TORRANCE, CA-In case you’re wondering, no track and field is not dead as a sport. The 60th Annual Mt. SAC Relays proved as much with Olympians such as Allyson Felix and USA Track and Field stars Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker, Vashti Cunningham, Mikele and Me’Lisa Barber, and coming-of-age collegiate runners like USC sprinter Twanisha Terry, taking the track and doing their thing.
The real stars of the three-day meet, however, happened to be wearing Cardinal and Gold. The USC Trojans track and field team was represented well. Terry and sprinter Michael Norman stood out in particular. Norman has had a pretty impressive 2018 season. He blazed his way to the men’s NCAA Division 1 indoor title with a time of 44.52 in March.
Twanisha Terry and members of the USC Trojans 4×100 relay team celebrate after winning in a time of 42.5 seconds at the Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
At this year’s Mt. SAC Relays, Norman kept that surge going, running a swift time of 44.53 seconds to nudge fellow Trojan Rai Benjamin (44.7) in the men’s invitational 400. As for Terry, she simply lit up the El Camino College track where the relays were being held. You might say that Terry showed up and showed out.
She first anchored the Trojans’ “A” 4×100 relay team to victory over squads made up of Olympians, including Allyson Felix and Jenna Prandini. Terry then came back and smoked the field in the women’s invitational 100 meters, hitting the tape in 10.99 seconds.
Iman Brown (23.71) of Washington edges out Tennessee runner Maia McCoy (23.74) in the women’s open 200 on Day of the 2018 Mt. Sac Relays. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Je’Nia Sears floats through the air in the women’s invitational long jump during the 2018 Mt. SAC Relays. Sears finished eight with a jump of 20 feet, 8 inches. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
The 60th Annual Mt. SAC Relays were held at El Camino College in Torrance, California. The three-day meet featured high school, collegiate stars as well as several Olympians. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
USA Track and Field star Ronnie Baker hits the high note on his way to a 9.97 clocking in the men’s invitational 100 meters at the 2018 Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Kate Hall of Georgia is skybound in the women’s invitational long jump event on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Hall would up with a third-place finish with a jump of 21 feet, 1 inch. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Iowa’s Mallory King (right) fends off an Illinois runner in the women’s invitational 4×400 relay. Iowa finished sixth in the race. Illinois came in seventh place with a time of 3.41:53. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Twins Mikele Barber (left) and Me’Lisa Babrber shows some love to track and field star Allyson Felix at the 2018 Mt. SAC Relays. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Me’Lisa Barber takes off from the blocks in the women’s 4×100 relay at the Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Vashti Cunningham (left) confers with her famous football father, former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, in between high jumps at the 2018 Mt. SAC Relays. Cunningham won the high jump event with a leap of 6 foot, 3 inches. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Raymond Clark of Texas A&M Commerce anchors his team’s 4×400 relay team on Day 3 of the Mt. SAC Relays. Texas A&M Commerce finished third with a time of 3.07:47. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Michelle Chandler of Cal Poly Pomona wins Heat 3 of the women’s open 800 meters on Day 2 of the 2018 Mt. SAC Relays. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Sprinter Fred Kerley knows where his help comes from as he prepares to run the opening leg of the men’s 4×400 relay at the Mt. SAC Relays. Kerley also won the men’s invitational 200 in a time of 20.4. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Tonyecia Burks from the University of Houston glides effortlessly through the air during the women’s open long jump competition on Day 2 of the 2018 Mt. SAC Relays. Burks’ best jump of the meet was 18 feet, 3 inches. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Iowa’s Mar-Yea Harris hits the tape in the men’s open 200 meters in 21.8 seconds. At the prep level, before he went to Iowa, Harris starred as a runner at Long Beach Poly High School and Long Beach Wilson. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Twanisha Terry (left) anchors the USC women’s “A” 4×100 relay team to a victory at the Mt. Sac Relays on Saturday, April 21, 2018. USC finished with a time of 42.57 to claim first place. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
The men’s invitational 110 hurdles is a close race coming out of the starting blocks. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com