USC Track & Field Recruiting Class of 2024

The USC Track & Field program has added an outstanding recruiting class and group of transfer athletes to the 2024-25 team, including a women's recruiting class ranked No. 1 overall. The following is a quick recap of all of the 33 additions to the program.

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Taylor Banks: Banks, from Miami Gardens, Florida, is a sprinter who competed from 2020-23 at Florida State. He earned 2023 Outdoor Second-Team All-ACC Honors in the 100m dash. He set his 100m PR of 10.08 (+1.7) in the first round of the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds. He placed sixth in the 100m at the 2023 ACC Championships and 15th in the event at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds. He earned first-team All-American honors with Florida State's 4x100m relay at the 2023 NCAA Championships, finishing third with a time of 38.29. He was a 2021 first-team All-American in the 100m, finishing eighth in the final. Banks also earned first-team All-America honors in 2021 in the 4x100m relay, placing third with a time of 38.60. He also owns a PR of 6.61 in the 60m dash. He reached the semifinals in the 100m dash at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Preston Beery: Beery, from Las Vegas, Nev., is a 2024 graduate of Faith Lutheran High School. He was named the 2024 Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year. He shattered the Nevada high school record in the shot put with a mark of 68-10 at the Faith Lutheran throwers Invitational. Beery helped lead his team to a third-place finish at the 5A state championships, winning the shot put with a mark of 66-3 and the discus throw with a PR of 183-7. He ranked seventh nationally among prep competitors in the shot put and placed third in the shot put at the Arcadia Invitational and seventh in the event at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. Beery was also the 2023 Nevada 5A champion in the shot put and discus throw.

Gabriel Castillo: Castillo, from Pomona, Calif., is a 2024 graduate of Etiwanda High. The distance runner won the 2024 Baseline League 1600m title with a time of 4:25.83. He has a 1500m PR of 4:02.81, a 1600m PR of 4:18.80, a 3000m best of 8:53.81 and a two-mile best of 9:25.52.

Dominick Corley: Corley, from Spokane, Wash. is a 2024 graduate of Mead High. The sprinter ranked second among high school athletes with a time of 6.64 in the 60m dash and seventh in the indoor 200m with a time of 21.09. He won the 2024 New Balance Nationals 60m title with a time of 6.67. He also ran outdoor PRs of 10.39 in the 100m and 21.05 in the 200m last season. Corley won the 100m title at the 2023 USATF Junior Olympics. He also won the 100m and placed second in the 200m at the 2024 Washington state track and field championships.

Shaiquan Dunn: Dunn, from Kingston, Jamaica, is the 2024 Jamaican U20 shot put champion and the Pan American U20 bronze medalist in the discus throw. He has PRs of 184-8 (56.30m) in the discus throw and 55-7.75 (16.96m) in the shot put. He won gold medals at the 2024 CARIFTA Games in the discus throw and shot put. He has best marks of 214-10 (65.48m) in the 1.75k discus throw and 65-7.75 (20.01m) in the 6k shot put. At the recently completed at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships, Dunn placed seventh in the discus throw and ninth in the shot put.

Ezra Frech: Frech, from Los Angeles, Calif., is a 2023 graduate of the Brentwood School in Los Angeles. He is the T63 world record-holder in the high jump with a clearance of 6-5.50 (1.97m). He won two gold medals at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, France, winning the 100m dash with a personal-best time of 12.06 and then winning the T63 high jump with a Paralympics record clearance of 6-4.25 (1.94m). In 2019 at the World Para Athletics Junior Championships, his first international competition, he won a gold medal in the high and bronze medals in the long jump and 100m. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, he placed fifth in the high jump and eighth in the long jump. He also won a gold medal at the 2023 Para Athletic World Championships in the high jump.

Kaden Garland: Garland, from Oak Park, Ill., is a 2024 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High in Illinois. He won the Illinois 3A shot put title (12-pound) with a mark of 65-9.50 (20.05m) and placed fifth in the discus throw with a mark of 179-10 (54.83m) to help Oak Park and River Forest capture its first team title at the Illinois state meet since 1987. Both of Garland's mark at the state meet set school records. The brother of USC sophomore Reese Garland also was invited to compete at the Nike Indoor Nationals and New Balance Nationals.

