Director of Track & Field • Caryl Smith Gilbert

Caryl Smith Gilbert is the USC Director of Track & Field which also means see overseas the development and of the Trojans’ cross country program. She has placed the day to day operation of the sport in the capable hands of assistant coach David Freeman.

It didn’t take long for Caryl Smith Gilbert to prove that USC had “hit a home run” when they named her as the Director of Track & Field on June 17, 2013. In her first three seasons at the helm of the Trojan program, USC has won three MPSF Indoor team titles, finished in the top two in the conference three times on the women’s side and two times on the men’s side and finished in the top 10 in the country twice for both the men and the women, with the men’s team posting two top five finishes in three seasons. Also, USC has had four individual event champions and averaged 20 first-team All-Americans per season. In addition, the cross country team posted its first team win since 2012 during the 2014 season, and making it more special was that it came against crosstown rival UCLA. In the classroom 41 athletes have been named to a Pac-12 All-Academic team and in 2016, Jaide Stepter was named the conference’s T&F Women’s Student-Athlete of the Year and Diego Lopez was granted a postgraduate scholarship.

In her first season leading the Trojan program, she guided the men’s team to a fourth-place tie and the women’s team to a 16th-place tie at the NCAAs, the women’s team won the MPSF Indoor Championship and both men’s and women’s teams placed second at the Pac-12 Championships. Also, USC garnered 19 first-team outdoor All-America honors, posted 22 all-time top 10 school marks and Aleec Harris set the school hurdles record. It is no surprise then that she was named the NCAA West Region Women’s Head Coach of the Year and the MPSF (Indoor) Women’s Head Coach of the Year. Smith Gilbert’s student-athletes also excelled in the classroom where they earned 13 Pac-12 All-Academic selections and Al- exandra Collatz was honored as a third-team Academic All-American.

She proved to be just getting started as in 2015 the men’s team placed fifth at the NCAA Championships with its fifth- most points since the scoring system changed in 1985 and the women’s team placed seventh with its most points since 2006. The top 10 finishes by both programs were USC’s first since the 2009 season. The men’s team had three individual champions with Conor McCullough winning the hammer throw and Andre De Grasse taking both the 100m and 200m titles. He became the first college male athlete to claim both titles in the same season since Walter Dix in 2007 and Smith Gilbert became the first woman to coach a men’s 100m and 200m champion. The women’s team earned 14 first-team All- Americans, the second-highest for any school, and the teams combined for 24 outdoor first or second team All-American selections. Again the men’s and women’s teams took second at the Pac-12 Championships and Smith Gilbert was named both men’s and women’s Pac-12 Coach of the Year, becoming the first woman to be named the conference’s men’s coach of the year. She again led the women’s team to the MPSF Indoor title and the men’s team placed second in their first season in the conference. Smith Gilbert was named the 2015 USTFCCCA West Region Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year and the MPSF Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year.

Last season, the women’s team placed second at the conference meet and tied for ninth nationally, while the injury-plagued men’s team took fifth at the Pac-12 meet and then finished 12th at the NCAA Championships. The men’s team also won the MPSF Indoor title. Amalie Iuel was named the Pac-12 Women’s Field Athlete of the Year after winning her second conference heptathlon title.

Prior to her arrival at USC, Smith Gilbert was a six-time Conference USA Coach of the Year at the University of Central who guided the Knights’ women’s team to a program-best fifth place finish at both the 2013 NCAA Outdoor and Indoor Championships.. 2016 USC Cross Country Roster Runner Height Birthdate Class Hometown Chloe Berry 5-3 7/23/98 Freshman Mission Viejo, Calif. Rebekah Ent 5-8 1/20/95 Junior* Moraga, Calif. Rachel Glynn 5-8 3/31/97 Sophomore Aurora, Ontario, Canada Amber Gore 5-5 1/21/97 Sophomore Redondo Beach, Calif. Vivian Grimes 5-9 2/2/94 Senior* Naples, Fla. Lorea Ibarzabal 5-7 11/7/94 Senior* Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain Lauren Maurer 5-6 1/17/97 Sophomore Fullerton, Calif. Sophia Racette 5-5 9/27/96 Sophomore St. Louis, Mo. Madison Ricks 6-0 10/20/96 Sophomore* San Ramon, Calif. Mikaela Smith 5-7 7/4/97 Sophomore Fresno, Calif. Kamryn Weber 5-6 11/8/97 Freshman Frisco, Texas

The Coach • David Freeman

David Freeman begins his fourth season as the coach of the USC cross country team and as an assistant coach in charge of the distance runners for the track and field team.

USC had solid runs from Katerina Berdousi, Rebekah Ent and Jenna Tong at the 2015 West Regional, but did not enter enough athletes to figure in the team scoring. It was another solid season as USC introduced freshmen like Rachel Glynn, Amber Gore, Lauren Maurer and Mikaela Smith and newcomer Ent into the mix, while managing to tie for second at the UNLV Invitational and finish first among Division I school at the UC Irvine Invitational.

Freeman began to lay down the foundation for the future in 2014 bringing in his first freshman class to join veterans Berdousi, Erica Capellino, Kira Soderstrom and Tong. The Trojans placed 11th at the Pac-12 Championships and 19th at the West Regional, USC’s highest finish at the regional since 2008. USC also defeated crosstown rival UCLA 27-28 in the Dual Meet, the first meet win for USC since the 2012 Aztec Invitational. Five different Trojans set 5K personal bests at the meet, including the winner Berdousi who ran 17:21.00, the sixth-fastest 5K time ever by a Trojan female.

