The outdoor track season officially got underway this past weekend as several NCAA A-listers made their season debuts. The most noteworthy meet was also one of historical significance, as Caryl Smith Gilbert's Power 5 Trailblazer Challenge enjoyed its first year of competition. 

Gilbert, the USC director of track and field, contested the event in conjunction with Ohio State's Karen Dennis, Tennessee's Beth Alford-Sullivan, Miami's Amy Deem, and Connie Price-Smith at Ole Miss—all of whom are the only other women in Power Five conference to helm the men's and women's programs. Read more about the event in this great L.A. Times profile.

You don't get the talent of those institutions together without achieving some standout performances, and the Trailblazer Challenger delivered big runs from reigning NCAA 400m champions and record-holders Michael Norman (20.37 NCAA lead in the 200m) and Kendall Ellis (23.07 200m, NCAA T-No. 6). 

The Trojans' Anna Cockrell set an NCAA leader in winning the 100m hurdles in 13.02 and sung the national anthem to kickstart the meet.

USC freshman Twanisha (or "TeeTee") Terry ran a blazing, albeit wind-aided, mark of 10.97 (+3.5) to win the 100m title. Her teammate Deanna Hill ran 10.98 for second.

LSU Is Coming For The 4x1 NCAA Record

Elsewhere, fellow sprint powerhouse LSU showcased some dynamite early-season performances. The men and women have set NCAA leaders in the 4x100m relay in 38.84 and 42.65, respectively. 

The women's mark actually came last weekend at the Louisiana Classics, with their all-star squad of Mikiah Brisco, the defending NCAA 100m champion; Aleia Hobbs, newly crowned NCAA 60m champion; plus relay stalwarts Kortnei Johnson and Cassondra Hall.

The quick early season time established a new stadium record at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. 

We picked the women's 4x100m relay as one of the likeliest collegiate records headed for the chopping block this year, and while the NCAA record that the Lady Tigers share with Oregon, 42.12, is still a ways away, the fact that they recorded this mark in March bodes well for May and June.

Here's a video of the hand-off between Johnson and Hall.

Exchange 2 of women’s 400 relay. Johnson to Hall.#geauxfaster pic.twitter.com/zn0xZtdG9w

— LSUTrackField (@LSUTrackField) March 17, 2018

Maggie Ewen, Brooke Anderson Record NCAA Top All-Time Marks In Hammer Throw

We named Maggie Ewen the No. 1 most likely athlete to break a collegiate record this season, as she set the NCAA hammer throw record of 73.32m/240-7 just last year.

The Arizona State senior, a Bowerman Award finalist in 2017, unleashed a throw of 72.28m/237-2 in her season debut. That mark is the fourth-best of her career and ranks No. 9 on the NCAA all-time list.

Brooke Anderson of NAU, the NCAA runner-up behind Ewen last year, set a huge PB at the Baldy Castillo Invitational with a mark of 70.98m/232-10. She is now the sixth-best performer in NCAA history. Her prior best was 68.62m/225-1.