Watch USC’s relay team make an incredible comeback to win a national title

Reporting from EUGENE, Ore. —  USC won the meet-ending 1,600-meter relay to beat Georgia by a point Saturday for the NCAA Division I women’s outdoor track and field title.

Kendall Ellis anchored the Trojans to victory at Hayward Field, rallying to edge Purdue’s Jahneya Mitchell at the finish line. USC won in 3 minutes, 27.06 seconds, and Purdue finished in 3:27.13.

That gave the Trojans 53 team points, one more than Georgia and two ahead of Stanford, which didn’t have entries in the relay.

Oregon pulled off the same feat in 2017, winning the final relay to beat Georgia by 1.8 points.

Saturday, USC got a win from Anglerne Annelus in the 200 (22.76), seconds from Ellis (400) and Anna Cockrell (400 hurdles) and a third from its 400 relay.

Georgia was denied its second team title of the meet after the Bulldogs claimed the men’s Friday.

Georgia’s Keturah Orji was a double-winner in the long jump (21 feet, 10} inches) and triple jump (46-3/4), claiming her fourth triple jump title. Teammate Lynna Irby set a meet record with a win in the 400 (49.80) and was later third in the 200.

Stanford went 1-2 in the javelin with Mackenzie Little (198-0) and Jenna Gray (187-11). The Cardinal also got third-place finishes from Elise Cranny (1,500) and Valarie Allman (discus).

Kentucky was fourth at 46 points. The Wildcats’ Olivia Gruver repeated as the pole vault champion, winning at 14-11 despite needing a third-attempt clearance at her opening height of 13-7 1/4 to continue.

Teammate Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took her second 100 hurdles crown (12.70). Kentucky’s Sydney McLaughlin won the 400 hurdles (43.96) after setting the NCAA overall mark of 52.75 in May.

LSU won the 4100 relay in 42.25 after setting the Hayward record at 42.09 in a Thursday semifinal. The same team — Mikiah Brisco, Kortnei Johnson, Rachel Misher and Aleia Hobbs — set the NCAA overall record (42.05) last month. Hobbs later won the 100 in 11.01.

Mississippi’s Janeah Stewart won the hammer by two inches at 239-2.

In a race in which the first six athletes went under the previous meet record, Sharon Lokedi of Kansas won the 10,000 in 32:09.20.

Arizona State’s Maggie Ewen won the shot put (62-10 3/4) and discus (198-5). She is the NCAA record-holder in the shot put (63-10 1/4).

Missouri’s Karissa Schweizer repeated as the 5,000 champion (15:41.58) to claim her sixth national title. Boise State’s Allie Ostrander won her second straight 3,000 steeplechase title (9:39.28).

Wisconsin’s Georgia Ellenwood won the seven-event heptathlon with 6,146 points.