USC had some strong moments under his leadership in 2013, including Capellino and Tong finishing 1-2 at the first USC-UCLA Cross Country Dual Meet. Many of USC’s runners established PRs and Tong went on to run her best 6K race at the NCAA West Regional.

Freeman spent the previous two seasons working at TCU where he was an assistant coach for track and cross country and served as the director of operations. Prior to that, Freeman was the head coach at Freedom High in Orlando, Fla. for one season and at Tates Creek High in Lexington, Ky. for two seasons. In 2001, Freeman was named the Area 6 Girl’s Track and Field Coach of the Year as he led the Commodores to a state runner-up finish in Class 3A.

Freeman worked with the Florida track and field team for three seasons and at his alma mater Kentucky for one season. He had an accomplished track career at Kentucky, highlighted by a trip to the 2008 Olympics to compete in the 1500m race. He represented Puerto Rico and finished 10th in his heat and 24th overall. Freeman graduated from Kentucky in 2005 with a degree in business management and earned his masters in business education from UK in 2009. While competing at Kentucky, Freeman was a three-time indoor All-American in the 800m and mile run. He still holds the Kentucky school record in the indoor 800m.

1 2016 USC Women’s Cross Country Team Outlook  by USC cross country coach David Freeman  • Building Upon The Foundation Established Last Season •

This might be the youngest team we have had since my arrival, but it is potentially the most talented top to bottom.

We are building our cross country program. We are adding onto a foundation that we started last season and are growing and grow- ing. We mostly have freshmen and sophomores on the team and actually the only seniors we have are transfers Vivian Grimes and Lorea Ibarzabal. We are starting to develop some depth on the roster and I think that is going to help with practice, especially on the competition side to have quality workouts. I think the biggest benefi t is that we have more bodies out there to challenge each other than we have had previously.

This year we are still a young team, but I think we are learning from our experiences last year, not only from cross country, but track season also. We are starting to learn what it takes to be great in the Pac-12 Conference and nationally, so we are going to take those lessons and really work hard throughout the semester and get ready for the Pac-12 Championships at the end of the semester, that is our goal. We want to keep improving, getting better day-by-day and be better by the end of the season, the championship part of the season.

I think we lost a lot of experience with Kat (Berdousi) and Jenna (Tong) to name a few, but I think the young women who came in this year have the talent to contribute right away. Hopefully the sophomores who had that experience last year as freshman can lead them a little bit and show them what to do, how to compete at this level and speed up the learning process. I think by running a lot of fresh- man last year will pay off this year and in the next couple of years. Our conference is all about being able to compete with the best both mentally and physically, so that’s the part we have to keep working on.

We have a few people that I think will really step up this year. One of them is Amber Gore. She was banged up last year coming into college. Now with a year under her belt and training at this level and gaining the experience in cross country and track, she is bringing that confi dence. She did win a state championship in high school, so she knows how to win. Another one that had a good summer was Madison Ricks. Our goal with her is to keep improving her day-by-day and limiting the setbacks. She has talent, unfortunately she had some of the setbacks early in her career. She had a good summer and created a good base and hopefully can continue that during the fall. Redshirt junior Rebekah Ent was our No. 2 runner last season and returns to anchor this year’s squad.

Vivian Grimes is going to be a good contributor to the program. She and Lorea Ibarzabal are graduate students, so they add the expe- rience to our young team. Hopefully the lessons Grimes learned at Boston College, she brings here and hopefully it rubs off with the young athletes. Lorea is from Portland so she has the experience of being part of a cross country team also. I think she will help the younger athletes learn what it takes to be great, not only at the meets, but also at the day in and day out at practice. They both have seen it all and have experienced the ups and downs of college, so I think they can add a lot through their experience.

I think we have the most talent on the cross country team since I’ve been here, it is just that they are young and have to gain that experi- ence and they have to learn what it takes to be great in the Pac-12 and on the national stage.

The difference with this team is that from our No. 1 to our No. 11 runner we are closer together. Our competitiveness at practice shows and they get after it a little more and that is what it takes to build a whole team. I think we are starting to have that. This season we have added a few 6K races during the regular season which should help us prepare for the championship part of the season. We are trying to add to that experience so one of the things we learned is that we need to run more 6Ks so we are used to it.

Among USC’s top returning runners are (L-R): Madison Ricks, Rebekah Ent and Amber Gore

2 MEET THE 2016 TROJANS

Top: The team after tying for second at the 2015 UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. Below: Coach Freeman goes over the 2015 UC Irvine Invitational opener with the team. PLAYER BIOGRAPHIES

3 5-0

CCHLOEHLOE BERRYBERRY Ht. - 5-3 Birthdate - 7/23/98 Class - Freshman Hometown - Mission Viejo, Calif. C Best 5K time - 20:13.00, Clovis Invitational (10/10/15) R O S S At USC: Chloe Berry is in her first season as a cross country runner for USC. C High School: Berry is a 2016 graduate of Mission Viejo HS in Mission Viejo, Calif. She competed in cross country all four seasons. O Posted a career-best 3-mile time of 18:02.8 to take sixth at the Sea View League Finals on Nov. 5, 2015. In her only 5K cross country race she had a time of 20:13.00 at the Clovis Invitational on Oct. 10, 2015. Also, at the 2.93-mile distance U she finished with a time of 19:34 to place 11th at the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational on Oct. 24, 2015. She finished 52nd at the CIF Southern Section Division Finals with a time of 19:38.4 on Nov. 21, 2015. She also competed in track N and field all four seasons for Mission Viejo HS, posting a best 800m time of 2:17.47 and a best 1600m time of 4:50.19. T Personal: Chloe was born on July 23, 1998 in Mission Viejo, Calif...Says she chose to attend USC because wanted to stay R close to home and go to a school with a strong sports program and an emphasis on academics. Y

