A young NCAA track and field star from USC just turned heads at the Battle on the Bayou with a jaw-dropping performance! 21-year-old Garrett Kaalund secured victory in the men’s 200m on a relatively quiet opening day for the Trojans at the 2025 Battle on the Bayou, hosted by LSU at Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on March 28. We’ve seen young stars push the envelope before. Remember when Noah Lyles burst onto the scene, threatening records left and right? Kaalund’s victory was hard-fought. He outpaced seasoned competitors like Vernon Norwood and USC alum Johnnie Blockburger. But do you know that he was very close to breaking a record set by Olympic legend Andre De Grasse?

The news of Kaalund securing his personal best was shared in the X handle of Track & Field Gazette. The tweet said, “20.05s!! Garrett Kaalund (USC) powered to a new Personal Best (PB) of 20.05s (1.4) to win the men’s 200m at the Battle on the Bayou! He beat Vernon Norwood  who opened up to 20.38s, not far of his PB and Johnnie Blockburger in 20.40s.” The stage was set on a light first day of action for the Trojans, and Garrett Kaalund didn’t disappoint. That’s right—20.05 seconds, with a perfectly legal tailwind of 1.4 meters per second. His blazing 20.05s was “Just outside of Andre De Grasse and Clancy Edwards’ School Record of 20.03 seconds” as pointed out by Track and Field Analyst and X user Kemal in his tweet. Let that sink in.

De Grasse, the Canadian sprint icon with a trophy case full of Olympic hardware, set that USC record years ago, tying it with Clancy Edwards as a benchmark for Trojans to chase. It’s stood the test of time—until now. Kaalund, at just 21, didn’t just flirt with history; he practically knocked on its door. Andre De Grasse set the USC school record in the 200m on May 16, 2015, during the Pac-12 Championships at UCLA’s Drake Stadium. Running in the semifinals, he clocked a wind-legal 20.03 seconds (-0.1 m/s), a time that not only secured him the win but also etched his name alongside Clancy Edwards in USC’s record books.

Edwards, a USC sprinting legend, originally set the 200m school record at 20.03 seconds back in 1978—a mark that stood unchallenged for decades. Edwards was a two-time NCAA champion in the 100m and 200m that year and his 20.03s became the gold standard for Trojan sprinters.

Garrett Kaalund’s 20.05s wasn’t just a personal best but also a meet record, the NCAA lead for the season, and the No. 6 mark in USC history. Oh, and he wasn’t alone in shining—teammate Madison Whyte grabbed second in the women’s 200m, making it a Trojan takeover.

Kaalund’s run feels like a turning point, a signal that the next generation is ready to challenge the giants. And with De Grasse’s 20.03s still standing (for now), the question lingers: will Kaalund be the one to finally break it? At the rate he’s going, don’t bet against him.

Track and field young star Garrett Kaalund’s Career performance so far with Huskers

Garrett Kaalund was dominating the track and field for the University of Nebraska. Let‘s begin with his 2023-24 season—it‘s been a rollercoaster ride! He won a silver medal in the 200m at the Pan-American U20 Championships in 2023 and then came another silver at the USATF U20 Championships in the same event. Not bad at all, huh? And he‘s got some All-American credentials of his own—USTFCCCA Second-Team All-America recognition in the 200m in 2024 and the 4x100m relay in 2023. And he was named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2023, which speaks volumes about what kind of person he is off the track.

Now, on to indoor season 2024. Kaalund made a big impression at the Big Ten Championships, placing sixth in the 200m in a strong 12.18 seconds. But the crowning glory? He anchored the winning 4x400m relay at the Graduate Classic—talk about a team player! And then, when it was time to go outdoors, he made an even bigger impression. At the NCAA West Preliminary Round, he broke his own Nebraska school record in the 200m in a scorching 20.25 seconds, placing fourth and earning an invitation to the NCAA Championships. There, he ran a 20.38 to place 13th, securing that Second-Team All-American honor.

But wait, there’s more! Outside, he also captured fourth place in the 200m with a 20.33 and second in the 4x100m relay at 39.31—fourth-best time ever at Nebraska. At Florida Relays, he assisted in recording the third-best 4x400m relay time in Nebraska history at 3:03.31. High school? Oh, he was a star at San Antonio’s Clark High—three-time district champion in the 200m from 2020 to 22, and a member of the 2022 Texas 6A state champion 4x200m relay team.

His bests are no laughing matter either: 10.34 in the 100m in 2022, 20.25 in the 200m in 2024, 39.31 in the 4x100m in 2023, and 1:23.92 in the 4x200m in 2022. This man’s got plenty of speed to give—can’t wait to see what comes next!