It’s speed-speed-speed as the reigning champion Trojan women look stronger than ever this year. (MIKE SCOTT)
USC WON LAST YEAR’S NCAA women’s team title by the smallest margin ever, a single point. This year Caryl Smith Gilbert’s Trojans are looking like a powerhouse that could rank as a producer of one of the biggest margins ever. The SoCal crew projects as 32-point faves in the latest crystal-balling. That would be the biggest gap since LSU won by 43 in ’94. The biggest margin ever was the 49 racked up by the ’89 Tiger squad.
Field eventers or distance runners? Don’t need ’em: the sprint/hurdle-strong Trojans are projected to score with a 1 in the 100, 4-5 in the 200, 1-4 in the 400, 1-7 in the 100H, 1 in the 400H, 2 in the 4×1 and 1 in the climactic 4×4. And a cautionary note for the future: only 1 of the 8 projected USC individual scorers is a senior.
The 10-deep predictions for each event (‘ = athlete not eligible for U.S. international teams):
TOP 10 TEAMS
Team
Points
Previous Chart
1. USC
74
1
=2. Arkansas
42
3
=2. Oregon
42
2
4. LSU
36
4
5. New Mexico
33
6
6. Florida State
32
5
7. Florida
30
7
8. Texas A&M
28
8
9. Stanford
26
9
10. Texas
23
10
(complete team scores below)
100 METERS
1. Twanisha Terry
USC
So
2. Sha’Carri Richardson
LSU
Fr
3. Natalliah Whyte’
Florida Atlantic
Jr
4. Kortnei Johnson
LSU
Sr
5. Ka’Tia Seymour
Florida State
So
6. Destiny Smith-Barnett
UNLV
Sr
7. Tamara Clark
Alabama
So
8. Teahna Daniels
Texas
Sr
9. Kiara Parker
Arkansas
Sr
10. Brenessa Thompson’
Texas A&M
Sr
200 METERS
1. Anavia Battle
Ohio State
So
2. Kayla White
North Carolina A&T
Sr
3. Kynnedy Flannel
Texas
Fr
4. Lauren Rain Williams
USC
So
5. Angie Annelus
USC
Jr
6. Cambrea Sturgis
North Carolina A&T
Fr
7. Abby Steiner
Kentucky
Fr
8. Ka’Tia Seymour
Florida State
So
9. Julia Madubuke
Texas A&M
So
10. Tamara Clark
Alabama
So
400 METERS
1. Kaelin Roberts
USC
So
2. Sharrika Barnett
Florida
Sr
3. Makenzie Dunmore
Oregon
Jr
4. Kyra Constantine
USC
Jr
5. Alexis Holmes
Penn State
Fr
6. Syaira Richardson
Texas A&M
So
7. Symone Mason
Miami
So
8. Chloe Abbott
Kentucky
Jr
9. Hannah Waller
Oregon
Jr
10. Briana Guillory
Iowa
Sr
800 METERS
1. Danae Rivers
Penn State
Jr
2. Nia Akins
Penn
Jr
3. Allie Wilson
Monmouth
Sr
4. Lauren Ellsworth
BYU
So
5. Martha Bissah’
Norfolk State
Jr
6. Abike Egbenyi’
Middle Tennessee
Sr
7. Avi’ Tal Wilson-Perteete
UNLV
So
8. Gabrielle Wilkinson
Florida
Fr
9. Alyssa Brewer
USC
Fr
10. Jazmine Fray
Texas A&M
Sr
1500 METERS
1. Dani Jones
Colorado
Jr
2. Jessica Hull’
Oregon
Jr
3. Julia Rizk
Ohio State
Sr
4. Erica Birk
BYU
Jr
5. Sinclaire Johnson
Oklahoma State
Jr
6. Susan Ejore’
Oregon
Sr
7. Jessica Harris
Notre Dame
Sr
8. Rachel Pocratsky
Virginia Tech
Sr
9. Josette Norris
Georgetown
Sr
10. Taryn Rawlings
Portland
Sr
STEEPLE
1. Allie Ostrander
Boise
Jr
2. Madie Boreman
Colorado
Jr
3. Charlotte Prouse’
New Mexico
Jr
4. Adva Cohen’
New Mexico
So
5. Bri Ilarda’
Providence
Sr
6. Cierra Simmons
Utah State
Sr
7. Alice Hill
Michigan
So
8. Rachel King