B I O G R A P H I E S

4 5-0

RREBEKAHEBEKAH EENTNT Ht. - 5-8 Birthdate - 1/20/95 Class - Rs-Junior Hometown - Moraga, Calif. C Best 5K time - 17:40.8, Highlander Invitational (10/19/13) Best 6K time - 21:43.0, Stanford Invitational (9/29/12) R O S S At USC: Rebekah Ent begins her first second season of running cross countryuntry for USC...USC... She transferred to USC from UC Santa Barbara. 2015: Made her Trojan debutut at the Aztec Invitational on Sept. 18 and was USC’s third finisher with a time of 19:31.11. Shee finished second among the Trojans at every other meet, fininsing 12th at the UNLV Invitationaltational C (18:37.2), 14th at the Highlander Invitational with a season-best time (18:15.68), 880th0th at the Pac-12 Championships (22:04.08) and 130th at the NCAA West Regional (22:37.4).37.4). O In track in the spring, posted the best time by a Trojan and set a PR with a timee of 4:27.72 in the 1500m race at Mt. SAC on April 15. She had the third-fastest 800m0m U race on the team of 2:12.07 to finish fifth a the USC-UCLA Dual Meet on May 1. N Before USC: Ent was on the UC Santa Barbara cross country team for two seasons, but onlyonly T competed in one race. She redshirted the 2013 season and then missed most of the 2014 season due to injury. In her only career cross country race for UC Santanta R Barbara, she led the Gauchos with a time of 19:24.8 to place 30th at the CS Fullertonon Titan Invitational (5K). She competed in track both season for the Gauchos. Setet an Y 800m PR of 2:10.11 in placing fifth at the Big West Championships on May 16, 2015.15. She also posted a 1500m PR of 4:33.44 to place second at the UCSB-Cal Poly Dual MMeeteet on May 22..

High School: B Ent is a 2013 graduate of Miramonte High in Orinda, Calif . She was the DFAL Leagueague champion in the 400m and 800m races as a senior. Ran on the 4x800m relay team which setet the Miramonte I school record. Her high school 800m best was 2:17.15. Was second in the 2013 CIF State Indoor Championships in the 600m race with a time of 1:30.41 (to current teammate MikaelaMikaela Smith).Smith). O Personal: G Rebekah was born on January 2, 1995 in Moraga, Calif....Her parents are Gregoryegory and Debora Ent and she has three siblings Christina, Michelle and Matthew...Enjoys readingng and surfing...Is R majoring in Psychology. A P H I E S Rebekah Ent Cross Country Results Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time 2014 Oct. 24 Titan Invitational (5K) 30th 19:28.8

2015 Sept. 18 Aztec Invitational (5K) 24th 19:31.11 Oct. 3 UNLV Invitational (5K) 12th 18:37.2 Oct. 17 Highlander Invitational (5K) 14th 18:15.68 Oct. 30 Pac-12 Championships (6K) 80th 22:04.08 Nov. 13 NCAA West Regional (6K) 130th 22:37.4

5 5-0

RRACHELACHEL GGLYNNLYNN Ht. - 5-9 Birthdate - 3/31/97 Class - Sophomore Hometown - Aurora, Ontario, CN C Best 5K time - 19:36.17, Highlander Invitational (10/17/15) R Best 6K time - 24:16.2, Pac-12 Championships (10/30/15) O S S

At USC: Rachel Glynn begins her second season as part of the USC cross country team. C 2015: She ran in three races during her first season. Made her collegiate debutbut at the UNLV Invitational on Oct. 3 and placed 35th with a time of 19:48. Improvedd her O 5K time to 19:36.17 in taking 68th at the Highlander Inviational on Oct. 17. Onene of six runners to represent USC at the Pac-12 Championships on Oct. 30 and in herher U first 6K race had a time of 24:16.2. In track in the spring, had a best 800m racee ofof N 2:12.27 to take third at the Trojan Invitational on March 19. T High School: Glynn is a 2015 graduate of Country Day HS in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. She ddidid R not compete in cross country. In track, she was an eight-time CISAA championon andand six-time Metro champion. She had a best 800m time of 2:08.32 and is her schoolschool Y record-holder. Was also a five-time OFSAA finalist. In 2015 she was ranked thirdthird as a junior in the 800m in Canada. She also played soccer while in high school.ol.