Jake Heydon: Heydon, from Ontario, Canada, is a grad student who competed in the javelin throw at Coastal Carolina from 2022-23. He has a personal best of 218-11 (66.74m) in the javelin throw which he set at the 2022 Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational. He qualified in the javelin throw at the 2022 NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.

Jaren Holmes: Holmes, from Fredericksburg, Va., is a graduate transfer who previously competed in the jumps at TCU and North Carolina. He has a personal best in the triple jump of 53-9.75/16.40m (+1.2) and a long jump PR of 25-6.75/7.79 (+0.6). He placed ninth in the triple jump at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships with a jump of 53-3 (16.23m). Holmes also advanced to the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the triple jump, placing 23rd with a jump of 50-9.50/15.48m (-0.1).

Jazonte Levan: Levan, from Seaford Delaware, is a 2024 graduate of Seaford Senior High in Delaware. He set the state record in the 200m with a time of 20.61 and placed third in the event at the 2023 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships with a time of 20.72. He also owns PRs of 10.48 in the 100m and 7.08 in the 60m dash. He won the 2024 Delaware state 100m title. He shared the 2023 Tom Fort Award with current teammate Yougendy Mauricette as the state's outstanding track and field athletes.

Chase McCallum: McCallum, from Las Vegas, Nev., is a 2024 graduate of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. He has personal bests of 1:52.34 in the 800m and 54.62 in the 400m hurdles. He was named to the 2024 All-Southern Nevada Track and Field first team as he won the 5A 800m title with a time of 1:54.01 and the 300m hurdles title with a time of 38.67. He also helped the Gaels place second in the 4x800 meter relay with a time of 7:56.06.

Luke Metcalf: Metcalf, from La Canada, Calif., is a 2024 graduate of St. Francis High in La Canada. He set his 800m PR of 1:54.49 at the Mt. SAC Relays and has a 1500m best of 4:02.50. He placed seventh in the 800m at the 2024 CIF Southern Section with a time of 1:56.01. He owns the St. Francis record in the 800m and in the one-mile race, with his PR of 4:16.93.

Edward Nketia: Nketia, from Aukland, New Zealand, comes to USC as a sophomore transfer student after spending the 2023-24 season at Hawai'i at Manoa as a wide receiver on the football team. Nketia owns the New Zealand 100m record with a time of 10.08 and holds his nation's U20 200m record with a time of 20.76. He also has competed for Australia, winning the 2019 Australian Athletics national 100m title with a time of 10.22 as an 18-year-old.

Brady Palen: Palen, from Beloit, Kan., is a graduate transfer from Wichita State who competed in the high jump for the Shockers from 2021-24. He was a 2024 NCAA high jump first-team All-American, placing eighth in the final with a clearance of 7-1.50 (2.17m) to earn Wichita State its only point at the meet. He was also a 2023 NCAA Indoor All-American in the high jump, placing seventh. He has a personal best in the high jump of 7-3.75 (2.22m). He was the 2024 American Athletic Conference indoor and outdoor high jump champion.

Alfredo Reina Corona: Reina Corona, from Haltom City, Texas, is a graduate transfer distance runner from UT-Arlington. He has PRs of 3:48.33 in the 1500m, 4:06.76 in the one-mile race and 14:58.15 in the 5000m. He placed second in the mile race at the 2023 WAC Indoor Championships with a time of 4:07.48 and was part of the winning DMR team which ran 10:01.81 at the 2024 WAC Indoor Championships.

Roberto Ruelas: Ruelas, from Los Angeles, Calif., is a graduate transfer distance runner from LMU. He owns PRs of 3:54.19 in the 1500m and 14:31.48 in the 5000m. In cross country for LMU, he won the 2022 and 2023 LMU South Bay Twilight Meet (8K) title.

