USC Trojans Women’s track team competes at the NCAA Championships

It’s Championship season and the Women of Troy kicked off the first day of the NCAA Championships June 9th in Eugene, Oregon. USC had some outstanding performances from the women’s side. Senior Tynia Gaither won the second heat of the 100 meter dash with a PR of 11.19 (+1.1) advancing automatically.

That time moved Gaither up from eighth and tied her for seventh in USC’s all-time 100m list along side teammate Deanna Hill who moved into ninth on list, also automatically advanced in the third heat with a PR of 11.21 (+1.3). Gaither and Hill held the top fastest times amongst the rest of the field.

The Trojans held their own with some of the best in NCAA, advancing seven into the finals. The women’s 4x1 relay of Destinee Brown, sophomore Deanna Hill, senior Alexis Faulknor and senior Tynia Gaither won the third heat with a season-best and the seventh-fastest time in USC school history of 43.39.

Freshman Marguax Jones advanced to the finals in eighth after her third jump had no improvement (20-2.25). However, she then fouled her fourth and fifth attempts pushing her back into ninth with only one round left. Unfortunately. Jones fouled in her very last attempt to earn second-team All America honors. She is one of the two freshman in the country to reach the women’s long jump finals.

Just one year after having a stand out performance in the 100 meter, Tynia Gaither and Deanna Hill came back for the 200 meter dash. Gather took second in the second heat with a time of 22.81 which again, automatically advanced her to the final. Hill ran a time of 22.85 taking second in the third heat and also advanced to the final on Saturday. This is the second event where the pair hold he top finishing times among the rest of the qualifiers.

Junior Amalie Luel finished fourth in her heat of the woemn’s 400m IH clocking a time of 56.88. Senior Jade Stepter followed up in the second heat placing second with a time of 56.18 to automatically advance. However, the third place finisher had a time of 56.83 which was a little over Luel’s time, knocking her out from advancing.

Sophomore Kendall Ellis ran in the third in the final heat of the women’s 400 meter and placed fifth with a time of 52.59. Ellis earned All-America honors and ended up with 10th fastest time.

There’s no better way than ending a day of track and field other than watching the final event of the day, the 4x400m relay. USC’s team consisted of Ellis, Luel, Pettigrew and Senior Jade Stepter. Kendall Ellis did a great job getting the Trojans out in front early giving them a strong start. The Trojanns maintained that spot and came in first of the second heat with a time of 3:30:36 automatically advancing them to the finals. USC had the fourth fastest time among the other teams advancing to the finals.

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