Personal: B Rachel was born on March 31, 1997 in Richmond Hill, Ontario...Her parentss are Olwen and Craig Glynn and she has two siblings, Colleen and Sean...Her interestsrests I include visual arts, animals and going to the beach...Her favorite food is fruit...ruit... O Some day would like to travel to Bora Bora or Fiji...She is majoring in Math at USC.USC. G R A P H I E S

Rachel Glynn Cross Country Results Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time 2015 Oct. 3 UNLV Invitational (5K) 35th 19:48.2 Oct. 17 Highlander Invitational (5K) 68th 19:36.17 Oct. 30 Pac-12 Championships (6K) 106th 24:16.2

6 AAMBERMBER GGOREORE

Ht. - 5-5 Birthdate - 1/21/97 Class - Sophomore Hometown - Redondo Beach, Calif. Best 5K time - 17:22, CIF State XC Championship (11/29/14) C Best 6K time - 22:59.3, Pac-12 Championships (10/30/15) R O S S At USC: Amber Gore begins her second season of competing for the USC crosss country team. 2015: She competed in every regular season meet and represented USCUSC at the Pac-12 Championships, while finishing among the top five Trojans inn everyevery C race. Was USC’s second finisher and 23rd overall at the season opener atat UC Irvine on Sept 5 with a time of 19:03.65. Was 30th overall and fourth amongong O freshmen at the Aztec Invitational on Sept. 18 with a time of 19:41.03.03. Had a season-best 5K time of 18:21.47 in finishing 17 at the Highlanderer U Invitational on Oct. 17. Was the fourth Trojan and 100th overall with a timeme of 22:59.3 at the Pac-12 Championships on Oct. 30, her first 6K race. In trackck N in the spring, ran a 2:15.49 800m and a 4:50.74 1500m. T High School: Gore is a 2015 graduate of Redondo Union HS in Redondo Beach, Calif. wherehere she was R a standout cross country and track and field runner. Won the 2014 CIFF State Cross Country Division 2 title with a 5K PR of 17.22. Also won the CIF Southernhern Section Y Finals (2.93 miles) with a time of 17:03. Won the Bay League (3 mile) titlee with a time of 17:12.26. Went on to place 45th at the NXN National Cross Country Championshipsampionships (5K) with a time of 18:33. In track, Gore has an 800m best of 2:10.76 in placingacing second at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet on May 24, 2014. Was a two-timeme state 800m B finalist...She was a member of the Ivy Chain, Honor Roll and a Presidentialntial Scholar.Scholar. I Personal: Amber was born on January 21, 1997 in Inglewood, Calif...Her parentsarents are Brian aandnd ThTheodoraeodora O Gore and she has one sibling, Connor...Both her mother and father attendedattended USC...USC... HHerer hobbies include going to the beach and trying new foods...List her favorite moviesvies as Mean GirlsGirls andand TheThe G Notebook....Her favorite musical artists are Beyoncé, Rihanna andd Jeremih...Jeremih... Likes to wwatchatch romantic comedies...Says is her sports hero because she is humble,umble, kind aandnd a positive R role model on and off the track...Amber likes Mexican food and frozen yogurt...Somegurt...Some d ay wwououldld like to travel to Costa Rica...She is majoring in Human Biology at USC andd would like to bbecomeecome a A physical therapist working with professional athletes. P H I E S

Amber Gore Cross Country Results Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time 2015 Sept. 5 UC Irvine Inviational (5K) 23rd 19:03.65 Sept. 18 Aztec Invitational (5K) 30th 19:41.03 Oct. 3 UNLV Invitational (5K) 20th 18:58.9 Oct. 17 Highlander Invitational (5K) 17th 18:21.47 Oct. 30 Pac-12 Championships (6K) 100th 22:59.3

7 VVIVIANIVIAN GGRIMESRIMES

Ht. - 5-9 Birthdate - 2/2/93 Class - RS-Senior Hometown - Naples, Fla. C Best 5K time - 18:59.00, Venice Invitational (9/17/09) R O S S At USC: Vivian Grimes is a redshirt senior transfer from Boston College and has one season of eligibily remaining to compete C for the Trojans. She is a graduate student in the Marshall School of Business. O Before USC: She ran cross country and track and field for Boston College. She ran one race for Boston College last season and posted a time of 19:04.5 at the 3.11-mile Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown to finish 19th. Her best 5K U times in cross country was 18:59.0. In track last season, she ran a 2:17.85 800m and a 4:41.47 1500m races. She graduated N from Boston College with a double major in Economics and Communication. T High School: Grimes is a 2012 graduate of Community School in Naples, Fla. Injuries derailed her high school career as a basketball R player and runner after she won four state titles by the end of her freshman season, two cross country team titles (one as an eighth grader), one with the basketball team and one as a member of the 4x800m relay in track. As a freshman Y she was Community’s fifth scorer with a time of 20.32 to help lead them to their second consecutive title. As an eighth- grader she finished sixth at the state meet and second among Community HS runners with a time of 19:22 to help lead her team to its first state 1A title. She also was second with a time of 19:16.58 at the District Meet in Bradenton, Fla. that year. B She had a stress fracture in her hip as a sophomore and stress fractures in her shins as a junior. Personal: I Vivian was born on February 2, 1994 in Naples, Fla...Her parents are Rick and Allison Grimes and she has five siblings, Ricky, Christie, Jodi, Randy and Eric...Lists her hobbies as swimming, hiking, traveling and cooking...Says her sports hero O is Paula Radcliffe because of her determination and work ethic...Her favorite foods are seafood and ice cream...Some day would like to travel to New Zealand, Fiji and Australia...Her goals after USC include working in financial factoring G or pusruing a career in corporate entrepreneurship by doing product development...Clubs she has been a member of R include the American Finance Association and MSEI Student Association. A P H I E Vivian Grimes Cross Country Results Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time S 2015 Sept. 25 Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown (3.11 Mi.) 19th 19:04.5