Micah Williams: Williams, from Portland, Ore., is a graduate transfer sprinter from Oregon. He is a two-time Pac-12 100m champion and was part of Team USA's 4x100m relay pool at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Williams has PRs of 9.86 in the 100m and 20.05 in the 200m. Williams is a three-time NCAA Outdoor All-American in the 100m dash and the 2021 NCAA Indoor 60m dash champion. He was a three-time Oregon Gatorade T&F Athlete of the Year while competing for Benson High in Portland, Ore. and he still owns the Oregon high school 100m and 200m records.

WOMEN:

Mia Brahe-Pedersen: Brahe-Pedersen, from Lake Oswego, Ore., is a 2024 graduate of Lake Oswego High, which won the last three Oregon 6A state team titles. Brahe-Pedersen was a 12-time Oregon state champion, including winning three 100m and 200m state titles. She was also a two-time Oregon Gatorade T&F Athlete of the year, 22-time All-American and 11-time national champion. She owns the Oregon women's high school 100m dash record of 11.00 and the 200m record of 22.43, both which rank fourth on the all-time high school list. Brahe-Pedersen reached the 2023 USATF Championships final in both the 100m and 200m. She was the first high school track and field athlete to sign an NIL deal with Nike.

Dajaz Defrand: Defrand, from Aurora, Colo., is a junior transfer sprinter from Florida State. The two-time All-American has personal bests of 10.94 in the 100m and 22.34 in the 200m. She placed seventh in the 200m and 12th in the 100m at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Defrand was also a 2023 NCAA Outdoor All-American in the 100m and won both the 100m and 200m at the 2023 and 2024 ACC Championships to be named Outstanding Women's Athlete of the Meet. She was named the 2020-21 Nebraska Athlete of the Year and was a state champion in the 100m dash and 200m dash while helping the Lincoln High School 4x100m relay team to a state title

Isabella Duarte: Duarte, from Chino Hills, Calif., is a sophomore transfer from UC Irvine where she competed in the distances. Duarte is a 2023 graduate of Chino Hills High where she became the first female athlete to compete in all three relay events at the California state meet. Duarte joins her sister, Jacqueline, on the USC Track & Field team.

Ashley Erasmus: Erasmus, from Mbombela, South Africa, is a 2024 graduate from Hoërskool Nelspruit.. Erasmus qualified to represent South Africa at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the shot put, but suffered an injury and could not compete. She has personal bests of 59-7.50 (18.17m) in the shot put and 174-2 (53.10m) in the discus throw. Erasmus won the 2024 African Athletics shot put title with her PR of 59-7.50. She also won the 2023 and 2024 South African shot put titles

Justina "Tiana" Eyakpobeyan: Eyakpopeyan, from Sapele, Nigeria, is a 2024 graduate from College of Commerce II. She competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics for Nigeria in the 4x100m relay, running the first leg for her native country. She then placed seventh in the 100m dash at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru. Eyakpobeyan has personal bests of 11.24 in the 100m dash and 23.53 in the 200m. At the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, she placed second in the 100m and 200m and earned gold with Nigeria's mixed 4x100m relay. She also won both the 100m and 200m titles at the 2023 Nigerian U18 Championships.

Avery Lewis: Lewis, from Parkesburg, Pa., is a 2024 graduate of Friends Central High in Wynnewood, Pa. The sprinter and jumper is a two-time Pennsylvania Gatorade Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. She has legal PRs of 11.36 in the 100m and 23.55 in the 200m. She led all 2024 high school women with indoor long jump of 21-6 and ranked tied for ninth in the 100m dash. Her long jump mark ranks as the eighth-best women's high school performer all-time in the event. She won the Pennsylvania long jump title in each of her last three seasons at Friends Central. Lewis won the USA U20 100m title and then reached the semifinals in the 100m dash at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru.

