University Southern California Trojans
USC Track and Field's Garrett Kaalund Named Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
March 18, 2026 | Track & Field
LOS ANGELES – The Big Ten conference announced Garrett Kaalund as the recipient for Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year on Wednesday following his collegiate and American record in the 200m at indoor national championships.
Kaalund initially added his name to the NCAA all-time top-10 list on February 6, with a time of 20.12, breaking the school record (20.26) set by Olympic champion Andre De Grasse in 2015. He bestest his NCAA and world lead on February 28 to win the 200m Big Ten title in 20.06, the No. 2 time in NCAA history and No. 3 in the world all-time. He also broke the meet and facility record.
In his final indoor 200m race of his collegiate career, Kaalund broke the collegiate and American record with a time of 19.95, the first ever sub-20 time run by a collegiate man indoors. He shattered the previous record of 20.02 set by Elijah Hall-Thompson in 2018. Additionally, he recorded the second-fastest time in world history only .03 seconds behind the world record set by Frank Fredricks in 1996.
The national champion adds the accolade to his Bowerman watch list recognition, and his two Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors this season.
Kaalund and the Trojans jump into outdoor season with the Ron and Sharlene Allice Trojan Invitational on March 27 and 28. More information can be on usctrojans.com and @usc_track_field on Instagram and X.
Kaalund initially added his name to the NCAA all-time top-10 list on February 6, with a time of 20.12, breaking the school record (20.26) set by Olympic champion Andre De Grasse in 2015. He bestest his NCAA and world lead on February 28 to win the 200m Big Ten title in 20.06, the No. 2 time in NCAA history and No. 3 in the world all-time. He also broke the meet and facility record.
In his final indoor 200m race of his collegiate career, Kaalund broke the collegiate and American record with a time of 19.95, the first ever sub-20 time run by a collegiate man indoors. He shattered the previous record of 20.02 set by Elijah Hall-Thompson in 2018. Additionally, he recorded the second-fastest time in world history only .03 seconds behind the world record set by Frank Fredricks in 1996.
The national champion adds the accolade to his Bowerman watch list recognition, and his two Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors this season.
Kaalund and the Trojans jump into outdoor season with the Ron and Sharlene Allice Trojan Invitational on March 27 and 28. More information can be on usctrojans.com and @usc_track_field on Instagram and X.
Players Mentioned
Sprints
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