8 LLOREAOREA IBARZABALIBARZABAL

Ht. - 5-7 Birthdate - 11/7/94 Class - RS-Senior Hometown - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain C Best 5K time - 18:20.34, Portland State Classic (10/5/14) R O S

At USC: S Lorea Ibarzabal begins her first season of running cross country for USC. She transfers to USC from Portland with one season of eligibility. C Before USC: Ibarzabal competed in cross country for three seasons at Portland. Competed in two races last season, placing 30th O at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational (5K) with a time of 18:34.40. Also ran at the 4K Ash Creek XC Meet and placed 47th with a time of 18:11.20. Had a best 5K time of 18:20.34 at the 2014 Portland State Viking Classic on Oct. 5. U Also ran track for Portland, last season posting a best 800m time of 2:08.50. Finished 10th at the 2015 MPSF Indoor Championships in the 800m with a time of 2:07.37. She was a Dean’s List student at Portland. N T High School: R Ibarzabal is a 2012 graduate of Colegio Bienaventurada Virgen Maria in Alcobendas, Spain. Y

Personal: Lorea was born on Nov. 7, 1994 in Spain. B I O G R A P H I Lorea Ibarzabal Cross Country Results E Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time 2013 Sept. 22 Oak Knoll Loop Run (5K) 11th 18:33.27 S Oct. 6 Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational (5K) 55th 19:20.77 Nov. 4 Portland State Viking Classic (3 mile) 23rd 17:22.08

2014 Oct. 5 Portland State Viking Classic (5K) 26th 18:20.34

2015 Sept. 12 Ash Creek XC Meet (4K) 47th 18:11.20 Oct. 3 Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational (5K) 30th 18:34.40

9 LLAURENAUREN MMAURERAURER

Ht. - 5-6 Birthdate - 1/17/97 Class - Sophomore Hometown - Fullerton, Calif. C Best 5K time - 18:39, Clovis Invitational (10/12/13) R O S S At USC: Lauren Maurer begins her second season of running cross country for USC.SC. 2015:2015: Ran in three meets for USC in her first season. Posted a best 5K time of 19:23.2 C to finish 28th at the UNLV Invitational on Oct. 3. O High School: Maurer is a 2015 graduate of Crean Lutheran High in Fullerton, Calif...Shehe U ran a 5K best of 18:39 to take second at the Clovis Invitational on Oct. 12,2, 2013. Also as a junior, she placed 11th at the CIF Division IV Championshipsps N with a time of 18:48. Opened her senior season at the Mt. Carmel/Movinin Shoes XC Invite (2.75 mile) by placing second in the Division II senior racece T with a time of 16:52, one of two runners under 17:00. In track, she has bestssts of 4:56.67 in the 1600m, 5:01.17 in the 1-mile and 10:56.17 in the 3200m races.es. R She was the Division IV 3200m champion and the OC Register Small Schoolool Athlete of the Year...Maurer also competed in swimming for Crean Lutheraneran Y and helped them win three Division 3 titles. She was a National Honor Societyety member.member.

Personal: B Lauren was born on January 17, 1997 in Fullerton, Calif...Her parents are JodyJody and Rob Maurer and she has three sisters, Annie (her twin), Robyn and Erin...Volunteersolunteers as a swim coach for the Special Olympics...Her hobbies include naps, goingg to the beach I and eating ice cream...List her favorite foods as brownies and pizza...Herr favorite movie O is Hot Rod...John Wooden is her sports hero...She is majoring in Biologicalal Sciences.Sciences. G R A P H I E S

Lauren Maurer Cross Country Results Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time 2015 Sept. 5 UC Irvine Inviational (5K) 141st 22:45.24 Oct. 3 UNLV Invitational (5K) 28th 19:23.2 Oct. 17 Highlander Invitational (5K) 88th 20:26.08

10 SSOPHIAOPHIA RACETTERACETTE

Ht. - 5-5 Birthdate - 9/27/96 Class - Sophomore Hometown - St. Louis, Mo. Best 5K time - 17:48.60, Forest Park XC Festival (9/14/13) C R O S At USC: S Sophia Racette begins her second season on the USC crosss country team. 2015: Injuries kept her from competing the entire crosss country season. She waswas able to get on the track in the spring and ran a 1500m personalonal best of 4:49.54 to place third at the Pacific Coast Meet on April 14...that was thehe fourth-best time on C the team during the season. She also had the third-fastest 3000m3000m time among Trojans of 10:39.36 at the Trojan Invitational on March 18. O High School: U Racette is a 2015 graduate of Nerinx Hall High in St. Louis...Wasas a four-time XC All-State selection and is a record-holder at three differentnt courses...courses... N She placed second at the MSHSAA State Cross Country Championshipampionship with a time of 18:09.01 in 2014 to help lead her team to thee state title. T She also won the MWAA Conference Meet, the Class 4 Districtct 3 title and the Class 4, Section 2 title. She had the third fastest 5K crossss country R time for a Missouri high school athlete in 2013 and 2014. HadHad a best 5K time of 17:48.60 at the Forest Park XC Festival on Sept. 14,4, 2013. In Y track, she posted the fastest 2-mile time by a Missouri highgh school runner in 2014 of 11:07.60 to place 11th at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. She also has a best 1600m time of 5:01.25 and 800m0m time of 2:15. Finished fifth in the 4x800m, seventh in the 3200m andd eighth in the 1600m at the 2014 Missouri State meet....Was a National Honor Societyociety member and B placed third on the National French Exam. I Personal: Sophia was born on Sept. 27, 1996 in St. Louis, Mo...Her parentsts are Susan and Brad O Racette and she has one sister, Bella...Her favorite food is pineapple....Somedayineapple....Someday would like to travel to Australia and Italy....Lists her sports heroero as ...Goucher... G After USC would like to run for a sponsor and run in the NYCYC Marathon...She is a Human Biology major at USC. R A P H I E S

