Big Ten Championship secured after dominant day by USC women's track team

The goal set out by USC Director Quincy Watts was to earn a team win over the weekend. That is precisely what the women's squad was able to accomplish during the Big Ten Championships in Eugene, Oregon. 

Throughout the final day of the competition, USC often found itself finishing in first place. In a couple of events, the Trojans even far exceeded that high standard.

During the women's 100m sprint, five Trojans had earned qualification into the final race. Rounding out the top three spots were Samirah Moody, Dajaz Defrand, and Jassani Carter, respectively. Freshmen Brianna Selby and Olivia Pace also earned points with their fifth- and seventh-place finishes.

The women's 200m sprint saw a one through four Cardinal and Gold finish. Madison Whyte came in first. She was followed by Moody, Defrand, and Carter.

While Whyte came in at 22.66, her teammates in this race were only separated by milliseconds with their 22.79 performance.

Progressing to the women's 400m, here too Whyte won the event. Yemi John came in second, and Christine Mallard earned a sixth-place finish. 

During the women's 4x100m relay, USC set a meet record. Moody, Defrand, Mallard, and Carter ran a 43.00 to secure the win. In the women's 4x400m relay, Mallard, John, Takiya Cenci, and Whyte pulled away from the rest of the heat and ended up comfortably winning by over a second.

Fitting end to USC's track and field season

In a true team win, there were further Trojan contributions that ended up securing the BIG outdoor season title. Nonah Waldron finished third in the women's 100m hurdles. Ashley Erasmus also came in third during the women's shot put.

Consistently ranked among the top teams in the nation throughout the year, the USC women's track and field team showed a true complete performance and added yet another trophy to the already very full case on the Los Angeles campus.