Women's Water Polo | April 23, 2024
LOS ANGELES — USC Athletics celebrated the achievements of its 2023-24 teams and student-athletes by bringing back the Tommy Awards event, holding this year's ceremony on Monday (April 22) at Bovard Auditorium with athletes, coaches and staff from all 23 USC teams in attendance. Featuring Yogi Roth as emcee, winners were presented awards as voted upon by their fellow student-athletes. USC President Carol Folt was in attendance to present the Academic Excellence Awards to women's beach volleyball and to men's swimming and diving, and Director of Athletics Jen Cohen presented the Female and Male Athlete of the Year awards to
JuJu Watkins and for
Caleb Williams, respectively.
With organizing support from USC's Trojan Athletic Senate members, the 2023-24 Tommy Awards also featured recognition for Overcoming Adversity, Best Plays, Celebrations, Top Newcomers and Most Inspirational Teams, along with more lighthearted superlative awards. See below for a full list of award finalists and winners for the 2023-24 Tommy Awards.
2023-24 TOMMY AWARDS
Athlete of the Year from a Female Team
WINNER: JuJu Watkins (basketball)
• Nation's second leading scorer with 27.1 points per game, broke the USC record for single-season scoring (920 points) and single-game scoring (51 points at Stanford)
• Named the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year, and was USC's first First Team All-American since Tina Thompson in 1997
• Set USC record with 14 games of 30 or more points scored
FINALISTS:
Delaynie Maple (beach volleyball)
• AVCA All-American and a two-time team captain, Maple's 118-career wins ranks eighth in USC history.
Allie Jones (track & field)
• Set the school pentathlon record, earned indoor All-America honors
Caroline Famous (swimming & diving)
• Became a five-time All-American as a senior - three first-team honors - and earned multiple Pac-12 Swimmer of the Week Honors and helping USC to two Pac-12 relay titles.
Skylar Fields (volleyball)
• A three-time AVCA All-American and the 2023 Pacific Region Player of the Year.
Nike Agunbiade (swimming & diving)
• Outscored all other Pac-12 divers at the 2024 NCAA Championships; finished third in the three-meter diving event at NCAAs, earning first-team All-America honors in the event.
• First African American student-athlete to ever win three Pac-12 Diving titles; the first to win back-to-back Pac-12 platform diving titles and the first ever to win the Pac-12 Diver of the Year Award
Athlete of the Year from a Male Team
WINNER: Caleb Williams (football)
• The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, he holds the USC single-season records for total offense (4,919 yards), most touchdowns scored rushing and passing (52), passing completions (333), passes attempted (500), most passing yards gained (4,537), most touchdown passes thrown (42), lowest rate of interceptions (1%, 5 in 500 attempts) and highest passing efficiency rating (168.5).
• In 2023, he ranked No. 3 in the nation in scoring offense (41.8), No. 3 in team passing efficiency (170.88), No. 5 in passing offense (333.0) and No. 10 in total offense (467.6).
• His 382 rushing yards in 2022 were the most by a Trojan quarterback in the last 70 years when complete records were first available.
FINALISTS:
Krzysztof Chmielewski (swimming & diving)
• First team All-American as a freshman (1650y freestyle) and second team honors in the 200y fly; Scored the most points for USC out of all student-athletes at the NCAA Championships
Johnny Brackins Jr. (track & field)
• Set the USC indoor long jump record and ran the second-fastest 60m hurdles time ever by a Trojan. Earned Indoor All-America honors in both
Carson Kranz (water polo)
• All-America Second Team, MPSF and NCAA All-Tournament second teams, All-MPSF First Team; third leading scorer in 2023
Dillon Klein (volleyball)
• An AVCA All-America honorable mention choice and the MPSF All-Conference second team selection in 2023.
Newcomer of the Year from a Female Team
CO-WINNER: JuJu Watkins (basketball)
• Broke the national record for scoring by a freshman
• Set a Pac-12 record with 14 Pac-12 Freshman of the Week selections
• Won the USWBA Tamika Catchings Award - National Women's Freshman Player of the Year
CO-WINNER: Minna Abraham (swimming & diving)
• 5x first-team All-American and earned second team honors in the 800y freestyle relay.
• Pac-12 Freshman Swimmer of the Year, won two individual Pac-12 titles and helped USC to three Pac-12 relay titles
FINALISTS:
Ava Stryker (water polo)
• MPSF Newcomer of the Week; one of USC's top scorers
London Wijay (volleyball)
• Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection who reclassified to join USC in the fall of 2023 following her junior year of high school and played in 22 matches to collect 191 kills, 12 service aces, and 169 digs.
Maribel Flores (soccer)
• Became the fifth Trojan to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, while also being named a Freshman All-American; Was tied for the team lead with six goals, leading all Pac-12 freshmen
Newcomer of the Year from a Male Team
WINNER: Zachariah Branch (football)
• USC's first-ever true freshman First Team All-American, he won the Jet Award presented annually to the nation's most outstanding return specialist.
