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Photo by: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC T&F Sends Large Contingent To NCAA West Prelims in Texas

May 26, 2025 | Track & Field

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Trojan men ranked No. 1, women No. 6 entering this week's action

The USC Track and Field team will compete at the 2025 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds to be held a E.B Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas from May 28-31. 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 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held in Eugene, Ore. from June 11-14.

USC ATHLETES DECLARED FOR WEST PRELIMS: USC has qualified 18 women for 25 positions and 16 men for 22 spots at the 2025 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. In all, the USC track and field program has claimed 46 individual positions plus four relays for the West Preliminary Rounds. USC has a combined 20 entrants in the 100m and 200m (11 women, 9 men):

WOMEN: Jassani Carter (100m, 200m), Dajaz DeFrand (100m, 200m), Ashley Erasmus (SP, DT), Tiana Eyakpobeyan (100m, 200m), Jada Foreman (TJ), Jenna Gallaway (HT), Reese Garland (DT), Yemi John (400m), Falyn Lott (400m H, LJ), Christine M. Mallard (400m), Samirah Moody (100m, 200m), Karyssa Owens (DT, HT), Olivia Pace (100m), Lauren Reed (TJ), Brianna Selby (100m), Jalaysiya Smith (100m H), Nonah Waldron (100m H), Madison Whyte (200m).

MEN: Jacob Andrews (400m), Taylor Banks (100m), Johnny Brackins Jr. (110m H, 400m H), Racquil Broderick (DT), Nathan Cumberbatch (800m), Shaiquan Dunn (SP, DT), Elias Gerald (HJ), Jaren Holmes (LJ, TJ), William Jones (400m), Garrett Kaalund (200m), Jazonte Levan (200m), Yougendy Mauricette (400m H), Edward Nketia (100m, 200m), JC Stevenson (100m, LJ), Max Thomas (100m, 200m), Travis Williams (100m)

USC WOMEN WIN BIG TEN T&F TITLE, MEN FOURTH: The USC women's team clinched its first Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field team title by winning the 4x400m relay to close out the meet and the men's team placed fourth at the Trojans' first Big Ten conference meet held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. from May 16-18. USC's women scored 121 points and the men's team scored 78 points. USC's women scored 112 of their points on the final day, after beginning the day in ninth place. The men's team climbed up the standings to fourth after beginning the day in 11th place. Sophomore Madison Whyte starred for the Trojan women, winning the 200m, 400m and anchoring the meet-clinching 4x400m relay. Whyte was responsible for 22.5 points scored by the Trojans. The USC women's sprinters scored 80 total points in the 100m, 200m and 400m races.

TROJANS EARN BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS HONORS: USC Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts was named Women's Coach of the Big Ten Championships and Madison Whyte was named Women's Track Athlete of the Championships by a vote of conference coaches on May 21. Watts led the USC women's team to the Big Ten title in its first year in the conference and was the only Big Ten Championship award winner to be a unanimous selection. The sophomore Whyte was a key part of the Trojans' charge, winning the 200m, 400m and anchoring the winning 4x400m relay. Whyte was responsible for 22.5 points scored by the USC women's team. Whyte won the 200m with a time of 22.66 (+0.9) and the 400m with a time of 51.40. The USC women's 4x400m relay team of Christine M. Mallard, Yemi John, Takiya Cenci and Whyte won with a time of 3:30.16 to clinch the team title on the meet's final event. Whyte was also named as USC's women's sportsmanship winner at the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Junior transfer Garrett Kaalund was named the USC men's sportsmanship winner at the championships.

ROARING AROUND THE TRACK: USC's women's 4x100m relay team posted an NCAA-leading time of 42.36 to win the Mt. SAC Relays Elite competition, which is 0.37 seconds faster than the next team on the NCAA descending order list. USC's time of 42.36 is the second-fastest in school history and currently ranks eighth in the world. USC's relay time is the second-fastest pre-NCAA Championships 4x100m time since the beginning of the 2019 season (2023 Texas, 41.89 at the Big 12 Championships).

MEN SET SCHOOL RELAY RECORD: Travis Williams, Max Thomas, Garrett Kaalund & Edward Nketia won the men's 4x100m relay at the Texas A&M 44 Farms Team Invitational on April 12 with a school-record time of 38.41. USC set the meet and E.B. Cushing Stadium record and broke the previous USC record of 38.49 set in 2022. Their time is currently ranked third in the country.

KAALUND'S FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS: USC junior transfer sprinter Garrett Kaalund ranks in the NCAA's top four in four different events. He ranks fourth in the 100m (9.93w), third in the 200m (20.05), third in the 400m (44.73) and third as part of USC's 4x100m relay (38.41).

THINGS ARE BRIGHT WITH WHYTE: Sophomore Madison Whyte won both the 200m and 400m at the Texas A&M 44 Farms Team Invitational on April 11-12. Whyte won the 200m on April 11 with a then NCAA-leading and second on the world list time of 22.32. That time set the meet and facility record, as well as moving her into a third-place tie on USC's all-time 200m list. The next day Whyte won the 400m dash and matched her then-PR of 50.91. She bettered her 400m time in winning at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet on May 4 with a time of 50.78, ninth on the NCAA list. Whyte also ran on USC's 4x400m relay which won at the Dual Meet on May 4 with a time of 3:27.72, which leads the Big Ten and ranks 9th in the country. Whyte then won the 200m and 400m and anchored the meet-clinching 4x400m relay at the Big Ten Championships May 16-18.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Keep up with everything USC track & field this year by following @USC_Track_Field on Instagram, X and TikTok.

NEXT MEET: Qualified Trojans will be competing next at the 2025 Outdoor Track & Field Championships to be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. from June 11-14.