New Big Ten Schools USC, UCLA Roll Into 2025 At Spokane Sports Showcase

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Photo by John Nepolitan

The Bowerman Watchlist athlete Johnny Brackins Jr. of the University of Southern California is set to begin his 2025 season at the Spokane Sports Showcase on Friday from The Podium Powered by STCU in Spokane, Wash.

Brackins Jr. will be one of 48 student-athletes from USC, as well as another 71 athletes from UCLA, who are making the trip north to escape the smoky conditions from deadly wildfires that have struck the Los Angeles area within the last week.

WATCH THE SPOKANE SPORTS SHOWCASE FRI. 10:00 AM PT LIVE ON RUNNERSPACE (+PLUS Required)

WATCH THE SPOKANE INDOOR CHALLENGE FRI. & SAT. LIVE ON RUNNERSPACE (+PLUS Required)

The four-time All-American during the 2024 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons will contest in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, which he finished runner-up at the NCAA Indoor Championships last March in Boston.

The Spokane Sports Showcase is the high performance window of the larger Spokane Indoor Challenge, which will be filled with athletes from smaller colleges on Saturday such as Central Washington, Whitworth, Spokane Community College, Bushnell and more.

Di’Niko Bates of UCLA, a former teammate of Brackins at USC, and Washington State’s John Paredes and Parker Duskin are also entered in the event.

UCLA’s Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck, who represented Belgium at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow last March, is making her Bruin debut in the women’s 60 hurdles against Washington State All-American Micaela De Mello and former Kentucky standout Yasmin Brooks.

The Trojans will feature a handful of their competitors in the men’s and women’s sprints.

Travis Williams, JC Stevenson, Taylor Banks, Dominick Corley and Max Thomas are the top Trojan entries in the men’s 60 meters field, going up against California’s David Foster and Chase Williams.

Johnnie Blockburger, the 400 meter specialist, is listed in the men’s 300 with teammate Thomas and Eastern Washington’s Daniel Gaik.

Samirah Moody, Dajaz Defrand, Jassani Carter, Christine Mallard, Madison Whyte and Olivia Pace will represent the USC women in the 60 meters.

Carter, Mallard and Defrand will also race in the women’s 300.

Williams, Corley and Jazonte Levan will contest the men’s 200 for USC, facing Boise State’s Josh Green and Washington State’s Mason Lawyer and Grant Buckmiller.

UCLA’s Kaylen Fletcher and Cal’s Aysha Shaheed are the top two entries in the women’s 200.

Cal’s Isaiah Shaw and UCLA’s Alyssa Conyers have produced the fastest seed times in the 400 races.

UCLA features four sub-1 minute, 18-second men in the 600, with Parker Raymond, Tamaal Myers II, Angus Harrington and Shawn Toney. Cal’s Iyan Godwin and USC’s Nathan Cumberbatch, William Jones and Jake Andrews will be others to watch for.

Cal’s Zoe Lahanas and UCLA’s Rose Pittman headline the women’s 600.

UCLA’s Michael Mireles, the Big Ten runner-up in cross country, brings in the only sub-4-minute mile performance of the meet, running 3:58.95 last indoor season.

Stevenson of USC produces the top mark at 27 feet, 5.50 inches (8.37m) in the men’s long jump, while Eastern Washington’s Caitlin Simmons enters with a 21-4.75 (6.52m) mark on the women’s side.

Karson Gordon of UCLA, owner of the best triple jump in prep history, brings in the top mark in the men’s competition at 53-1.50 (16.19m).

Seven-foot high jumpers Brady Palen and Elias Gerald of USC and Miles Grant of Sacramento State make up a deep men’s competition.

Vanderbilt transfer Giavanna Meeks makes her Cal debut in the women’s weight throw.

UCLA’s Ka’Leila Abrille and Katerina Adamiec and Washington State’s Tatum Moku are the top three names to watch in the women's pole vault competition.