• Also was the first Trojan since Adoree' Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a TD, as well as at least one receiving TD in the same season.
FINALISTS:
Isaiah Collier (basketball)
• Named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team
• 6th all-time by a USC in scoring average (16.3 points per game)...also fifth in FTs made and seventh in assists
• Finished with the sixth-highest scoring average among all Division I freshmen
Krzysztof Chmielewski (swimming & diving)
• First team All-American as a freshman (1650y freestyle) and second team honors in the 200y fly; Scored the most points for USC out of all student-athletes at the NCAA Championships
Wesley Smith (volleyball)
• The No. 1-rated recruit of the 2024 freshman class by VolleyballMag.com and has appeared in 20 matches for the Trojans.
Racquil Broderick (track & field)
• Set the USC freshman discus throw record and has the second-farthest throw in school history, just off the record set in 1967
Overcoming Adversity from a Female Team
Aaliyah Gayles (basketball)
• The victim of multiple gunshot wounds in a shooting at a house party as a high school senior
• A McDonald's All-American out of Las Vegas, she suffered fractures in both arms and both legs and endured multiple surgeries to repair the damage.
• Redshirted her first season at USC for physical therapy, rehab and follow-up surgeries.
• On Nov. 10, 2023, she checked in for her first minutes on-court in a USC basketball uniform to a standing ovation — and tears — from her team, support staff and fans.
• A little over two weeks later, Aaliyah hit her first 3-pointer as a Trojan, with the USC bench erupting in support of their beloved, charismatic and determined teammate.
Overcoming Adversity from a Male Team
Morgan Fierro (track & Field)
• Competed at a high level while his mother and father both battled with cancer
• Ran the eighth-fastest indoor 1-mile race in USC history
• Ran the second-fastest indoor 3000m race in school history
Bronny James (basketball)
• Just as he was beginning his freshman year at USC, had a medical procedure following a reported cardiac arrest that was likely due to a congenital heart defect
• Made his college debut on December 10, scoring his first career 3-pointer at Galen Center
• Scored a career-high 15 points at Oregon State two weeks later
Best Play from a Female Team
WINNER: Jasmine Jones (track & field): NCAA Indoor 60m hurdles champ
FINALISTS:
Minna Abraham (swimming): beating Stanford 400 free relay by 0.02 seconds
Julia Janov (water polo): full-court buzzer-beater shot against Cal
India Otto (basketball): March Madness 3-pointer
Best Play from a Male Team
WINNER: Johnny Brackins Jr. (track & field): USA Indoor long jump champion
FINALISTS:
Ben Dillard (swimming): school record in 200 IM at Texas Invite
Zachariah Branch (football): 95-yard KR TD against SJSU
Eric Hubner (water polo): First USC goalie to score a goal in school history
Best Celebration from a Female Team
WINNER: India Otto (basketball): Team reaction to March Madness 3-pointer
FINALISTS:
Caroline Famous (swimming): Reaction to PB and finals placement in NCAA 50 freestyle
Jasmine Jones (track & field): Celebrating 60m hurdles NCAA indoor title
Parker Fry (tennis): Fist pump celebration
Best Celebration from a Male Team
WINNER: Austin Stuard (volleyball): Being tossed in the air during a victory celebration
FINALISTS:
Zach Bettino (water polo): "Putting the Cardinal to sleep" following a game-winning OT goal against Stanford
Zachariah Branch (football): Celebrating his 75-yard PR TD against Stanford
Antonio Safa (golf): "Vamos" celebration
TEAM AWARDS
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE (Highest overall academic performance)
Women: BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Men: SWIMMING & DIVING
MOST INSPIRATIONAL TEAM
Women: BASKETBALL
• Picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12, earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and won the championship
• Earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986 and reached the Elite Eight for the first time in 30 years
• Finished 29-6 overall to record the most wins since 1986, beating Stanford twice in a season for the first time since 1986-87.
Men: TRACK & FIELD
• Team tied for 7th at the NCAA Indoor Championships
•
Johnny Brackins Jr. set the USC indoor long jump record and ran the second-fastest 60m hurdles time ever by a Trojan. He finished second in the 60m hurdles and fourth in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships
•
Travis Williams in the 60m and
William Jones in the 400m both place 4th at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Both also posted the second-fastest time by a Trojan ever in their respective events
•
Racquil Broderick set the USC freshman record with a discus throw of 204-6 which ranks second overall on the USC all-time list
•
Johnnie Blockburger leads the Pac-12 in the 200m and 400m and ranks fourth nationally in both events;
JC Stevenson leads the country in the long jump
SUPERLATIVE AWARDS
Most Likely to Stay in Hollywood
•
Miller Moss (football) and
Anicka Delgado (swimming)
Best Game Day Fit
•
Boogie Ellis (basketball) and
Temi Ojora (track & field)
Most Likely to Come Back as a Coach
•
Connor Clift (baseball) and
Delaynie Maple (beach volleyball)
Most Likely to Succeed as a Content Creator
•
L Simpson (football) and
Kait Devir (lacrosse)
