Small USC group heads to Stanford Invitational


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Members of the USC track and field team will head north this weekend to take on the competition at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

The meet, which takes place over the course of two days, will be another chance for several Trojans to show what they can do against some of the best athletes in the country.

However, USC coach Ron Allice is having most of his short-distance runners stay in Southern California to rest for the upcoming Texas Relays on April 1-3.

“I don’t believe in over-racing people,” Allice said of his decision. “We’re trying to stay afloat here, and I don’t want to risk tiring some people out.”

Allice’s other reason for holding back sprinters like senior Ahmad Rashad is the fact that the Stanford Invitational is primarily a showcase for the best distance runners in the nation and focuses slightly less on the sprints and hurdles.

USC will still be represented by distance runners like sophomore Blake Shaw, who will compete in the men’s 1,500-meter race, and senior Nate Anderson, who will run in the 800-meter race.

On the women’s side, the 4×100-meter relay team — including senior Shalina Clarke, who will also run in the 100-meter hurdle race — will compete. Also competing in the event will be sophomore Dalilah Muhammad, who won the same event at this past weekend’s Trojan Invitational. Senior Elizabeth Olear rounds out the women’s sprinters going to Stanford and will run the 400-meter dash.

For the women’s distance squad, junior Zsofia Erdelyi will run in the women’s 10,000-meter race, looking to build off her first-place finish at the Trojan Invitational.

For most of the team, however, the focus remains on the Texas Invitational.

“It’s just too much running to risk sending them to Stanford,” Allice said. “They’ll face much more intense competition at Texas.”