Good morning! Nothing like a little midnight alley to get the Trojans fired up for football season.

What else can you find in today’s edition of The Three Torches?

🏅 USC closes out the Paris Olympics with 15 total medals
⛳️ Aurilla, Safa set to compete in U.S. Amateur
⚔️ And much, much more!

🏅 TROJANS IN PARIS

USC had its most medal-packed weekend in Paris on Saturday, August 10, with a set of six Olympic medals earned by Trojans in athletics, water polo and soccer. For the full Saturday recap, click here.

🤽‍♂️ Trojans Hannes Daube and Marko Vavic helped Team USA win its first medal since 2008 by beating Hungary in men’s water polo. Their medal-winning effort gives USC six bronze at these Games, going along with seven gold and two silver won by Trojans in Paris.

🥇 A first-time Olympian, TeeTee Terry claimed USC's first gold medal in Paris, running the second leg of Team USA's gold medal relay, which posted a winning time of 41.78. It's Terry's first-ever Olympic medal and helps USC keep its gold-medal streak alive, as Trojans have won at least one gold medal in every Summer Olympics since 1912.

💨 Two-time Olympian Rai Benjamin ran the anchor leg for Team USA to help win the gold medal in a time of 2:54.43. It was Benjamin's second Olympic gold with the USA in this event and goes along with the gold won on Friday in the 400m hurdles and a silver in that event in 2020.

🏃 Three-time Olympian and six-time medalist Andre De Grasse won second first gold medal and first in Paris, running the anchor leg of Canada's first-place relay finish to claim gold in a time of 37.50. De Grasse now has a gold medal to go with silver and bronze medals won with Canada in the same event in 2016 and 2020, respectively. De Grasse is now the most decorated Canadian male Olympian, having achieved seven career medals

🤽‍♀️ Playing in her fourth Olympic Games, two-time silver medalist Anni Espar scored two goals and added a steal and a field block for Spain in its gold-medal win over Australia. It's Espar's first gold medal after having won silvers in 2012 and 2020 and also the first-ever gold for Spain.

⚽️ Former Trojan and first-time Olympian Croix Bethune earns gold as an alternate for Team USA after the team’s gold-medal win over Brazil. 

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Tee Time. Senior Gavin Aurilia and junior Antonio Safa tee off in the 124th U.S. Amateur today in Chaska, Minn. alongside three-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and Trojan grad, Stewart Hagestad. The trio will open play on a pair of courses in Chaska. Aurilia will tee off first at 5:44 a.m. on the Chaska Town Course. Safa and Hagestad start their tournament on the Hazeltine National Golf Club course. Safa starts at 11:14 a.m., and Hagestad follows shortly after at 11:25 a.m. All three players will begin on hole No. 10 on their respective courses. 

📊 Follow the action at the U.S. Amateur

🔼 Watch Out. Trojan center Jonah Monheim was selected to the 2024 Rimington Trophy Watch List, an award presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I College Football. USC, ranked third nationally in scoring offense (41.8), fifth nationally in passing offense (333.0) and tenth in total offense (467.6) in 2023, takes its high-powered offense into the Big Ten with Monheim, a returning captain, at center. 

Today’s Top Tier Performance presented by ARCO goes to USC soccer’s Simi Awujo for signing her first professional contract. Awujo will be joining Manchester United in the English Women's Super League. Awujo, who has been named to the All-Pac-12 first team each of the last two years, will join United for this upcoming season.

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.

Name That Olympian. A number of Trojans competed, and medaled, in this year’s Paris Olympics, but can you name which Trojan gold medalist made this quote?

“My four years at USC definitely helped prepare me for this moment. Being a part of the Trojan fam was an amazing experience and they were always there for me no matter what.”

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

🏈 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF

20 days until kickoff, Trojan Family!

Two former Trojans set their USC records by amassing 20 of their specialized activities.

🏈 USC cornerback Artemis Parker is the all-time record holder for career interceptions with 20. From 1971-1973, Parker picked off the quarterback 20 times and leads former teammate Danny Reece by two.

🏈 USC defenseman Tim Ryan set the single-season record for sacks (20) during the 1989 season. Ryan, a two-time All-American, led the Trojans to three Rose Bowls as a team captain and, at the time, was the first true freshman starter in nearly a decade.

🗣️ SPREAD THE WORD

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📅 LOOKING AHEAD

*All times Pacific

Friday, August 30
🏐 Volleyball vs. Pepperdine @ 6:00pm in Malibu, CA

Sunday, September 1
🏈 Football vs. LSU @ 4:30pm in Las Vegas, NV | Tickets

⚔️ Click here to view the full USC Trojan Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: TeeTee Terry!

⚔️ Have a great Monday, everyone!