South Dakota State
Sr
9. Val Constien
Colorado
Sr
10. Hannah Steelman
Wofford
So
5000 METERS
1. Jessica Hull’
Oregon
Jr
2. Fiona O’Keeffe
Stanford
Jr
3. Weini Kelati’
New Mexico
So
4. Jaci Smith
Air Force
Sr
5. Allie Ostrander
Boise
Jr
6. Militsa Mircheva’
Florida State
Sr
7. Elly Henes
NC State
Jr
8. Lauren Gregory
Arkansas
Fr
9. Sarah Feeny
Utah
Jr
10. Jessica Drop
Georgia
Sr
10,000 METERS
1. Weini Kelati’
New Mexico
So
2. Dorcas Wasike’
Louisville
So
3. Ednah Kurgat’
New Mexico
Sr
4. Paige Stoner
Syracuse
Sr
5. Jaci Smith
Air Force
Sr
6. Anna Rohrer
Notre Dame
Jr
7. Taylor Werner
Arkansas
So
8. Makena Morley
Colorado
Jr
9. Isobel Batt-Doyle’
Washington
Sr
10. Amanda Vestri
Iowa State
So
100 HURDLES
1. Chanel Brissett
USC
So
2. Kayla White
North Carolina A&T
Sr
3. Payton Chadwick
Arkansas
Sr
4. Janeek Brown’
Arkansas
So
5. Tonea Marshall
LSU
Jr
6. Rushelle Burton’
Texas
Jr
7. Dior Hall
USC
Sr
8. Jeanine Williams’
Georgia Tech
Sr
9. Tiara McMinn
Miami
So
10. Alexis Duncan
Tennessee
Jr
400 HURDLES
1. Anna Cockrell
USC
Jr
2. Reanda Richards’
Rutgers
Fr
3. Samantha Gonzalez
Miami
Sr
4. Jurnee Woodward
LSU
So
5. Masai Russell
Kentucky
Fr
6. Ranae McKenzie’
Kansas State
Sr
7. Xahria Santiago’
Maryland
So
8. Anna Runia’
Miami
Sr
9. Jasmine Berge
Nebraska
Sr
10. Kate Sorensen
Weber State
So
4 x 100
1. LSU
LSU
2. USC
USC
3. Texas A&M
Texas A&M
4. Arkansas
Arkansas
5. Kentucky
Kentucky
6. Florida State
Florida State
7. Florida
Florida
8. North Carolina A&T
North Carolina A&T
9. Miami
Miami
10. Oregon
Oregon
4 x 400
1. USC
USC
2. South Carolina
South Carolina
3. Texas A&M
Texas A&M
4. Oregon
Oregon
5. Miami
Miami
6. Florida
Florida
7. Texas
Texas
8. Kentucky
Kentucky
9. Arkansas
Arkansas
10. Alabama
Alabama
HIGH JUMP
1. Zarriea Willis
Texas Tech
Sr
2. Alexus Henry
UT Arlington
Sr
3. Loretta Blaut
Cincinnati
Sr
4. Mady Fagan
Georgia
Sr
5. Logan Boss
Mississippi State
Sr
6. Nicole Greene
North Carolina
Jr
7. Andrea Stapleton-Johnson
BYU
Sr
8. Erinn Beattie
UC Davis
Sr
9. Ellen Ekholm’
Kentucky
Jr
10. Sanaa Barnes
Villanova
Fr
POLE VAULT
1. Olivia Gruver
Washington
Sr
2. Lexi Jacobus
Arkansas
Sr
3. Bonnie Draxler
San Diego State
Sr
4. Tori Hoggard
Arkansas
Sr
5. Lisa Gunnarsson’
LSU
So
6. Lucy Bryan’
Akron
Jr
7. Rachel Baxter
Virginia Tech
So
8. Desiree Freier
Arkansas
Sr
9. Bridget Guy
Virginia
Sr
10. Helen Falda’
South Dakota
Jr
LONG JUMP
1. Taishia Pryce’
Kansas State
Jr
2. Jasmyn Steels
Northwestern Louisiana
Jr
3. Yanis David’
Florida
Sr
4. Aliyah Whisby
Georgia
So
5. Rougui Sow’
Florida State
Sr
6. Sarea Alexander
Incarnate Word
Sr
7. Rhesa Foster
Oregon
Jr
8. Jordan Gray
Kennesaw State
Sr
9. Nadia Williams
Central Michigan
Jr
10. Kala Penn’
Florida
Jr
TRIPLE JUMP
1. Yanis David’
Florida
Sr
2. Chaquinn Cook
Oregon
Sr
3. Marie-Josée Ebwea-Excel’
Kentucky
Sr
4. Ciynamin Stevenson
Texas A&M
Jr
5. Kelly McKee
Virginia
Sr
6. Alex Madlock
Baylor
So
7. Shardia Lawrence’
Kansas State
Sr
8. Tiffany Flynn
Mississippi State
Sr
9. Lajarvia Brown’
Texas A&M
Jr
