JC Stevenson, Garrett Kaalund, Williams Jones And Elias Gerald Lead Experienced USC Men In First Meet Of 2026; Madison Whyte, Dajaz Defrand Top Entries For Reigning Big Ten Outdoor Champions USC Women

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

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The defending NCAA indoor and outdoor men’s team champions USC Trojans begin its 2026 indoor season up at the Spokane Sports Showcase Friday at The Podium Powered by STCU in Spokane, Wash.

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The Spokane Sports Showcase, an invitational meet for larger college programs, is the first of two collegiate meets hosted this weekend at The Podium with the Spokane Indoor Challenge following Friday night through Saturday for small college competition.

USC, UCLA, California, Gonzaga, Sacramento State, Santa Clara, UC Santa Barbara, Fresno State and Idaho are entered in Friday’s Spokane Sports Showcase.

Four returning members from USC’s national championship teams will make their season debuts this weekend in JC Stevenson, Garrett Kaalund, Williams Jones and Elias Gerald.

Stevenson, the reigning Big Ten indoor men’s 60 meters champion, is entered in the dash. He finished sixth in at the NCAA Indoor Championships at Virginia Beach last winter. Stevenson was one of 10 athletes recently named to The Bowerman preseason watchlist.

Kaalund, fourth in the men’s 200 at NCAA indoors, and Jones, second in the men’s 400 at NCAA outdoors, are both entered in the 300 with teammates Nick Miller, Jaelen Knox and Jack Stadlman. Jones and Stadlman are also entered in the 600.

Gerald, second at Big Ten outdoors in the men’s high jump, is the top entry in the high jump.

Texas 5A state long jump champion Cordial Vann (men’s long jump) and Northeastern transfer Ethan Exilhomme (men’s 60 hurdles) are making their USC debuts.

The USC women, the reigning Big Ten outdoor champions, will field a sprint-heavy squad this weekend, led by The Bowerman preseason watchlist athlete Madison Whyte.

Whyte, the Big Ten outdoor champion in the women’s 200 and 400, is entered in the 300 with 4x100 relay national champion teammate Dajaz Defrand and sophomore Mia Brahe-Pedersen.

Defrand, who is both the reigning Big Ten champion and NCAA indoor champion in the women’s 60, and Brahe-Pedersen, a two-time Oregon girls Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year, are entered in the 60, too.

USC will feature Avery Lewis, Christine Mallard, Olivia Pace and Rachel Uvieghara in the women’s 60, freshman Oluwatosin Awoleye in the women’s 800, Nonah Waldron in the women’s 60 hurdles and Ashley Erasmus, who competed for South Africa at the Tokyo World Championships this last September, in the women’s shot put. Lewis is also an entry in the women’s long jump.

UCLA, now entering year two under head coach Joanna Hayes, will field experienced athletes on both the men’s and women’s side.

Big Ten 100 hurdles runner-up Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck is the Bruins top competitor on the women’s side, racing in the 60 hurdles with teammate Madison Fleming. Both Ndjip-Nyemeck  and Fleming will face USC’s Waldron and former Washington State standout Micaela De Mello, who transferred to Oregon this fall.

Taylor Snaer, fifth in the 200 at Big Ten outdoors, will contest in both the women’s 60 and 300. Naomi Johsnon, Kayla McBride and Arizona transfer Ava Simms are also entered in the women’s 300 for UCLA.

Sydney Johnson (women’s long jump) and Valentina Fakrogha (women’s high jump) are the top field athletes for UCLA.

The UCLA men will have a bigger presence in the field events, including Paris Olympian Steven Sabino in the long jump. Sabino is the national record holder for Mozambique in the 100 and long jump.

Camryn O’Bannon, seventh at NCAA indoor, is in the long jump with Sabino.

Gavin Champ, a Texas A&M transfer, will make his UCLA debut in the triple jump. Champ was 11th at the NCAA indoor meet and fifth at the SEC indoor meet last season.

Michael Pinckney, reigning Big Ten discus champion, is an overwhelming favorite in the men’s weight throw competition.

On the track, UCLA features Gabriel Clement II in the 300 and Davis Davis Lyric and Otto Laing in the 60 hurdles.

California will be strong in women’s throws with ACC outdoor shot put runner-up Lucija Leko and weight throwers Adrianna Coleman and Angela Schykerynec competing.