Protests Filed After 4x400 Relay Held Up Proceedings For More Than An Hour, But When Decision Was Finally Announced, USC Held The Trophy

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Tavan Smith photos

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

VIRGINIA BEACH - The USC Trojans waited 53 years to celebrate a moment like this, so what was an extra hour and 20 minutes? 

USC, remember, had apparently won the Big Ten Indoor championship trophy before a protest compelled officials to study video of the 4x400 relay and disqualify the Trojans. 

And so it was perhaps fitting that multiple protests were filed, two by Arkansas and one by Texas A&M, after the final event of the meet. Arkansas needed to beat USC by five points in order to pull off the victory but a dropped baton ruined that chance. The Razorbacks jogged through the final three legs of the race and then filed a protest and asked to re-run the race by themselves. 

Everyone in the building waited and waited some more. 

Finally, the NCAA disqualified Texa A&M, denied the Arkanas arguments and put out a statement:

Following the conclusion of the men’s 4x400 meter relay multiple protests were filed by two schools. Upon further video review, the meet referees made the final decision to disqualify Texas A&M for impeding a runner from another school (Rule 7.5-2a ) and all further protests were denied.  All team scores are final, and USC is the 2025 NCAA Division I men’s indoor track & field  team champion.

 - Cody Brousek, NCAA Track & Field Sub-Committee Chair.

And then, in the mostly empty arena, the celebration for USC was finally on. 

The team title didn't come easy. USC didn't pick up big points anywhere, but got just enough in the jumps, sprints and hurdles to stay in the picture. 

Pre-meet favorite Johnny Brackins pounded his fists in disgust on the crash pad after finishing fourth in the 60-meter hurdles. 

But the Trojans pulled out key points in the 200 meters, where Garrett Kaalund ran to fourth place and Johnnie Blockburger got sixth. Those eight points put the team ahead to stay. 

"We've been talking about adversity with these student-athletes and they did an awesome job," USC coach Quincy Watts said. "Just being able to function with adversity. We had the L.A. fires and then early in the season we took a hit when (some) of our student-athletes lost loved ones and had to go back home for funerals and things like that.

"This was a testament of our will and what they've been going through all year."

USC's victory made it a sweep for former Pac-12 school now representing the Big Ten for the first time. 

But unlike Oregon's road to a title on the women's side, USC did not have a champion and did not place higher than fourth in any single event. 

Georgia, which got a victory from Will Floyd in the 400 meters and then won the 4x400 relay, finished second with 33 points. 

Auburn, which got an emphatic victory from JaKobe Tharp in the 60 hurdles (7.45 seconds), was third with 32 points. And the Razorbacks were fourth after Yaseen Abdalla failed to score in the 3,000 meters and the relay mishap to close the meet.

The atmostphere was electric for the men's 3,000 meters, where North Carolina's Ethan Strand accelerated past Virginia's Gary Martin over the final 150 meters and won the race in 7:52.03. Martin was next in 7:52.69 and Wisconsin's Adam Spencer was third in 7:52.71. 

Georgetown's Abel Teffra ran a scorching final lap to outkick Washington's Nathan Green for victory in the mile in 3:53.60. 

Dual sport athlete Jordan Anthony of Arkansas struck a blow for football players when he won the 60 meter in 6.49 seconds. 

Oregon's Matthew Erickson extended the Ducks big day on the women's side with his victory in the 800 meters in a time of 1:46.43, which seemed to carry over from the momentum he built at the Big Ten Championships. 

Tyus Wilson of Nebraska won the high jump with 2.28m (7-5.75) after placing fourth last year. 

Missouri's Jonathan Seremes dominated the triple jump competition and produced a personal best over 17 meters with 17.04m (55-11) that was 20 inches beyond second place. 

Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan from Ole Miss won the shot put with a mark of 20.49m (67-2.75) that left him underwhelmed. He was half a meter short of his winning throw in 2024. 

Mississippi State's Peyton Bair won the two-day heptathlon event with 6,013 points.