Lake Oswego OR Sprint Sensation Connected With USC Coaching Staff

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Mia Brahe-Pedersen of Lake Oswego High, already one of fastest female sprinters in prep history, had narrowed her college list down to five. 

But Southern Cal had been the leader for a long time and on Friday she made her announcement on Instagram for the school and its coaching staff. 

Brahe-Pedersen chose USC, which will be a member of the Big Ten Conference by the time she gets there, over Oregon, Georgia, Texas and LSU. 

"The biggest thing for me was the connection with the coach," Brahe-Pedersen said. "I really do respect all of the other coaches and would love to have relationships with them in the future."

Brahe-Pedersen had already been leaning toward USC for a long time, but when sprint coach Carmelita Jeter left the program to take the head coaching job at UNLV in May, she was stunned. 

"To be quite honest, when Coach Jeter left my world was upside down," she said. "It was crazy. Now what do I do?"

Enter Karl Goodman. USC hired the up-and-coming sprint coach from Coastal Carolina, who had helped Melissa Jefferson achieve the U.S. title in the 100 meters in 2022, in July. 

"There was an instant click there," Brahe-Pedersen said of the new coach. "I felt reassured and it turned out for the best. He's so passionate about the sport and cares for my dreams just as much as I do."

Brahe-Pedersen also enjoyed meeting the athletes on USC's team and liked the vibe.

"Everyone there wants to be pushed," she said. "Iron sharpens iron."

A couple other factors turned into bonus reasons to choose USC. Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Olympic Games, so being settled in the city and calling it home could work in her favor. 

"Oh yeah, that's a huge perk," she said. "I'll be using that to my fullest advantage."

And, as a member of the Big Ten, she'll occasionally get to see her best friend, Sophia Beckmon, now a freshman at the University of Illinois, at least at the conference meets. 

USC made Brahe-Pedersen feel like she was their No. 1 target throughout the recruiting process. When it came time to visit her in Lake Oswego, head coach Quincy Watts and five of his assistants made the trip to meet with her face to face and watch a workout. 

"USC has been my dream since I started running track in 6th grade," Brahe-Pedersen wrote in her Instagram post. 

Brahe-Pedersen finished seventh at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships in the 100 meters and eighth in the 200 meters coming out of her junior year of high school in early July. She's the first prep athlete to advance to both of those finals in the professional track era. 

She will enter her final indoor and outdoor high school seasons with PRs of 7.26 in the 60 meters (indoors), 11.00 in the 100 meters and 22.43 in the 200 meters. 

DYESTAT COLLEGE CHOICES