USC track and field freshmen finish second during women's 4x100m relay

USC track and field had an excellent weekend at the Texas A&M 44 Farms Team Invitational. Between the women's and men's sprinters, the Trojans finished first in multiple events and had their fair share of sweeps in College Station. The full strength of the program under director Quincy Watts was on display.

One of the signs of a good foundation is how the younger athletes are faring and how the underclassmen are positioned, when ready, to showcase their talents. This aspect was clear to see on Saturday at EB Cushing Stadium during the women's 4x100m relay.

The selection featured only freshmen. Olivia Pace, Mia Brahe-Pedersen, Avery Lewis, and Brianna Selby each ran a leg of the race. This USC team finished second in the event with a 43.46. They finished less than half a second behind Texas A&M. It took the Aggies everything they had, as they finished at 43.04, which became the new meet record. For the Trojans, it proved to be a further sign of encouragement as the relay at College Station proved to be a season best for the USC track team.

A lot can change from week to week, and getting the selections for each spot can make a huge difference. The Saturday race showed a great deal of improvement from the previous attempt that took place at the Battle at the Beach that was hosted by Long Beach State.

One change led to USC track and field SB

That relay took place a little over a week ago, and it was the USC 'B' team that won by beating out Grand Canyon. That group finished with a 44.20. Selby was part of the USC 'A' team on that given day, but that group's bad exchange resulted in them being unable to finish the race.

The 'B' team on that earlier April date included Pace, Brahe-Pedersen, Lewis, and Jordan Washington. With only one switch from Long Beach to how the Texas A&M participants looked, they saw a .74 improvement and look to be a highly competitive relay corps that can compete against top national teams. Scary to think they are all freshmen, considering this is their floor with USC track and field. The rest of the NCAA needs to stay on alert for the next four years.