Track & Field | May 13, 2019

The USC women's team captured its second consecutive Pac-12 title and the men's team placed fifth at the 2019 Pac-12 Track & Field Championships held at Roy P. Drachman Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. today (May 12).  The USC women's team entered the day without a point and the men's team had a total of three points, but the women won seven events on the final day to finish with 154 points and the men won four events to push the Trojans' total to 78.  Women's Pac-12 titles were captured by Angie Annelus (200m), Chanel Brissett (100m hurdles), Anna Cockrell (400m hurdles), Kaelin Roberts (400m), TeeTee Terry (100m) and both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.  Men's titles were claimed by Isaiah Jewett (800m), Cameron Samuel (400m hurdles), Earnest Sears III (high jump) and the 4x400m relay.

"Wow, such an exciting day, so many ups and downs for the Trojans," said USC Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith Gilbert.  "We had to create a lot of points on the track because we had so much adversity with weather conditions and time delays.  It was a little difficult to stay warmed up properly.  I was a little concerned about anyone having any injuries, so I made a few calls on who should run what and I told some people to scale back on their effort, just so we could keep them well through outdoor nationals.  I was very impressed with the men's team because they are young and we had Ernie (Sears), Cam (Samuel), Isaiah (Jewett) and the 4x400m relay all became Pac-12 champions and none of them are seniors.  The women had quite a few Pac-12 champions as well and are young, too.  I don't think any of them were seniors either.  It was great to have some points from the triple jump at the end of the meet to solidify the win and we are always ready on either side for the mile relay.  We have some sharpening up to do.  It was finals this past week and graduation, so we are a little tired and rusty, but we will be ready in two weeks for what we have left to come.  It was a great, exciting weekend and I look forward to seeing what else we can do.  Fight On!"

