Track and field looks to continue success


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The indoor track and field season continues this weekend as USC competes in the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas. The 17th-ranked men’s team and seventh-ranked women’s team seek to continue their good form. Last weekend, the Trojans battled their opposition and the high altitude as they competed in the New Mexico Classic in Albuquerque. They overcame those challenges to secure four wins — a shotput sweep, men’s triple jump, women’s 4x400m relay — a school record in the women’s 4×400 relay and several personal bests.

The events in Fayetteville will kick off Friday with the women’s mile run. Junior Destinee Brown, who placed sixth in this event’s finals last weekend, will be joined by sophomore Deanna Hill, who placed fifth in the same event, Gabriella Cantrell, a sophomore who narrowly missed out on last weekend’s 60m finals, as well as sophomore Ky Westbrook and senior Alexis Faulknor.

The men’s 60m dash will include freshman Dominic Davis, senior Just’N Thymes and sophomore Adoree’ Jackson, who placed fourth overall in last weekend’s 60m final. Sophomore Ricky Morgan Jr, redshirt freshman Zyaire Clemes, Thymes and sophomore Jadon Joyner, who posted a time of 22.10s alongside Jackson last week, will represent USC in the men’s 200-meter dash this weekend.

The women’s 200m dash will involve seven Women of Troy — all of the 60m dash competitors as well as Jasmyne Graham and Jaide Stepter. Hill will look to get first place this time around, as she was beaten out for it by a mere 0.003 seconds in Albuquerque. Cantrell will try to improve the already great time of 23.65s she posted in the finals last weekend.

Stepter will hope to win again in the women’s 400m dash, after she posted a new school record at 52.30s in the finals. The Trojans must have liked Albuquerque’s banked track because right behind her were junior Amalie Iuel, with a second place time of 52.73s and sophomore Kendall Ellis, in third place, with a time of 53.42s. For the men’s 400m dash, USC will be sending Clemes and sophomore Ricky Morgan Jr., who managed a sixth place overall in the New Mexico Classic’s 400m finals.

The Trojans were competitive in last week’s 4x400m relay races and will try to be once again. The men and women’s squads will both feature one change from last week’s successful squads. The women’s roster will include Ellis, Iuel, Stepter and Cameron Pettigrew, who will be replacing  Hill. The men feature Clemes, Morgan Jr., Jackson and Robert Ford. The women’s one-mile race will feature seniors Katerina Berdousi and Jenna Tong, who placed 3rd and 7th respectively last weekend. The pair will also compete in the women’s 3000m run alongside sophomore Rebekah Ent. Freshmen pair Nicolaus Jakowec and Trent Rule will compete in the men’s 3000m.

Ford and Jordon Wallin, two sophomores, will participate in the men’s 800m race, while as many as four Trojan women — redshirt sophomore Rebekah Ent, freshman Rachel Glynn, Pettigrew and freshman Mikaela Smith  — will compete in the women’s 800m.

Hurdlers to look out for include sophomore Marquís Morris, who narrowly missed out on last weekend’s 60m HH finals, and freshman Graham, who placed seventh in the women’s 60m HH finals, which only included three college athletes. Iuel and freshman Lyndsey Lopes will join Graham in the 60m HH this weekend.

The Trojan long jumpers will comprise of Faulknor, Iuel and Margaux Jones for the women, while Jackson and Eric Sloan will represent the men. The high jump event will include one USC athlete: sophomore Randall Cunningham. The triple jump competition will feature Dominic Smallwood, who placed seventh last weekend, and Sloan, who jumped a personal best last weekend to claim first place in an impressive display of athleticism.

Last but not least, USC’s shot-putters will try to sweep the event once again. Last weekend redshirt sophomore Nick Ponzio and senior Tera Novy won the men’s and women’s events, respectively. Freshman Nathan Bultman managed a third place throw in the men’s event, while junior Tanya Sapa secured second place in the women’s with a personal best throw. Talented Freshman Matthew Katnik will compete alongside Ponzio and Bultman this weekend.

The Trojans have two more competitions left in this year’s indoor season: the MPSF Championships later in the month and the NCAA Indoor Championships in early March. These precede USC’s first outdoor competition in mid-March: the Trojan Invitational.