USC’s JC Stevenson earned a trip to the NCAA Championships in the long jump and the Trojans qualified for 14 positions in NCAA quarterfinal races during the first day of the 2025 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds being held at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas today (May 28). Every USC runner that competed today advanced to NCAA quarterfinal races on Friday.
To advance to the 2025 NCAA T&F Championships in Eugene, Ore. from June 11-14, an athlete needs to finish in the top 12 of an event at the regional. In running events today, an athlete needed to finish in the top three of his heat or have one of the next six best times to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals on Friday and a chance to qualify for the NCAA T&F Championships.
The junior Stevenson was the first Trojan to secure a position at nationals when he posted a best long jump of 25-8.25/7.84m (+0.2) in his three attempts. Stevenson had the fifth-farthest jump among the qualifiers from the West Preliminary Rounds. Stevenson is the reigning NCAA men’s outdoor long jump champion.
Senior Johnny Brackins Jr. got his day started by taking second in his men’s 110m hurdles heat with a time of 13.55 (+0.1) to automatically to the NCAA quarterfinal round on Friday, May 30 at 4:15 p.m. PT. Brackins Jr. had the 11th-fastest time among the qualifiers.
All five Trojans in the men’s 100m dash earned their way to the event quarterfinal on Friday at 4:35 p.m. PT with automatic qualifying times. Stevenson won his 100m heat with a season-best wind-legal time of 10.18 (-0.7) to advance second on time. Sophomore transfer Edward Nketia was second in the same heat with a time of 10.24 (-0.7) to advance fifth on time. Senior Travis Williams won his heat with a time of 10.30 (-0.6) to advance eighth to the quarterfinal. Graduate transfer Taylor Banks won his heat with a time of 10.33 (+0.1) and junior Max Thomas was third in the same heat with a time of 10.39 (+0.1). The pair automatically advanced and had the 13th and 16th fastest qualifying times.
Junior William Jones and sophomore Jacob Andrews were in the final heat of the men’s 400 meter, and they left nothing to doubt by finishing second and third in the heat and among the qualifiers to the quarterfinal on Friday at 4:50 p.m. PT. Jones had a time of 45.27 and Andrews a time of 45.54.
Sophomore Yougendy Mauricette placed third in his men’s 400m hurdles heat with a time of 50.72 to automatically advance to the NCAA quarterfinal in the event on May 30 at 5:25 p.m. PT. Brackins Jr. took fourth in his heat with a time of 50.97, but after the six heats were complete, he had grabbed the second nonautomatic qualifying position. Mauricette advanced 16th and Brackins Jr. 18th on time to the quarterfinal.
USC automatically qualified all four of its runners to the 200m quarterfinal on Friday at 5:50 p.m. PT. Junior transfer Garrett Kaalund won his heat with a time of 20.40 (-0.4) and Thomas won his heat with a time of 20.42 (+0.2). The pair had the two fastest qualifying times. Nketia placed second in his prelims heat with a time of 20.74 (-1.7) and freshman Jazonte Levan took third in his heat with a time of 20.82 (-0.4) to qualify 13th and 19th respectively to the quarterfinal.