Trojans post 5 school all-time top 10 marks, including 2 school records during the two-day meet
USC freshman Ashley Erasmus won the women’s shot put with a school-record mark and the Trojans won 13 different events during the final day of the 2025 Ron & Sharlene Allice Trojan Invitational being held on Allyson Felix Field at Loker Stadium on the USC campus today (March 22). Also, 2025 Paris Paralympics gold medalist Ezra Frech made his historic collegiate debut today as the first above the knee amputee to be recruited and commit to a Division I track and field program.
The freshman Erasmus won the women’s shot-put competition with a USC record-throw of 58-5.75, breaking the previous school record of 57-7.75 (17.57m) set by Breana Jemison in 2018. In her second shot put attempt of her USC outdoor career, Erasmus set the Trojan freshman record with a mark of 56-10.00 (7.32m), then in her third round broke the school record with her winning throw of 58-5.75 (17.82m). Sophomore Reese Garland placed fourth with a throw of 48-1.75 (14.67m). Junior transfer Karyssa Owens placed fifth with a best mark of 47-3.50 (14.41m), her best result since setting her PR of 48-4.00 (14.73m) at the 2023 Big West Championships.
The women’s 4x100m relay “B” team of freshman Olivia Pace, junior Christine M. Mallard, junior Takiya Cenci and junior Jassani Carter won with a time of 44.18. USC’s all-freshman “A” team of Tiana Eyakpobeyan, Mia Brahe-Pedersen, Avery Lewis and Brianna Selby was disqualified for an out-of-the-zone pass, after looking like they had won with a time of 43.62.
The USC men’s “A” team 4x100m relay of senior Travis Williams, junior transfer Garrett Kaalund, graduate transfer Taylor Banks and junior JC Stevenson won today with a time of 39.29. The Trojan “B” team of senior Curtis Johnson III, junior Jaelen Knox, freshman Jazonte Levan and sophomore transfer Edward Nketia placed second with a time of 39.84.
Cenci won the women’s 400m race with a time of 54.52.
Carter won the women’s 100m dash race with a time of 11.22 (-0.2), as the Trojans took six of the top seven places. Selby was second in the race with a PR of 11.26 (-1.3), Mallard was third with a time of 11.39 (-0.2), Pace was fifth with a time of 11.43 (-0.2), Eyakpobeyan was sixth with a time of 11.44 (-0.2) and Brahe-Pedersen was seventh with a time of 11.49 (-0.2).
Freshman Falyn Lott won the women’s long jump with a best leap of 20-5.25/6.23m (+0.6). Freshman Grace Smith placed third in the long jump with a mark of 19-11.00/6.07 (+0.8) and senior Ahnyx Bush was right behind her in fourth with a PR of 19-10.75/6.05 (+0.3). Also placing in the top eight for the Trojans in the women’s long jump were sophomore Alyssa Hope in sixth at 19-9.50/6.03m (+0.0), junior Lauren Reed in seventh at 19-3.25/5.87 (+1.6) and sophomore Jada Gatlin in eighth with a PR of 19-2.50/5.85m (-0.2).
Graduate student Jack Carter won the men’s 800m race in his final home meet with a PR of 1:51.19. Freshman Chase McCallum finished third in the 800m race with a time of 1:52.80.
Sophomore Yougendy Mauricette won the men’s 400m hurdles with a PR of 50.64. He opened up at the Trojan Invitational last season with a time of 54.04 and had a season-best a year ago of 51.31.
Mallard won the women’s 200m race with a time of 23.04 (+1.1), Eyakpobeyan was third at 23.68 (+1.1) and freshman Maira Scott was sixth at 23.88 (+1.1).
The Trojan men swept the top three spots in the 200m. Levan had a slow start but finished with a time of 20.87 to win the race. Nketia was second in the 200m with a time of 20.92 (+1.4) and Knox was third with a PR of 20.96 (+0.7). Johnson III took eighth with a college-best time of 21.58.
Graduate transfer Jake Heydon won the men’s javelin throw with a best mark of 195-1 (59.48m) which came in his first attempt.
Graduate transfer Jaren Holmes won the men’s triple jump with a leap of 53-1.00/16.18m (+0.0). That jump, which came in the final round, moved into 10th place on USC’s all-time triple jump list.
The women’s 4x400m “A” team of Cenci, Scott, Brahe-Pedersen and sophomore Madison Whyte won with a time of 3:33.52. The “B” team of Mallard, junior transfer Dajaz DeFrand, Lott and sophomore transfer Isabella Duarte placed third with a time of 3:41.80.
Four different USC women’s triple jumpers finished in the top eight, led by junior Jada Foreman who was second overall and tops among the affiliated athletes with a PR of 42-3.25/12.88 (+0.5). Reed placed third with a best jump of 40-6.75/12.36 (+1.3), Bush was fourth with a best leap of 40-5.00/12.32 (+0.0) and Gatlin was sixth with a best jump of 40-1.50/12.23 (+1.0).
The Trojan men’s freshmen shot putters Shaiquan Dunn, Kaden Garland and Preston Beery placed second, third and fourth, respectively. Dunn had a PR of 58-7.50 (17.87m), Garland 57-0.75 (17.39m) and Beery 55-8.50 (16.98m).
Nketia placed second in the men’s 100m dash with a time of 10.26 (-0.5), only behind the winner and two-time Olympic 100m medalist Fred Kerley, who had a time of 10.23 (-0.5). Knox placed third with a time of 10.54 (+0.4) and Levan was fourth with a time of 10.59 (+0.4).
Sophomore Nathan Cumberbatch, in his first outdoor individual race, placed second in the men’s John L. West 1500m race with a time of 3:45.23. That time moved him into seventh on USC’s all-time 1500m list. Graduate transfer Roberto Ruelas had a time of 3:55.41 to place fourth.
Freshman Ezra Frech tied for second in the men’s high jump. He cleared 5-10.75 (1.80m), 6-0.75 (1.85m) and 6-2.75 (1.90m) in his first attempt, but went out at the next height of 6-4.75 (1.95m).
Graduate transfer Alfredo Reina Corona placed second in the men’s 3000m race with a time of 8:41.67, Ruelas was third with a time of 8:43.87 and freshman Gabriel Castillo was seventh with a time of 9:05.87.
Junior sprinter Max Thomas ran his second collegiate 400m race and placed fourth with a career-best time of 48.18.
Lott placed fifth in the women’s 100m hurdles race with a time of 14.29 (+1.2).
Isabella Duarte placed fifth in the women’s 800m race with a personal-best time of 2:13.04.
Redshirt junior Jacqueline Duarte placed fifth in the women’s 3000m race with a time of 11:25.16.
Frech placed seventh in the men’s long jump. The 2024 Paralympic gold medalist in the T63 100m dash and high jump had a best leap of 21-2.0 (6.45m).
USC’s women’s 1500m runners placed sixth, seventh and eighth. Senior Gigi Maccagnini had a time of 4:45.21 to place sixth, Jacqueline Duarte a time of 4:46.18 to take seventh and sophomore Haley Spoden a time of 4:57.64 to finish eighth. It was the first outdoor race in Spoden’s USC career.
Before the start of the 4x100m relays, the Trojans honored the 2025 NCAA Indoor Champion men’s team and the 2025 senior class.
The USC track and field team will next be in action at the Battle on the Bayou hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, La. on March 28-29.