11 MMADISONADISON RICKSRICKS

Ht. - 6-0 Birthdate - 10/20/96 Class - Rs.-Sophomore Hometown - San Ramon, Calif. Best 5K time - 18:33.70, Highlander Invitational (10/17/15) C R O S At USC: S Madison Ricks is beginning her second season of running cross countryntry for USC. 2015: Competed in four races for the Trojans and was USC’sSC’s fourth finisher in each meet. Helped lead USC to a second-place finishish at the UNLV Invitational by finishing 14th with a time of 18:46.1. Set her 5K5K PR with a time of 18:33.70 to finish 23rd at the Highlander Invitational on Oct.Oct. C 17. In track, she finished fourth at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet with a timeme of 4:50.58 in the 1500m race on May 1. Off the track, she was named a O USC Marks Scholar recipient. 2014: Injuries limited her to one race during the cross country campaign, so she used it as a redshirt season. Was USC’s fifth finisher and 20th overall at the CS Fullerton Classic on U Aug. 30 with a time of 19:09.4. She came back to compete in two 800m races during the track season, with a best time of 2:17.69 at the CSULAA N Invitational on March 7.

T High School: Ricks is a 2014 graduate of California High in San Ramon, Calif. She wasas a four- R time East Bay Athletic League 800m champion and was picked as a top 112525 high school athlete in 2012 in the East Bay....She was the California High trackrack and Y cross country team MVP four times. She served as the cross country andand track team captain. She competed in cross country her last two years of highgh school. She won the 3-mile cross country race at the Farmers Invite in 2013 withwith a time of 18:30.8. She had a 3-mile best of 18:01 to take fourth at the CIF NCSNCS Cross Country Championships, leading her team to a second-place finish. Rickscks had a 5K B best of 18:51 to place 67th at the California Cross Country State Meet. IInn track, she qualified for the state meet three times and has an 800m PR of 2:09.52 too win the NCS Meet of Champions in 2012....Her time set a school record and is the eighth-fastesteighth-fastest I in the history of the North Coast Section. She was 21st in the 800m racece at the 2014 CIF Championships with a time of 2:17.82. She placed 21st in the milele race with a O time of 5:05.07 at the 2014 Stanford Invitational...Her 1600m best is 4:59.259.25 set at the EBAL Finals and in her only 3200m race, had a time of 11:04.16 to place second at the G 2014 Dublin Distance Fiesta. Ricks was named the 2013-2014 Danville RRotaryotary Female Athlete of the Year. She was a 4.1 GPA Scholar Athlete and had a 4.3 GPAPA as a jjunior.unior. Was a National Honors Society and California Scholarship Federation member.ember. Ricks R played basketball as a freshman and sophomore. A Personal: Madison was born on Oct. 20, 1996 in San Ramon, Calif...Her parentsrents are MatthewMatthew anandd P Collette Ricks and she has one brother, Dalton, who graduated from USC....ListsC....Lists herher sportssports hero as Louie Zamperini...Lists her hobbies as playing sports, paddle boarding, going onon hikes andand spending time with H family and friends...Helped teach Sunday School at her church...Wouldd like to traveltravel to TheThe NetherlandsNetherlands where her grandparents immigrated from and where her mom’s sidee of the familyfaf mily is from...After she I earns her undergraduate degree from USC she plans to earn an MBA...shehe would also like to compete in the

E Madison Ricks Cross Country Results S Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time 2014 Aug. 30 CS Fullerton Classic (5K) 20th 19:09.4

2015 Sept. 5 UC Irvine Invitational (5K) 44th 19:31.21 Sept. 18 Aztec Invitational (5K) 26th 19:38.52 Oct. 3 UNLV Invitational (5K) 14th 18:46.1 Oct. 17 Highlander Invitational (5K) 23rd 18:33.70

12 MMIKAELAIKAELA SSMITHMITH Ht. - 5-7 Birthdate - 7/4/97 Class - Sophomore Hometown - Fresno, Calif. Best 5K time - 18:50.92, HIghlander Invitational (10/17/15) C Best 6K time - 24:00.00, Pac-12 Championships (10/30/15) R O S S At USC: Mikaela Smith is beginning her second season as a cross country runner forr USC. 2015: She competed in cross country for the first time in her career and ran fourour races for USC. Opened her collegiate career with a time of 19:50.04 to place 37th7th at the Aztec Invitational on Sept. 18. Had a season-best 5K of 18:50.92 to placee 35th at C the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 17. Was one of six Trojans to competee at the Pac-12 Championships in Seattle, Wash. on Oct. 30 and posted a time of 24:00.04:00.00 O in her first 6K race. Excelled in track and field, running the seventh-fastestastest 800m race ever by a USC woman of 2:05.33 in the Pac-12 semifinals on Mayy 14.14. U

