Pac-12 Powers Collide In Sprints; Micah Williams of Oregon Opening Outdoor Season; Turner Washington of ASU In Shot And Discus; Chari Hawkins Looking For Early Score In Heptathlon

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The West Coast's top two collegiate sprint powers, USC and Oregon, will get their first opportunity to compete side by side outdoors this weekend at the 44th Aztec Invitational, hosted by San Diego State. 

There are at least two dozen college programs entered in three-day meet, but it's hard to miss the relay and sprint matchups between the Trojans and Ducks. The last time the teams went head to head at the Aztec Invitational was 2021. 

In some ways, this weekend's meet serves as a preview for the Pac-12 Conference Championships on May 12-14 in Walnut, Calif. USC is expected to move to the Big Ten Conference in 2024. 

The sprint corps matchup comes into focus right away on the track, with USC and Oregon both fielding strong A and B teams in the women's 4x100 relay. 

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The Trojans have a talented group of newcomers in the women's sprints that includes Caisja Chandler, a graduate student transfer from Cincinnati, freshmen Jassani Carter and Christine Mallard, and U20 World Champion Yemi John from Great Britain. 

They join with a veteran group that includes Samirah Moody, an NCAA qualifier and school record breaker in the 60 meters, Jan'Taijah Jones, who was fifth in the NCAA Division 1 Indoor 400 final, and a member of the fourth-place 4x400 relay team along with John, Jasmine Jones and Bailey Lear. 

Oregon counters with Jadyn Mays, who was fifth in both the 60 and the 200 at the NCAA Indoor Championships two weeks ago. Freshman Aaliyah McCormick was sixth in the 60-meter hurdles. 

Junior Alysah Hickey, sixth in the recent indoor finals in the long jump, is competing in the 4x100, 100 and 200 this weekend. Freshman Lily Jones and veterans Shaniya Hall, Katrina Wright and Ella Clayton are among those competing for the Ducks. 

Oregon junior Micah Williams, who won the Aztec Invitational 200 meters in 2021 (20.47) and the 100 last year (10.26), will compete for the first time outdoors since finishing fourth in the USATF Championships 100 meters last June. 

Williams competed in just one indoor meet, in January, and is back in action entered in the 4x100 and 100 this weekend. Teammate Xavier Nairne won the 100 meters at Aztec last year.

USC will counter with Chris Borzor, another Cincinnati transfer, and Max Thomas, in the 100.  

Professional multi-event athlete Chari Hawkins is entered in the heptathlon. Hawkins was 12th at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and owns a personal-best 6,243 points from 2022. 

The combined events begin Thursday and conclude Friday. 

San Diego State's Jessica Kain, third place at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships in the mile, is the top entry in the women's 1,500 meters. 

Oregon's McCormick will face USC's Jalaysiya Smith in a high quality women's 100-meter hurdles that also includes Esther Conde-Turpin of Azusa Pacific. Conde-Turpin was third in the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships in the 60 hurdles. 

The men's 110-meter hurdle field is led by USC pair Omotade Ojora, an NCAA Indoor qualifier, and Johnny Brackins. San Jose State's Demaris Waters, Northeastern's Ethan Exilhomme and Cal's Hakim McMorris make this event particularly deep. 

One of USC prized recruits, Justin Braun, will race in the men's 400 meters and will be tested by his teamate, Michael Phillippy. 

Shana Grebo of Oregon, running unattached, is the top entry in the women's 400 and will face Lear and Kimberly Harris of USC, and Josefine Eriksen of Utah. 

USC's Gigi Maccagnini and Janiah Brown are the top two entries in the women's 800 meters, while Bobby Poynter and Charlie Jefferson could give the Trojans a 1-2 finish in the men's 800. 

Washington's Cass Elliott, an NCAA indoor qualifier in the 800, will return to the 400-meter hurdles, an event where he advanced to NCAA Outdoor Championships last June. 

Arizona State's Jeremiah Curry, a member of the Sun Devils' fourth-place 4x400 relay team two weeks ago at NCAA Indoors, is the top entry in the 200 meters. 

Four-time NCAA champion Turner Washington of Arizona State will compete in both the shot put and discus. He was the national champion in both events in 2021. 

Rosa Santana of UNLV, third in the women's shot put at the NCAA Indoor Championships, will make her outdoor debut for the Rebels. 

Cal's deep throws group will be prominent in the field events, although NCAA discus champion Mykolas Alekna is not entered. 

Anna Purchase, seventh in the NCAA hammer final last June, will lead Cal in that event. 

Washington's Jayden White is entered in the men's hammer and will face Cal's Kegan Schroeter and Ivar Moisander.

David Carreon, who competes for Mexico and reached the World Championships in Eugene last summer, is the top entry in the men's javelin. 

NCAA Indoors third-place finisher Marleen Mulla of South Dakota will compete in the pole vault, where she will face Washington's Nastassja Campbell, who was sixth. 

BYU's Caleb Witsken leads the men's pole vault entries. He was sixth at the NCAA Indoor meet. 

San Jose State freshman Ajamu Reed, the Mountain West indoor runner-up, is the top entry in the men's long jump (25-8/7.82m).     

BYU junior Cierra Tidwell, eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships two weeks ago, will make her outdoor season debut in the high jump. Daniella Anglin of South Dakota and Toby Lai of California are also entered. 

Dominique Ruotolo, who transferred from Oregon to USC last summer after placing seventh for the Ducks in the NCAA triple jump, will compete for her new school for the first time outdoors.

Jeremy Cody of Arizona State and Kyle Jankans from Long Beach State are the top entries in the men's high jump.