USC graduate sprinter Johnnie Blockburger had a successful outing at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque last weekend, setting the NCAA and world-leading time this indoor season in the 200-meter dash with a personal best of 20.34 seconds. When converted to account for altitude, his time comes out to 20.41 seconds — still the current world-leading time, according to USC Track & Field.
“I think it’s really impressive, this early in the year especially, to run this fast,” said NCAA reporter Stan Becton. He referenced how this year is unique given that the World Championships are slightly later than usual with “a lot of people getting into the full swing of the season a little bit later. So, for him to have the world lead [this early] is really impressive.”
Blockburger’s altitude-converted season lead in the men’s indoor 200-meter is by a margin of 0.04 seconds over junior sprinter Wanya McCoy of the University of Florida, who marked his time of 20.45 seconds at the Razorback Invitational on January 31, according to the Track & Field Results Reporting System.
Blockburger’s record-setting time in the 200-meter race earned him first place in the event in Albuquerque. Fellow Trojan and sophomore sprint Eddie Nketia placed ninth in the same event, with a time of 21.00 seconds. USC was among 20 teams competing in the meet.
Blockburger was a double threat last weekend in New Mexico, also placing first in the second of his two events, winning the 400-meter dash on Saturday with a time of 45.45 seconds. Blockburger’s time in the 400-meter race “moved him from ninth to third on USC’s all-time indoor list,” per USC Track & Field.
“Because he also runs in the 400-meters, his current lead in the 200-meters will give him a good indication of which to do [for championship season] because doubling in the 200 and 400 in the indoor season can be difficult,” Becton said. He cited the quick turnaround between the two events in indoor meets as the logistical challenge.
The 400-meter invitational in Albuquerque was a 1-2-3 sweep for the Trojans led by Blockburger, with sophomore sprinter Jacob Andrews and junior sprinter William Jones rounding out the top three in the event, respectively. While Blockburger’s time in the 400-meter dash didn’t earn him the same current world lead he holds in the 200-meter, Johnnie’s altitude-adjusted time of 45.56 seconds is tied for third in the current season leads in the event.
The 400-meter dash has traditionally been Blockburger’s stronger event of the two — it’s the event he won the 2021 Pac-12 individual title in as a freshman at the University of Arizona. More recently, he advanced to the semifinals in the 400-meter category at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials. However, his success so far early in the 2025 NCAA indoor track season has come primarily from the 200-meter race where he placed third in the event at the Red Raider Invite on January 24.
With over two months until the conclusion of the indoor track and field season, with the NCAA Championships beginning March 14, it will be a test of time to see if Blockburger’s current lead in the 200-meter stands. Regardless of the longevity of Blockburger’s lead, his times are a telling indication of his potential and strengths as a sprinter with Becton calling him, “one you have to watch for championship season.”
USC’s next meet is this upcoming weekend, when the Trojans travel to South Carolina for the Tiger Paw Invitational, hosted by Clemson.