• Joy McArthur got the Trojan women's team off to a good start in the morning by placing fourth in the women's hammer throw with a PR of 202-11 (61.85m).  That throw came in her final attempt and moved her from fifth to fourth place.  Her throw also bettered her 10^th-place standing on USC's all-time list in the event.  For her efforts, McArthur earned USC its first five points in the women's team competition.
• Earnest Sears III became a repeat champion in the men's high jump, ultimately clearing a PR of 7-5.25 (2.27m) which moved him into a third-place tie on USC's all-time list and currently is tied for seventh in the world. He passed on the first four heights before entering at 6-11.0 (2.11m) which he cleared in his first attempt.  He then had back-to-back misses at 7-0.25 (2.14m), landing awkwardly on his second attempt.  He then passed his final attempt at that height and cleared 7-1.50 (2.17m) in his first attempt.  He then cleared 7-2.50 (2.20m) on his first attempt to win the competition.  He moved the bar up to 7-3.75 (2.23m) and missed twice, so moved the bar up to a PR of 7-5.25 (2.27m) and he cleared it in his first attempt.  He called it a day after that.  Sears earned the Trojans 10 points in the team competition.
• Margaux Jones had a best jump of 19-6.25/5.95m (+0.0) in the women's long jump to finish seventh and earn USC two points. She had advanced to the final in seventh, but after fouls in her fourth and fifth attempts had fallen into ninth place before her final money jump.  Isabella Marten had a best long jump of 19-1.25/5.82m (-1.1) to finish 11^th in the event and Lanae-Tava Thomas had a best jump of 18-11.25/5.77m (+0.8) to finish 14^th. 
• Right after Jones' jump to clinch seventh in the women's long jump, there was lightning and the meet was put into a weather delay at about 2:30 p.m.  Action began again at about 4:30 p.m.
• Karlee Freeman in the women's shot put was the first Trojan to compete after the delay. She had a best mark of 48-10.00 (14.88m) to finish eighth and earn USC a point in the event.
• The men's 4x100m relay team of Ayden Owens, Alexander Barnum, Daniel Robinson and Eric Allen Jr. were the first runners to compete and they placed third with a time of 39.74.  They earned USC six points in the team competition.
• USC's women's 4x100m relay team of Chanel Brissett, Angie Annelus, Lanae-Tava Thomas and TeeTee Terry won the event for the Trojans for the 13^th time since 2000 with a time of 42.45.  That time is second on the school's all-time list, behind the 42.44 run yesterday in the prelims.  USC now has the two fastest relay times in the world entering this weekend's action.
• Kamryn Weber then placed 12^th in the women's 1500m final with a time of 4:27.22.
• Omotade Ojora placed second in the men's 110m hurdles with a time of 13.75 (+0.0), Ayden Owens was third with a PR of 13.76 (+0.0) and Marquis Morris placed eighth with a time of 14.23 (+0.0).  Together they earned USC 15 points in the team competition.
• USC's women then went 1-2-3 in the 100m hurdles to earn the Trojans 24 points.  Chanel Brissett repeated as Pac-12 100m hurdles champion with a PR of 12.70 (+0.7), .02 seconds of the stadium record.  Brissett's time moved her to second on USC's all-time list, tied for second on the NCAA descending order list and tied for fourth on the world list this season.  Anna Cockrell took second with a season-best time of 12.92 (+0.7) and Mecca McGlaston was third with a time of 13.13 (+0.7).
• The Trojan women then captured first, second and fifth in the women's 400m dash to earn another 22 points.  Kaelin Roberts won with a PR of 51.25, Kyra Constantine was second with a PR of 51.41 and Bailey Lear was fifth with PR of 52.07. Roberts bettered her third-place standing on USC's all-time list, Constantine moved into fifth and Lear now sits in 11^th, just outside the Trojan all-time top 10.
• Cassidy Palka placed fourth in the women's high jump with a season-best clearance of 5-7.25 (1.71m).  Alexa Harmon-Thomas entered at that height, but did not clear the bar in three attempts.  Palka earned USC five points in the team competition.
• Brendon Stewart took fourth in the men's 100m dash final with a time of 10.35 (+0.2) to earn USC five team points.  Daniel Robinson placed ninth with a time of 10.69 (+0.2).
• USC's women then went 1-2-3 & 8 in the women's 100m dash final.  TeeTee Terry won with a time of 11.09 (+0.5) to capture her second consecutive Pac-12 crown in the event.  Angie Annelus had a PR of 11.17 to take second and move into a tie for seventh on USC's all-time list.  Lanae-Tava Thomas had a time of 11.28 to finish third in the 100m dash and Chanel Brissett tied her PR with a time of 11.65 to finish eighth.  USC earned 25 points in the event and take the overall team lead at 89-77.
• Isaiah Jewett then won the men's 800m race with a strong last 200m to finish with a time of 1:49.25.  Matthew Myrtue finished 12^th with a time of 1:52.12, Sam VanDorpe finished 14^th with a time of 1:52.21 and David Hulme finished 19^th with a time of 1:52.78.  Jewett earned the USC men's team 10 more points.
• Jemima Russell placed fourth in the women's 800m race with a time of 2:05.71 and Alyssa Brewer placed 14th with a time of 2:08.65.  Russell earned USC's women five points.
• Cameron Samuel won the men's 400m hurdles title with a PR of 49.09 and move from 10^th to seventh on USC's all-time list in the event.  It is the NCAA-leader among times entering this weekend and ranks seventh in the world.  Noah Green had a PR of 52.08 to place seventh and Jaydon Logan had a season-best time of 53.50 to finish 10th.  USC earned 12 points in the event.
• Anna Cockrell earned her second consecutive Pac-12 400m hurdles title, today winning with a time of 56.46.  Breanna Bernard-Joseph had a time of 60.56 to place fifth in her section and 14^th overall.  Cockrell earned the Trojan women 10 more points.
• Karlee Freeman had a best discus throw of 159-2 (48.52m) and just missed advancing to the final in the event, finishing 10^th overall.
• Eric Allen Jr. had a time of 20.99 (+0.1) to finish fifth and Brendon Stewart a PR of 21.03 (+0.3) to finish sixth in the men's 200m dash sectional final.  Alexander Barnum had a season-best time of 21.31 (+0.0) to finish 13^th and Daniel Robinson a time of 21.60 (+0.1) to finish 19^th.  USC earned seven points in the event.
• The USC women entered the 200m dash with a 109-91 lead over Oregon in the team competition and pretty much put the meet away by going first, second, third and sixth in the event to earn 27 points and open up a 136-96 lead.  Angie Annelus won with a season-best time of 22.71 (+0.1), Lanae-Tava Thomas was second with a slight PR of 22.91 (+0.1), TeeTee Terry was third at 23.28 (+0.1) and Mecca McGlaston was sixth at 23.45 (+0.1).
• Isabella Marten placed second in the women's triple jump with her best leap of 42-6.00/12.95m (+0.0) moving her from third to second late in the competition.  She celebrated her birthday by earning USC eight more points. Alexa Harmon-Thomas had a PR of 38-10.50/11.85m (-0.3) to finish third in the first section and 10^th overall, just missing out on advancing to the final.
• The men's team wrapped up competition by winning the 4x400m relay with its team of Cameron Samuel, Ayden Owens, Noah Green and Isaiah Jewett running a time of 3:05.73.  They earned the USC men's teams final 10 points which gave them 78 total, good for fifth.
• USC's women's 4x400m relay team of Bailey Lear, Anna Cockrell, Kyra Constantine and Kaelin Roberts put a bow on the championship by winning with a season-best and meet-record time of 3:29.23.  That time also moves them to ninth on USC's all-time list.  USC's 10 points in the event gave the Trojans a total of 154 points, out-distancing Oregon by 17.