Good morning! It may be the offseason for Trojan football, but the team is still hungry for some competition. Check out this past ‘Competition Friday’ and how USC football stays competitive during practice.

What else can you find in today's Brew?

🤽‍♀️ Women’s water polo starts strong
👟 Track and field kicked off its 2024 season
⚔️ And much, much more!

Stock Up is sponsored by our friends at Cymbiotika, who are changing the health and wellness industry by creating clean, science-backed supplements and products you can comfortably use in everyday life. They only source the highest quality plant-based ingredients so your body absorbs everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t.

All season long receive 15% off on every order with code FIGHTON.

🔼 Oh So Close. USC women's basketball team took No. 3 Colorado down to the wire but came up just short of forcing overtime in a wild battle in Boulder that saw Colorado come away with the 63-59 win. Despite fouling out, Watkins led all scorers with 20 points and nabbed a game-high four steals. The Women of Troy also got 14 points from Taylor Bigby and 11 from McKenzie Forbes, who each hit three shots from beyond the arc.

Kayla Padilla knocked down a 3-pointer for the Trojans to make it a one-point margin with 15 seconds left, and after a single CU free throw fell USC had a look to tie it, but the ball ran past the Trojans to seal the game away. The team will head back to the Galen Center next week to host the Washington schools, facing Washington State at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28 followed by a bout against Washington at noon on Jan. 30.

🔼 First Point Challenge. USC men’s volleyball came out strong with a four-set victory over Ball State and capped it off with a five-set thriller against No. 4 ranked Ohio State to finish the weekend 1-1. Middle blocker Kyle Paulson topped his career high with 10 blocks and finished with 13.5 points on six kills and, two service aces. His 10-block total was the highest by a Trojan since Sam Lewis had 11 in a match in 2018. The 5-1 Trojans will return home to host CSUN at Galen Center on Wednesday.

🔼 Strong Starts. The top-ranked women's water polo team finished its season-opening matches with strong wins over No. 23 San Diego State 18-7 and Cal State Fullerton 16-3 at the Titan Invitational. The blend of veteran and newer talent proved a potent pairing, with three USC freshmen netting their first goals as Trojans during the second half while junior Honnie Vandeweghe-O'Shea had a hat trick

USC has two open scrimmages coming up next week, with tests against Occidental and Whittier set to take place Saturday (Jan. 27) starting at 9:30 a.m. at Uytengsu Aquatics Center.

🔼 From AZ. USC men’s basketball completed its Arizona road trip with a tough-fought loss against Arizona State. Vincent Iwuchukwu scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds and Kobe Johnson scored 13 for USC. Bronny James scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting and distributed five assists.

The Trojans were once again without starting guards Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis due to injuries. USC has now had players miss 38 games of action due to injury or illness. Next up, the Trojans will travel to Oregon to face the Ducks on Thursday.

🔼 Keep On Rolling. The No. 4 ranked Women of Troy continued its dominance this season with another win after defeating Pac-12 rival Washington State 133.50 – 104.50 on the road. The victory improved their record to a perfect 6-0 on the season with three duals remaining in the regular season.

USC sophomore Claire Tuggle smashed a pool record after clocking a 16:41.32 in the 1650y freestyle. Later, she claimed the 100y freestyle in 50.67 to bring her point total to 18 in the meet. USC redshirt junior Caroline Famous also continued her winning ways in the 100y backstroke and 200y backstroke, scoring 18 more points for her team. 

Today’s trivia question is brought to you by USC Credit Union. Built upon a tradition of trust, USC Credit Union is the only financial institution owner and operated by the Trojan Family. From full banking services with better rates and lower fees. to the best possible service, USC Credit Union members are equipped with the competitive edge to thrive. Become a member of our family and start your journey to financial wellness.

Dominant Performance. USC men’s tennis kicked off its dual season with a 7-0 sweep over LMU, winning each match of the contest. The No. 7 ranked team has serious players on its roster, including some that are ranked on a national level.

Our question today: can you name the three Trojans ranked in the top 100 singles in the nation?

Think you got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

⚔️ ONE BIG THING

The Trojans kicked off its 2024 track and field campaign at the Ted Nelson Invitational in College Station, TX and finished with:

• Six wins in different events

• Nine Trojans posting all-time top 10 marks

• One women's 3000m freshman indoor record

Among the Trojans’ winners were Jassani Carter’s 200m win, Gavin Champ’s win in the triple jump, and Madison Whyte’s victory in the 400m. As for the freshman record, Marjourie Lopez took fifth in the women's 3000m race with a new personal record and USC freshman record time of 10:13.12 to move to third on USC's all-time indoor 3000m list.

🏅 See the full list of Trojans who came away with wins in the first meet of the season

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you The Three Torches Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📅 LOOKING AHEAD

*All times Pacific

Monday, Jan. 22

No scheduled events

Tuesday, Jan. 23

No scheduled events

Wednesday, Jan. 24

🏐 Men’s Volleyball vs. CSUN @ 7:00pm in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | Watch | Live Stats

⚔️ Click here to view the full USC Trojan Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Peter Makk, Lodewijk Weststrate and Karl Lee!

Makk is the highest ranked Trojan at No. 39 followed by Weststrate at No. 79 and Lee at No. 94.

⚔️ Have a great Monday, everyone!