High School: N Smith is a 2015 graduate of Clovis North High in Clovis, Calif. She did nnotot compete in cross country. In track, she won the 800m race at the CIF Statetate T Meet in 2013 and 2014 and had the second-fastest qualifying time for the finalsfinals in 2015, but tripped and was disqualified in the finals. She owns an 800m PRPR of 2:06.85 R set in winning the state championship on June 7, 2014. She also has a 1500m500m PR of 4:55.14. Smith won the CIF Central Section 800m title all three seasons inn whichwhich sheshe competed (2013-15). As a freshman she ran the 400m race and won the CIFCIF Central Y Section title with a PR of 55.34. Smith won the CIF state indoor title in the 6600m00m raracece with a time of 1:28.87 in 2013 (current teammate Rebekah Ent was second).d). B Personal: Mikaela was born on July 4, 1997 in Fresno, Calif...Her parents are MichaelMichael and Debbie Smith and she has one sibling, Tyler...Volunteers at her church andnd serves as I a bible study teacher...Like Netflix...Her favorite things to eat are Mexicancan food and Cinnabons....Would like to travel in the future....After USC she would like to compete in O the Olympics and change people’s lives as a doctor...She is majoring in HumanHuman Biology.Biology. G R A P H I E S

Mikaela Smith Cross Country Results Date Meet (Distance) Finish Time 2015 Sept. 18 Aztec Invitational (5K) 37th 19:50.04 Oct. 3 UNLV Invitational (5K) 26th 19:13.1 Oct. 17 Highlander Invitational (5K) 35th 18:50.92 Oct. 30 Pac-12 Championships (6K) 104th 24:00.00

13

KKAMRYNAMRYN WWEBEREBER Ht. - 5-6 Birthdate - 11/8/97 Class - Freshman Hometown - Frisco, Texas C Best 5K time - 19:32.2, UIL Region II XC Finals (11/1/14) R O S S At USC: Kamryn Weber begins her first season of running cross country for USC.

High School: C Weber is a 2016 graduate of Frisco High in Frisco, Texas. She competed in cross country and track and field for the Raccoons. She was named Texas All-State in track in 2015 and track Academic All-State in 2016. She had a best 5K time as a senior of O 20:20.5 at the Southlake Carrol Invite on Sept. 3. Had a personal best 5K time as a junior with a time of 19:32.2 to place 17th at the UIL Region II XC Championships on Nov. 1, 2014. In track as a senior, she finished third in the 800m with a season- U best time of 2:16.82 at the UIL Region II Championships on April 30. She has an 800m best of 2:15.34 in placing fourth at N the UIL 5A State Championships on May 16, 2015. Personal: T Kamryn was born on November 8, 1997 in Plano, Texas...Her parents are Bryan and Denise Weber and she has a younger sister, Jordyn...Kamryn is majoring in Human Biology at USC...Her hobbies include reading, camping and traveling...Lists R Pirates of the Carribean as her favorite movie...Says Michael Johnson is her sports hero as he was a great athlete and has transitioned into a smart and solid business career...Her favorite food is pickles...Some day would like to travel to Peru... Y After USC she would like to work internationally as a PT for elite athletes.

B I O G R A P H I E S

14 TTROJANROJAN FAMILY:FAMILY Coach Freeman gives instruction prior to the 2015 season opener at UC Irvine.

TThehe SSeniorseniors TThehe JJuniorsuniors

TThehe SSophomoresophomores TThehe FFreshmenreshmen

TTROJANSROJANS ALWAYSALWAYS TTOUGHOUGH ININ THETHE CLASSROOM,CLASSROOM, TOO:TOO The Trojans always are strongly represented on the Pac-12 All-Acadmeic team and this year’s team enters the season with almost every returning runner maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

In the 2010-11 school year, the cross country team had the best GPA among USC’s women’s sports and was presented a letter of recognition by USC president C.L. Max Nikias at the Founders Club at the Galen Cener. The cross country team has also routinely been given an NCAA Public Recognition Award, bestowed to those teams that have an NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate in the Top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

In 2013, Jackie Dion was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic first team, while nine other Trojans were selected as honorable mention. Last season USC had three cross country team members named honorable mention on the 2015 Pac-12 T&F All-Academic team: Madison Ricks, Natasha Strickland and Jenna Tong. To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter or significant contributor.

The Trojan cross country runners have earned 31 Pac-12 All-Academic honors in the last five seasons. In 2011, Zara Lukens was named to the First Team as well as being named a Renaissance Scholar, an academic honor that is award- ed to select undergraduate students who graduate with a major and a minor (or two majors) in widely separated fields of study.

15 CROSS COUNTRY SCORING

Team Competition: A cross country team may consist of 12 runners, or more if otherwise agreed upon by the teams competing.

Team Scoring: All runners who finish a race shall be given an overall finish place. However, only the first seven runners on any one team may be used in scoring places. An order for team-finish placing is established by removing all runners behind the top seven finishers on each team. Those teams not finishing at least five runners likewise shall not be included in the order of team finish.

The score shall be determined by totaling the points of the first five runners of each team to finish. The team scoring the lower number of points shall be the winner. For example, a team with runners finishing 1, 5, 7,24, 39 for a total of 76 would defeat a team with runners finishing 2, 3, 4, 48, 52 for a total of 109.

Although the sixth and seventh runners of a team to finish do not score points toward their team’s total, their places, if better than those of any of the first five of an opposing team, serve to increase the team score of the opponents.

Ties in team scoring shall not be broken, except for advancement to the championship finals.

