The Trojans set off for Fayetteville, Arkansas, this weekend to compete in the Razorback Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas. The track and field events took place over two days at Tyson Track Center. 

Starting off the weekend strong, freshman sprinter Madison Whyte set a personal best in the women’s 200 meter after posting a time of 23.14 and coming in eighth. Crossing the line just .04 seconds after Ole Miss senior McKenzie Long, Whyte fought to the end to score points for the Trojans.

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In the women’s pentathlon, graduate Allie Jones made waves after taking first and setting several personal records in the process. Jones ran an 8.2 in the 60m, cleared 1.69m in the high jump and placed first with a personal best of 13.18m in the shot put before setting another with a 6.24m long jump. She rounded out the five events with a win and third personal best in the 800m, finishing in 2:11.74. Jones won the pentathlon after accumulating a whopping 4,528 points, a new record for the school.

The women’s 4x400m relay team — composed of senior Jan’Taijah Jones, sophomores Yemi John and Christine M. Mallard, and Whyte — secured fourth place for the Trojans with a time of 3:28.84.

John also placed fifth with a personal best of 51.74 in the women’s 400m race.

Senior Temi Ojora reminded fans why she holds the University’s freshman record in the triple jump after winning the event in her season debut while setting a personal record of 13.77m. Ojora’s distance is the farthest indoor jump in USC history.

Junior Morgan Fierro had a big weekend after setting a personal record of 8:16.47 in the men’s 3,000m. In a race to the edge of the line, Fierro maintained poise and grit to keep Kentucky junior Jackson Watts just .1 seconds behind him and secure the final top 10 spot in the race. 

Opportunities for improvement seemed boundless as sophomore Elias Gerald leaped into a third-place victory in the men’s high jump after tying his outdoor personal best of 2.17m. Gerald now finds himself fifth on the list of USC record holders in the event. 

Sophomore William Jones dominated the track as runners competed in the men’s 400m final. Not only did Jones win the event, the speedy sophomore finished in a world-leading 45.24 seconds. Jones is now the second-fastest indoor 400m runner in USC history, less than one second behind Michael Norman, who holds the current record set back in 2018.

Sophomore JC Stevenson and junior Travis Williams found themselves in the first and third positions upon crossing the line for the men’s 60m in 6.61 and 6.63 seconds, respectively.

The Trojans also showed their prowess in distance events. Nathan Cumberbatch shattered USC’s freshman record and now finds himself ranked second in school history after finishing fifth with a personal best of 1:47.78 in the men’s 800m.

Next up, the Trojans will head northeast to compete in the Boston College Invitational. The indoor meet will take place Feb. 7 and 8 at the TRACK at New Balance.