USC's Nellum reflects on historic weekend

LOS ANGELES — Once it gets toward the middle of the week, the minds of plenty of people began to drift. Either it’s about how great the previous weekend was or how much fun the upcoming weekend is going to be.

Bryshon Nellum certainly had reason to smile as he walked around the USC campus on Wednesday reflecting on last weekend.

In a word, it was awesome.

Running in his final collegiate meet on home turf, Nellum went “out with a bang.”

As USC played host to the Pac-12 Track & Field championships last weekend, it was Nellum who stole the show. For the sprinter who’s had incredible lows, like being shot in both legs in 2008 and nearly having his career ended, to ultimate highs, like winning a silver medal in last summer’s London Olympic Games, the now sixth-year senior outdid himself.

He ran a PR 44.76 in the 400m. He ran a PR 20.23 in the 200m.

On May 25, Nellum advanced to the NCAA championships in the 200m and 400m at the NCAA West prelims in Texas.

The congratulations from Nellum's Pac-12 achievements poured in from one of the sport's most recognized voices, Ato Boldon, who tweeted:

Oh yeah, the 20.23 he ran in the 200 meters broke the Loker Stadium record of 20.33 set by Boldon in 1995. The 44.46 was a Loker Stadium record as well and Nellum became the second to complete the 200/400 double at the conference championships.

Nellum was named the Men’s Athlete of the Meet.

That’s worth a smile.

“To come here to my home stadium and my home crowd and where I practice at and work hard, I had to come out and represent and give a show,” Nellum said. “It means a lot. I’m leaving with a legacy.

“There’s nothing more great than going out with a bang.”

Last weekend’s performance validated Nellum’s decision to return to USC for a sixth season. Following the Olympics, he originally stated that he would turn pro. However, he had a change of heart. He still had more to prove at the collegiate level after having his first two seasons taken away from him.

“This is what I came back my sixth year for is to come out here and have a fair chance to show what I got,” Nellum said. “For the past couple of years it’s been a lot of ups and downs with my injuries.

“After not making the NCAA finals and getting that sixth year granted just made me more hungry. I feel like (last) season wasn’t complete because I wasn’t able to make the NCAA finals. Especially being one of the top three in the nation, I should have been in the NCAA finals. Getting that second chance now, I’m taking full advantage of it.”

The support from the home crowd over the weekend one last time is something that will stick with Nellum. Sunday was a very important day which made the moment more special. 

“It was definitely Mother’s Day,” Nellum said. “I had to give (my) mom and all the mothers out there one of the best gifts I can give my mom and that’s to go out there to represent and run my hardest and PR and run fast.”