USC Men Place Third At 2024 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships - USC Athletics (2024)

Track & Field | June 07, 2024

Racquil Broderick placed second in the discus throw, Johnnie Blockburger fourth in the 400m and the 4x400m relay took eighth to lead USC to a third-place finish at 2024 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. today (June 7).

USC's team finish was the best by a Trojan squad since also placing third in 2003 and the 33 points scored were the most by the team since also scoring 33 in 2018 to place fourth. The Trojans entered the day in first place with 19 points and had some early struggles, but things turned around with the men's discus throw.

• Freshman Racquil Broderick placed second in the men's discus throw with big mark of 202-8 (61.77m) in the fifth round. He entered the final in seventh with a mark of 193-8 (59.03). Broderick earned USC eight points in the team competition. He became the first Trojan to score in the event since Aaron Dan in 2010 (5^th) and the first USC freshman to score in the event since Darrell Elder in 1975. Broderick's second-place finish in the event was the highest by a Trojan since Ralph Fruguglietti also placed second with a throw of 202-0 in 1977, which was the previous best mark by a Trojan in the final before today. Broderick was the only underclassman to score in the event this season. He earned first-team All-America honors.
• Senior Johnnie Blockburger placed fourth in the men's 400m final with a time of 44.90 to earn the Trojans five points. He became the first Trojan to earn outdoor All-America honors in the event since Michael Norman won the title in 2018 with the collegiate and meet record time of 43.61.
• The men's 4x400m relay team of sophom*ore William Jones, freshman Jacob Andrews, sophom*ore Darius Rainey and Blockburger closed out the meet with a time of 3:02.68 to place eighth and earn the Trojans' their last point in the meet. The Trojans earned first-team All-America honors in the event.
• The day got off to a rough start for the Trojans in the 4x100m relay as they were one of three teams to be disqualified and one didn't finish, leaving just five teams scoring. USC's team of sophom*ore JC Stevenson, sophom*ore Max Thomas, junior Travis Williams and Blockburger were originally credited with a time of 39.02 to place seventh, but later were disqualified.
• The troubles continued for the Trojans when junior Johnny Brackins Jr. placed ninth in the men's 110m hurdles with a time of 13.63 (+0.1). BrackinsJr. finishes his NCAA hurdling season with second team All-America honors in the 110m hurdles.
• Sophom*ore Elias Gerald then placed tied for 11^th in the men's high jump with a clearance of 6-11.50 (2.12m). He had been clean on his jumps until going out at 7-1.50 (2.17). He earned second-team All-America honors for the second consecutive season.
• Sophom*ore Gavin Champ placed 22^nd in the men's triple jump with a best leap of 49-3.50/15.02 (+0.9). He earned All-America honorable mention in the event. He would have needed a big PR to reach the final as the cutoff jump was 53-2.25.

Men's Top 5 Team Scoring: 1.) Florida – 41, 2.) Auburn – 40, 3.) USC – 33, 4. Alabama – 32, 5. Texas A&M - 31

Tomorrow will be the final day of the women's competition at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships, beginning for the Trojans at 2:50 p.m. with the women's triple jump. Television coverage on ESPN will begin at 2:30 p.m.

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