(L-R) Michael Cherry, Wil London, Rai Benjamin and Fred Kerley celebrate winning gold in the men's 4x400-meter at the IAAF World Championships on Oct. 6, 2019 in Doha, Qatar.
University of Southern California fans had plenty of reasons to cheer at the track and field world championships that wrapped up on Sunday in Doha, Qatar.
So did fans of Tennessee, Florida, Baylor and a whole host of other U.S. schools. The members of Team USA had ties to 74 different colleges and universities, and 24 of those were represented on the medal stand as American athletes collected a meet-leading 29 medals.
USC, which has produced the third-most U.S. Olympians overall and second-most U.S. Olympic track and field athletes of all time, led the way at these world championships with the most medals overall (eight) and gold medals (seven).
USC products who won gold were Allyson Felix in the mixed 4x400-meter and women’s 4x400, Dalilah Muhammad in the women’s 400-meter hurdles and women’s 4x400, Nia Ali in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, Rai Benjamin in the men’s 4x400-meter and Kendall Ellis in the women’s 4x400. Benjamin also added a silver medal in the men’s 400-meter hurdles.
The Trojans were followed by Tennessee and Texas A&M with four and Louisiana State with three gold medals each.
Two Tennessee athletes won a total of four medals. The competition to find the world’s fastest man came down to former Volunteers Christian Coleman and Justin Gatlin, who took gold and silver, respectively, in the men’s 100-meter event. The two were also part of the gold-medal winning men’s 4x100-meter team. Nathan Strother also contributed to the gold-medal men’s 4x400 team.
Texas also racked up five total medals. Longhorns on the medal stand included Courtney Okolo in the mixed 4x400 and women’s 4x400, Ryan Crouser, who won silver in men’s shot put, and teammates Teahna Daniels and Morolake Akinosun, who won bronze in the women’s 4x100.
Texas A&M athletes had five medals, too, with Donavan Brazier winning the first-ever gold medal by a U.S. athlete in the men’s 800-meter, Fred Kerley winning gold with the men’s 4x400-meter team as well as bronze in the men’s 400-meter, and Jessica Beard contributing golds in both the mixed 4x400 and women’s 4x400.
Meanwhile, Kentucky alumni celebrated the achievements of Sydney McLaughlin, who won silver in the women’s 400-meter hurdles as well as gold in the women’s 4x400-meter, Keni Harrison, who won silver in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, and Dezerea Bryant, who won bronze with the women’s 4x100 team.
After USC, Tennessee and Texas A&M, Louisiana State was next on the gold-medal list, with all three of its medals being that color thanks to Michael Cherry in the mixed 4x400 and men’s 4x400 and Vernon Norwood in the latter.
Florida athletes collected three medals in total, with Christian Taylor taking gold in the triple jump, Grant Holloway winning gold in the men’s 110-meter hurdles and Will Claye taking silver in the men’s triple jump.
Oregon athletes also took three medals: Phyllis Francis, gold in women’s 4x400, Raevyn Rogers, silver in women’s 800, and Cravon Gillespie, gold in men’s 4x100.
Baylor (Wil London, gold in mixed 4x400 and men’s 4x400), South Carolina State (Tyrell Richard, gold in mixed 4x400 and men’s 4x400) and Arkansas (Sandi Morris, silver in women’s pole vault; Kiara Parker, bronze in women’s 4x100-meter) had two medals each.
The following schools’ athletes won one medal: Southern Illinois (DeAnna Price, gold in women’s hammer), Mississippi (Sam Kendricks, gold in men’s pole vault), Penn State (Joe Kovacs, gold in men’s shot put), Lindenwood University (Mike Rodgers, gold in men’s 4x100), South Carolina (Wadeline Jonathas, gold in women’s 4x400), Princeton University (Jasmine Blocker, gold in mixed 4x400), Tulane University (Jasmine Blocker, gold in mixed 4x400), University of Houston (Obi Igbokwe, gold in mixed 4x400), Stillman College (Jeff Henderson, silver in men’s long jump), Colorado (Emma Coburn, silver in women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase), Iowa (Brittany Brown, silver in women’s 200-meter), Temple (Ajeé Wilson, bronze in women’s 800-meter) and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Vashti Cunningham, bronze in women’s high jump).