10. Eszter Bajnok’
Virginia Tech
Jr
SHOT
1. Samantha Noennig
Arizona State
So
2. Portious Warren’
Alabama
Sr
3. Alyssa Wilson
UCLA
So
4. Laulauga Tausaga
Iowa
Jr
5. Aliyah Gustafson
Bowling Green
Sr
6. Tori McKinley
Auburn
So
7. Stamatia Scarvelis’
Tennessee
Sr
8. Bailey Retzlaff
North Dakota State
Jr
9. Akealy Moton
North Dakota State
Fr
10. Sade Olatoye
Ohio State
Sr
DISCUS
1. Shadae Lawrence’
Colorado State
Sr
2. Shanice Love’
Florida State
Jr
3. Gabi Jacobs
Missouri
Sr
4. Laulauga Tausaga
Iowa
Jr
5. Alexandra Emilianov’
Kansas
So
6. Obi Amaechi
Princeton
So
7. Venique Harris’
Albany
Sr
8. Elena Bruckner
Texas
Jr
9. Alyssa Wilson
UCLA
So
10. Sydney Laufenberg
Illinois State
Jr
HAMMER
1. Beatrice Llano’
Arizona State
So
2. Stamatia Scarvelis’
Tennessee
Sr
3. Alyssa Wilson
UCLA
So
4. Veronika Kaňuchová’
Florida State
Jr
5. Jillian Shippee
North Carolina
So
6. Camryn Rogers’
Cal
So
7. Pavla Kuklová’
Virginia Tech
Sr
8. Molli Detloff
North Dakota
Sr
9. Temi Ogunrinde’
Minnesota
Sr
10. Jordan McClendon
Missouri
Jr
JAVELIN
1. Mackenzie Little’
Stanford
Sr
2. Jenna Gray
Stanford
Jr
3. Ashley Pryke’
Memphis
Sr
4. Kylee Carter
Auburn
Jr
5. Laura Paredes’
Florida State
So
6. Kelechi Nwanaga’
UMBC
So
7. Madison Wiltrout
North Carolina
So
8. Marie-Therese Obst’
Georgia
So
9. Stella Weinberg’
Cal State Northridge
Fr
10. Madalaine Stulce
Texas A&M
Sr
HEPTATHLON
1. Ashtin Zamzow
Texas
Sr
2. Tyra Gittens’
Texas A&M
So
3. Payton Chadwick
Arkansas
Sr
4. Michelle Atherley
Miami
Jr
5. Jordan Gray
Kennesaw State
Sr
6. Kelsey Herman
Arkansas
Sr
7. Madeline Holmberg
Penn State
Sr
8. Emilie Berge’
South Alabama
Jr
9. Hope Bender
UC Santa Barbara
Sr
10. Grace McKenzie’
McNeese State
Jr
COMPLETE TEAM SCORES
1. USC
74
=2. Arkansas
42
=2. Oregon
42
4. LSU
36
5. New Mexico
33
6. Florida State
32
7. Florida
30
8. Texas A&M
28
9. Stanford
26
10. Texas
23
=11. Arizona State
20
=11. North Carolina A&T
20
13. Colorado
19
=14. Kentucky
18
=14. Miami
18
=16. Ohio State
16
=16. Penn State
16
18. Kansas State
15
19. Boise
14
=20. BYU
12
=20. UCLA
12
22. Georgia
11
=23. Alabama
10
=23. Colorado State
10
=23. Iowa
10
=23. Tennessee
10
=23. Texas Tech
10
=23. Washington
10
=29. Air Force
9
=29. North Carolina
9
=31. Auburn
8
=31. Louisville
8
=31. Northwestern Louisiana
8
=31. Penn
8
=31. Rutgers
8
=31. South Carolina
8
=31. UT Arlington
8
=38. Cincinnati
6
=38. Florida Atlantic
6
=38. Memphis
6
=38. Missouri
6
=38. Monmouth
6
=38. San Diego State
6
=44. Kennesaw State
5
=44. Mississippi State
5
=44. Notre Dame
5
=44. Syracuse
5
=44. UNLV
5
=44. Virginia Tech
5
=50. Bowling Green
4
=50. Kansas
4
=50. Norfolk State
4
=50. Oklahoma State
4
=50. Providence
4
=50. Virginia
4
=56. Akron
3
=56. Baylor
3
=56. Cal
3
=56. Incarnate Word
3
=56. Middle Tennessee
3
=56. Princeton
3
=56. UMBC
3
=56. Utah State
3
=64. Albany
2
=64. Maryland
2
=64. Michigan
2
=64. NC State
2
=68. Georgia Tech
1
=68. North Dakota
1
=68. North Dakota State
1
=68. South Alabama
1
=68. South Dakota State
1
=68. UC Davis
1