Falyn Lott: Lott, from Frisco, Texas, is a jumper and multi-events athlete who is a 2024 graduate of Panther Creek High. She had a long jump best of 20-10.50 which ranked third among high school women in 2024. She won the 2024 Texas 4A 300m hurdles title and four medals at the UIL track and field state meet, earning Athlete of the Meet honors. Her winning time of 41.76 in the 300m hurdles set the meet record. She has a PR of 4,882 in the heptathlon and placed sixth in the event at the 2023 USATF U20 Championships. Lott also has a high jump best of 5-10.

Karyssa Owens: Owens, from Fresno, Calif., is a junior transfer thrower from UC Riverside. She has personal bests of 183-1 (55.80m) in the hammer throw, 163-7 (49.867m) in the discus throw and 48-4 (14.73m) in the shot put. Owens scored in all three events at the Big West Championships in both seasons at UCR.

Olivia Pace: Pace, from Westerville, Ohio, is a 2024 graduate from Westerville Central High. She has personal bests of 11.32 in the 100m, 23.55 in the 200m and 19-3.5 in the long jump. She won the 100m dash with a meet-record time of 11.36 at the 2024 AAU Junior Olympics for 17-18 year olds. Her senior year she won the Ohio Division I 100m title, placed second in the 200m, fourth in the long jump and ran on the 4x100m relay which placed fifth. Pace placed third in the 100m dash at the 2024 Nike Nationals.

Sierra Ransweiler: Ransweiler, from Danville, Calif., is a graduate transfer distance runner from UC Santa Barbara. She competed in track and field and cross country at UCSB from 2021-24 and posted PRs of 10:39.94 in the steeplechase, 4:48.54 in the 1500m and 18:59.53 in the 5000m. She ranks 10th on UCSB's all-time steeplechase list.

Olivia Schmitt: Schmitt, from Lindenhurst, Ill., is a graduate transfer distance runner from Columbia. She competed in track and field and cross country at Columbia from 2021-24 and had personal bests of 2:07.1 in the 800m and 4:56.73 in the one-mile race. She ran a leg on Columbia's 4x800m relay which won the 2024 Ivy League title with a school-record time of 8:36.97.

Maira Scott: Scott, from Maumee, Ohio, is a 2024 graduate of Springfield High in Holland, Ohio. She has personal bests of 11.34 in the 100m and 23.11 in the 200m, which ranks second all-time among Ohio high school 200m runners. Scott won the Ohio Division I 200m title and was second in the 100m, flipping places with current teammate Olivia Pace who won the 100m and placed second in the 200m. Scott placed third in the 200m final at the 2024 Nike Nationals.

Brianna Selby: Selby, from Chesapeake, Va., is a 2024 graduate of Indian River High in Chesapeake, Va. She has a 100m PR of 11.44. Selby won the 2023 and 2024 New Balance Nationals 60m dash titles, winning her senior season with a meet-record time of 7.19. She holds the Virginia state record in the 55m dash with a time of 6.76.

Grace Smith: Smith, from Atlanta, Ga., is a 2024 graduate of Westminster School in Atlanta, Ga. Smith has a long jump best of 20-2 and she jumped 19-8.75 (6.01m) to place third in the event at the New Balance Nationals. She is a three-time Virginia state champion in the 100m hurdles, three-time 300m hurdles champion and two-time long jump champion.

Helena Teixeira-Dasilva: Teixeira-Dasilva, from Auburndale, Mass., is a graduate transfer distance runner who competed at Washington University of St. Louis from 2021-24. She has personal bests of 4:33.78 in the 1500m and 5:01.42 in the one-mile race. Her one-mile time came in placing 12th at the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships. She also competed in cross country at Washington University of St. Louis and qualified for the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Division III Midwest Cross Country Championships and at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.

Rachael Uvieghara: Uvieghara, from Dunedin, Fla., is a 2024 graduate of Palm Harbor University High in Palm Harbor, Fla. She has personal bests of 11.38 in the 100m and 23.17 in the 200m. Uvieghara won the 100m and 200m titles at the 2023 and 2024 Florida 4A state championships. She won the 2024 Nike Nationals 100m title and placed second in the 200m.