CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 14, 2025 — The University of South Florida track and field program is set to compete at the 2025 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 15–17. After claiming the 2025 AAC Indoor Championship earlier this year, the men's team are aiming for their fourth consecutive conference title and their second straight outdoor championship. 

With another championship victory, the men's track and field team would become just the third program in AAC history to repeat as outdoor champions, joining Houston (2016–21) and Wichita State (2022–23). 

Additionally, a win this weekend would make the Bulls the second team in conference history to capture four consecutive championships—indoor and outdoor combined—joining Houston in that distinction.

The championship meet will be held at the Irwin Belk Track & Field Center and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ throughout all three days.  It marks the first time the AAC championship will be held in the state of North Carolina.

Coverage will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, followed by a 10 a.m. start Friday and a 2:30 p.m. start on Saturday. Play-by-play commentary will be provided by Noah Frary, with Bryan Fetzer serving as the analyst and Kendall Smith reporting from the field.

Led by Director of Track & Field and Cross Country coach Erik Jenkins, the Bulls enter the championship weekend ranked No. 13 nationally and are coming off one of the most dominant regular seasons in program history.  

"Our athletes have embraced every challenge this season," Jenkins said. "We're proud of the records they've broken and the legacy they're building—but we're not done yet. Our focus is to compete at a high level at this meet and beyond."

This outdoor season, the Bulls have seen a series of program records fall across multiple events. Markel Jones opened the campaign by running a 13.66 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Alumni Invitational, setting a new school record in front of a home crowd and marking his third individual program record of the season. Jaleel Croal ran a wind-aided 10.05 in the 100-meter dash, a time that briefly stood as the NCAA's fastest time this season before being surpassed by teammate Abdul-Rasheed Saminu.

Saminu made headlines with a wind-aided 9.87 in the 100-meter dash, which remains the fastest time run in the NCAA this season and stands as a program record for the Bulls. He has been a consistent force for South Florida, earning multiple American Athletic Conference Track Athlete of the Week honors and claiming the 2025 indoor titles in both the 60-meter and 200-meter events. His performances earned him the Most Valuable Performer and Most Outstanding Performance awards at the indoor championships. 

In the throws, Jason Nwosu delivered a standout performance at the Pepsi Florida Relays, recording a 17.90-meter (58 feet, 8.75 inches) mark in the shot put to break the outdoor program record. Nwosu now holds both the indoor and outdoor school records in the event. On the women's side, Rushana Dwyer broke the 400-meter record with a time of 52.30 at the Pepsi Florida Relays. That mark added to her resume as she also holds the program's indoor record in the event this year.

Gabriel Moronta, a consistent performer throughout his career, shattered the school record in the men's 400-meter dash with a time of 45.31. The time currently ranks among the top performances nationally, and Moronta now owns both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter records for the Bulls. 

In the discus, senior Vincent Ugwoke showed steady progression by breaking his own program record twice during the outdoor season. He threw 62.72 meters (205 feet, 9 inches) at the South Florida Invitational before improving to 63.72 meters (209 feet, 0 inches) at the UNF East Coast Relays.

The Bulls have also excelled in relays. The men's 4x400-meter team of Corey Ottey, Gabriel Moronta, Devontie Archer and Alexavier Monfries set a new program record with a time of 3:02.13. The women's 4x400-meter squad—composed of Rushana Dwyer, Skyler Watts, Terren Peterson and Amenda Saint Louis—matched that success with a record-setting time of 3:29.07.

South Florida has remained nationally ranked in the top-15 throughout the duration of the outdoor season. With a combination of depth, elite performances, and momentum from the outdoor season, the Bulls enter the conference meet with strong aspirations to bring another title back to the Bulls' growing collection.

How It Works: All-Conference Selections and Major Awards
-All-conference performers will be the top three male and female finishers in each event. 

-A Men's and Women's Most Valuable Performance award will be given to the athlete, regardless of event group, who earns the most points at the meet. Relay events are worth one-quarter point per athlete.
-Men's and Women's Freshman of the Year honors will go to the freshman, in any discipline, who scores the most points at the meet. 

-The Men's and Women's Staff of the Year awards will be presented to the coaching staffs of the championship-winning teams.
Following the meet, a Men's and Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer and Field Performer will be announced based on NCAA performance list rankings prior to the NCAA Championship.

Fans can access live results HERE and meet information HERE.

ESPN+ Links
Thursday - https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=8b6dca39-2bd3-4c4e-8129-7aa49ac7cb88
Friday – https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=c8c46ffd-d5ae-4700-aed2-38dd99956b48
Saturday - https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=6a7ea6bb-213a-4a21-947b-68744ab24d77

For complete coverage of USF Track and Field, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Instagram). 

ABOUT USF TRACK AND FIELD
The USF men's track and field team captured back-to-back American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in 2024 and 2025 and also claimed the 2024 AAC Outdoor Championship. This past season, 10 Bulls athletes earned All-America honors, including Shevioe Reid, Shaniya Benjamin, Gabriel Moronta, Nathan Metelus, Terren Peterson, Amenda Saint Louis, Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, Goodness Iredia, Zahria Allers-Liburd, and Tre'Sean Bouis. Additionally, Romaine Beckford represented USF by winning the 2023 NCAA indoor and outdoor national titles in the men's high jump.

The Bulls' achievements extended to individual accolades, with Saminu Abdul-Rasheed earning the 2025 Indoor Most Valuable Performer award and Nikodem Pochopien being named Freshman of the Year. The USF coaching staff also received high honors, earning the AAC Indoor Staff of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025. USF boasts a remarkable track record, with 56 All-America selections and at least one All-American honoree in 10 of the past 12 years. In 2021, eight athletes combined for 11 All-America distinctions. Tampa native Shaniya Benjamin set a program milestone by earning three All-America honors during the 2021 outdoor season, while triple jumper Matthew O'Neal, a 2016 graduate, became USF's first six-time NCAA All-American. Since 2013, USF has produced two NCAA runner-up finishes: O'Neal in the triple jump (2016) and Courtney Anderson in the high jump (2013). Head coach Erik Jenkins, who took over in July 2019, has played a key role in the program's success, guiding USF to seven program records and 40 top-10 all-time program marks during the 2021 outdoor season. USF has also hosted major track and field events at its USF Track & Field Stadium, including the 2018 NCAA East Preliminary and the AAC Outdoor Championships in 2021 and 2023.