The start of the 2009 Pac-10 Championships hosted by USC at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach, Calif. This year the conference championships will be hosted by Arizona at the Ran- dolph North Golf Course in Tucson, Ariz. on Oct. 28.

16 2015 Cross Country Recap

- Veterans Berdousi And Tong Lead The Way; Ent Demonstrates Keep Piece To Future Foundation -

USC’s young cross country team under the leadership of head coach David Freeman was led by seniors Katerina Berdousi and Jenna Tong, and redshirt sophomore Rebekah Ent.

Berdousi had a strong senior season to lead the Trojans, leading the team in five of six meets during the season. Also, the senior Tong was among USC’s top runners all season, leading USC at the Aztec Invitational.

USC developed a strong core of newcomers led by the transfer Ent who was the Trojans’ second finisher at the West Regional. USC also introduced a talented group of freshmen including Rachel Glynn, Amber Gore, Lauren Maurer and Mikaela Smith. Another frehsman Sophia Racette was injured and could not compete during the cross country season, but figures to be a key member in the future.

USC opened the season by posting the best score by a Division I school at the UC Irvine Invitational on Sept. 5, with Berdousi and Gore finishing as the top two Trojans. USC then placed fifth at the Aztec Invitational with Tong leading the way, followed closely by Berdousi and Ent, appearing in her first race for USC. Berdousi then finished second overall and USC tied for second at the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. The Trojans closed out the regular season with a fifth-place finish at the Highlander Invita- tional, as Berdousi (13th) led the Trojans who had five finishers in the top 25.

USC placed 12th at the Pac-12 Championships hosted by Washington State with Berdousi the top Trojan in 57th place. Berdousi, Tong and Ent then represented USC at the West Regional, but the Trojans did not send enough runners to figure in the team scor- ing.

L-R: Rebekah Ent, Jenna Tong & Katerina Berdousi represented USC at 2015 West Regional.

Meet Top Trojan - Place Team Finish UC Irvine Invitational (5K) Berdousi - 5th 7th (1st DI) Aztec Inviational (5K) Tong - 18th 5th UNLV Invitational (5K) Berdousi - 2nd T-2nd Highlander Invitational (5K) Berdousi - 13th 3rd ------Pac-12 Championships (6K) Berdousi - 57th 12th NCAA West Regional (6K) Berdousi - 103rd ---

17 HISTORY OF CROSS COUNTRY AT USC The Trojans’ history in cross country in the Pac-12 has been limited in team competition. The men competed in the Pac-10 from 1969 to 1972 and then again from 1985 to 1993. Their highest finish was fourth place in 1969 and 1971.

The women began fielding a cross country team in the Pac-10 in 1990. The Women of Troy had their highest league finish in 1996 and 1997, when they took sixth-place in the Pac-10 Cross Country Championships.

Tom Walsh took over as head coach in 1993 and was able to move the team out of the conference cellar after it had finished last in the conference the first five seasons. The Women of Troy’s fledgling program had fin- ished between sixth and eighth place all but three seasons between 1995-2007. USC finished eighth in 2007 as Sarah Cocco placed 11th and was named second team All-Pac-10 Conference. She then placed 18th at the West Regional and was invited to compete at the 2007 NCAA Championships. The Trojans placed 9th in 2008 in a highly contested finish with teams 5-9, as Zsofia Erdelyi was Troy’s top finisher at 17th. She went on to take 8th at the West Regional and was invited to the NCAA Championships where she placed 120th. Erdelyi again led USC at the Pac-10 Championships in 2009 (22nd) and 2010 (14th), while the team placed ninth and 10th respectively. David Freeman took over the program in 2013 and began laying the foundation for the future.

In six of the last 14 seasons, the Trojans have qualified a runner for the NCAA Championships, with Sarah Ellis (2001), Brooke Thomas (2002), Vashchuk (2003-04), Cocco (2007) and Erdelyi (2008). Emebet Shiferaw, who finished 51st in 1995 and seventh in 1996 at the NCAAs, is the only Women of Troy cross country runner to be an All-American (1996). Her time of 17:53 in 1996 was second among all Pac-10 runners, as Arizona’s Amy Skieresz won the national title.

Since 1998, the Trojans have placed 11 runners on the Pac-10 women’s cross country All-Academic first team, led by Kate Neeper, who was a first-team selection from 2003-05, Chanel Fischetti in 2007, Zara Lukens in 2008 and 2009 and Katherine Ellis in 2009.

The Trojans’ only NCAA champion in cross country was Max Truex, who won the individual men’s title in 1957. Men’s cross country has been an NCAA sanctioned sport since 1938 and women’s cross country began in 1981.

TROJAN CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS QUALIFYING FOR THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 1990 Amy Goodwin 1995 Emebet Shiferaw 1996 Emebet Shiferaw (Cross Country All-American) 2001 Sarah Ellis 2002 Brooke Thomas 2003 Iryna Vashchuk 2004 Iryna Vashchuk 2007 Sarah Cocco 2008 Zsofia Erdelyi Emebet Shiferaw Brooke Thomas Iryna Vashchuk

18 Team photo taken at the USC Out of the Blocks Banquet following the cross country season.

Zsofi a Tina Erdelyi Kefalas

USC cross country alumni Zsofia Erdelyi (Hungary) and Tina Kefalas (Greece) represented the Trojans at the 2012 London Olympics in the marathon. USC was the only school in the country with two runners qualified for the Olympic marathon race in London. Erdelyi competed again at the 2016 Rio Olympics and placed 52nd.