USC athletes qualify for Track & Field Championships


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(Design by Alyssa Shao; Photo courtesy of USC Athletics)

After a top-three Pac-12 finish, men’s and women’s track & field took to the track at E.B. Cushing Stadium in Texas for the 2021 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. The top three finishers in each event, plus the three next best times, would move on to the 2021 NCAA Track & Field Championships.

USC had 15 women and 14 men advance to compete for the national championship in a variety of events, with multiple records and personal records set.

Senior sprinter Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry added on to her spectacular season, setting a women’s Pac-12 100m record (10.89 seconds) and Cushing Stadium record in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash. Her 200-meter dash time of 20.54 seconds is also her new PR. 

Outside of Terry, freshman jumper Temi Ojora improved her PR and USC freshman record in the women’s triple jump competition. Her jump of 44 feet and 8.25 inches or 13.62 meters also improved her third-place position on USC’s all-time list. 

The laundry list of athletes alongside Terry and Ojora to qualify for the championships began with the men’s 4×100-meter relay team. Davonte Burnett, Brendan Stewart, Kenan Christon and Eric Allen Jr. put together a season-best time of 39.20 seconds to be the first Trojans to qualify. The men and women’s 4×400-meter relay team qualified as well.

USC will have representation outside of relay teams. They had five 400-meter women move on to the Championships. Senior sprinter Kaelin Roberts and junior sprinter Bailey Lear outperformed themselves with PRs. Redshirt senior and All-American sprinter Kyra Constantine, redshirt senior Nicole Yeargin and freshman Kimberly Harris were among the other Trojans to advance with impressive times.

Some of the USC men and women athletes to qualify in individual events include Davonte Burnett (100-meter, 200-meter),  Angie Annelus (200-meter), Breanna Bernard-Joseph(400-meter Hurdles), Anna Cockrell (100-meter Hurdles, 400-meter Hurdles), Brian Herron (400-meter), Isaiah Jewett (800-meter), Tade Ojora (110-meter Hurdles), Cameron Samuel (400-meter Hurdles),  Lanae-Tava Thomas (100-meter, 200-meter) and Nicole Yeargin (400-meter). 

The Track & Field Championships will be held June 9-12 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.