Out of the 74 universities represented at the world championships, Oregon and Texas had the most athletes with eight apiece, and USC was close behind with seven.
Seven of the athletes who were members of Team USA won NCAA titles this year: Holloway and Jonathas as well as Daniel Haugh (Kennesaw State), Bryce Hoppel (Kansas), Laulauga Tausaga (Iowa), Allie Ostrander (Boise State) and Angie Annelus (USC).
Additionally, the head coaches were Bonnie Edmondson of Trinity College and Robert Gary of Furman University.
Arkansas
Sandi Morris – silver: women’s pole vault
Kiara Parker – bronze: women’s 4x100-meter
Baylor
Wil London – gold: mixed 4x400-meter, men’s 4x400-meter
Colorado
Emma Coburn – silver: women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase
Florida
Will Claye – silver: men’s triple jump
Grant Holloway – gold: men’s 110-meter hurdles
Christian Taylor – gold: men’s triple jump
Houston
Obi Igbokwe – gold: mixed 4x400-meter
Iowa
Brittany Brown – silver: women’s 200-meter
Kentucky
Dezerea Bryant – bronze: women’s 4x100-meter
Keni Harrison – silver: women’s 100-meter hurdles
Sydney McLaughlin – gold: women’s 4x400-meter, silver: women’s 400-meter hurdles
Lindenwood
Michael Rodgers – gold: men’s 4x100-meter
Louisiana State
Michael Cherry – gold: mixed 4x400-meter, men’s 4x400-meter
Vernon Norwood – gold: men’s 4x400-meter
Mississippi
Sam Kendricks – gold: men’s pole vault
Oregon
Phyllis Francis – gold: women’s 4x400-meter
Cravon Gillespie – gold: men’s 4x100-meter
Raevyn Rogers – silver: women’s 800-meter
Penn State
Joe Kovacs – gold: men’s shot put
Princeton
Jasmine Blocker – gold: mixed 4x400-meter
South Carolina
Wadeline Jonathas – gold: women’s 4x400-meter
South Carolina State
Tyrell Richard – gold: mixed 4x400-meter, men’s 4x400-meter
Southern Illinois
DeAnna Price – gold: women’s hammer throw
Stillman College
Jeff Henderson – silver: men’s long jump
Temple
Ajeé Wilson – bronze: women’s 800-meter
Tennessee
Christian Coleman – gold: men’s 100-meter, men’s 4x100-meter
Justin Gatlin – gold: men’s 4x100-meter, silver: men’s 100-meter
Nathan Strother – gold: men’s 4x400-meter
Texas
Morolake Akinosun – bronze: women’s 4x100-meter
Ryan Crouser – silver: men’s shot put
Teahna Daniels – bronze: women’s 4x100-meter
Courtney Okolo – gold: mixed 4x400-meter, women’s 4x400-meter
Texas A&M
Jessica Beard – gold: mixed 4x400-meter, women’s 4x400-meter
Donavan Brazier – gold: men’s 800-meter
Fred Kerley – gold: men’s 4x400-meter, bronze: men’s 400-meter
Tulane
Jasmine Blocker – gold: mixed 4x400-meter
UNLV
Vashti Cunningham – bronze: women’s high jump
USC
Nia Ali – gold: women’s 100-meter hurdles
Rai Benjamin – gold: men’s 4x400-meter, silver: men’s 400-meter hurdles
Kendall Ellis – gold: women’s 4x400-meter
Allyson Felix – gold: mixed 4x400-meter, women’s 4x400-meter
Dalilah Muhammad – gold: women’s 400-meter hurdles, women’s 4x400-meter
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
