As the Trojans continue to battle through the trials and tribulations of their first year competing in the Big Ten, plenty is going on in their sports world.

Head Coach Lincoln Riley and the football team (4-4, 2-4 Big Ten) are trying to fight their way toward an appearance in a bowl game — not exactly the scenario Trojan fans were imagining after redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss led the team to a thrilling 27-20 upset victory over then-No. 13 LSU (6-2, 3-1 SEC) to open the season.

One unit coping quite a bit better with its new challenge is the No. 4 women’s soccer team (14-1-2, 10-0-1), led by Head Coach Jane Alukonis, which just clinched the Big Ten regular season title following a 1-0 victory over No. 9 UCLA (13-3-3, 8-1-2). The crosstown rivals will be the top two seeds in next week’s Big Ten Tournament, dominant in their maiden campaigns competing with their new East Coast foes.

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If that wasn’t enough, both Trojan basketball squads are just days away from kicking off their 2024–25 seasons — in very different fashions.

Superstar sophomore guard JuJu Watkins and co. will be in Paris debuting their star-studded new squad. Ranked No. 3 in the inaugural AP Top 25, the Trojans will take on No. 20 Ole Miss in a nationally televised battle at the Adidas Arena. Over a busy offseason, Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb brought in the nation’s top recruiting class and star graduate forward Kiki Iriafen, named to the preseason AP All-American team alongside Watkins.

5,645 miles away from the City of Light, the men’s basketball team will tip off its year just ten hours later in a slightly less high-profile setting— taking on Chattanooga at Galen Center. First-year Head Coach Eric Musselman had a chaotic summer in his own right, essentially having to build an entire roster from scratch after taking the mantle from Andy Enfield in April.

So, amid all of the chaos taking place under Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen’s reign, it is easy to lose track of some happenings — even events as substantial as the Big Ten Cross Country Championships, which will take place this Friday in Savoy, Ill.

The Trojan cross country program is led by Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Quincy Watts, a USC legend who took home two sprinting gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. In August, Watts hired Associate Head Coach Milton Mallard to lead the cross country program in its first season competing in the Big Ten.

Mallard spent six seasons coaching at Texas A&M, helping to develop nine NCAA champions and 46 All-Americans, including middle-distance superstar Athing Mu, the youngest woman in racing history to hold both Olympic and world titles in an individual event, the 800 meters.

Mallard’s first season at the helm has sprinted off to an eventful start, with the Trojans competing in three major events leading into the conference championships.

At the Pepperdine Waves Invitational in Malibu, senior Gigi Maccagnini led USC to a third-place finish, just coming up behind Cal Poly and Long Beach State. Maccagnini, who finished seventh individually, ran the 4K in 13:22.6 — over a minute faster than her time at the same event last year. It was her fourth consecutive event as the top finisher for the Trojans.

At the Dave Murray Invitational in Tucson, Ariz., Mallard’s squad had a very disappointing showing — finishing seventh of eight teams in the difficult 6K race. Graduate transfer Helena Teixeira-Dasilva had the best result, crossing the finish line in 31st out of 65 competitors.

USC’s final effort before facing off against its Big Ten rivals came at the UCR Highlander Invitational in Riverside, Calif. The Trojans competed well, finishing 13th in a packed field, led by an inspired effort from redshirt junior Jacqueline Duarte. Out of 261 total competitors, Duarte ran a career-best 6K time of 22:35.5 to finish 54th in scoring.

It was a masterclass in closing from Duarte, who was 111th after 2K and 80th at 4K — finishing unbelievably fast to smash her career-best time.

Duarte has enormous potential and was a budding star in her high school days, racing for Chino Hills High School — best known for producing some other high-profile athletes: NBA players Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball.

But after taking home the statewide California 1600m title, Duarte suffered a torn ACL as a junior while playing for her academy soccer team, keeping her out for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Soccer was not a casual endeavor for Duarte, who had an offer to play for Oregon as a sophomore, but she eventually opted to stay in SoCal and run for the Trojans.

However, after recovering from the torn ACL, disaster struck again for Duarte, who was forced to redshirt her freshman year at USC due to an injury sustained during her senior year of high school. She has continued to struggle with injuries throughout her time at USC, which makes her career-best turn in Riverside all the more exciting for Mallard and the Trojans.

If there is one thing that Duarte has made clear, it is that she finishes strong — no matter what is thrown at her early on in a race, or before it even starts. Mallard will now look to Duarte, Maccagnini and the rest of his squad to make a statement on Friday that this USC cross country team will be a major threat in the Big Ten going forward.

With the long-term prestige that the Trojans have in track and field, don’t be surprised if, under Mallard’s watch, that success extends to cross country — with a few more All-Americans and Olympians being produced along the way.

Henry Mode is a sophomore writing about underappreciated Trojan athletes and storylines in his column, “Below the Fold,” which runs every other Wednesday. He is also a sports editor at the Daily Trojan.