Tuesday, May 21, 1996
NCAA meet should provide better arena for Bruin successBy Scott
Yamaguchi
Daily Bruin Staff
The UCLA women’s track and field team may have relinquished its
hold on the Pacific 10 Conference crown, but the Bruins aren’t
about to spend any time wallowing in self-pity.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships, to be held on the University of
Oregon campus in Eugene are less than two weeks away, and UCLA
 which finished second last year and in the top three for the
past three years  is poised for another strong showing.
That the Bruins finished behind USC and Oregon in the conference
meet does not mean the same will happen at nationals. Two weeks
ago, UCLA emerged victoriously from a head-to-head battle with the
Trojans, only to be overcome by their depth in the multi-team
competition over the weekend.
But, while the Trojans and the Ducks had the numbers at the
conference meet, the bulk of their athletes will not meet the more
rigorous qualification standards imposed by the NCAA.
"The conference meet is different than a dual meet because of
all the other schools that are brought into play and how things are
broken up," USC head coach Ron Allice said. "The NCAAs are a
different game, entirely."
Of the three teams, UCLA boasts the most potential point-scorers
at the national meet.
Valeyta Althouse, the defending national champion and American
collegiate record holder in the shot put, is a virtual lock in that
event, while collegiate record-holding high jumper Amy Acuff should
defend her title in that event.
Suzy Powell is a solid contender for the discus title, and Nada
Kawar could contribute points in both the discus and the shot
put.
The Bruins’ vaunted freshmen  Joanna Hayes and Andrea
Anderson  are possible scorers in the 100-meter hurdles and
200 meters, respectively, while junior Darlene Malco, by virtue of
her lifetime-best 52.39 in the 400 meters Sunday, is a top-five
prospect in that event.
UCLA also boasts strong teams in both relays.
Of course, none of this is guaranteed, and one need look no
further than Malco’s and Powell’s weekend to understand that.
Malco, who earned her first Pac-10 title with her 400-meter
performance, was felled by an injured hamstring in the middle of
the 200-meter final on Sunday. She was unable to compete in the
1,600 relay and left the meet at the end of the day on crutches,
though she was confident she would be recovered in time for
NCAAs.
"It’s somewhere between a severe strain and a light pull," Malco
said. "I’ve never had hamstring problems before, so I really don’t
know. But with rehab, I should be back on the track in time for
nationals."
Powell, on the other hand, was expected to win her first Pac-10
discus title and was upset by Washington’s Aretha Hill on the final
throw of the day.
Heading into the competition, Powell’s best mark of the season,
a 196-5, was nearly seven feet better than Hill’s season best. At
the time of Hill’s last throw, Powell had just increased her lead
over Hill to more than five feet with a throw of 190-11.
But Hill, a sophomore, unleashed a 195-9 on her final throw,
then added insult to injury with a dance around the infield.
"I knew the mark I had to beat," Hill said. "She (Powell)
improved on her last throw and brought out the competitor in me. I
had one throw left and it was all or nothing  I just gave it
my all."
On the bright side, Hill’s upset has only motivated Powell to
redeem herself at nationals.
"Suzy’s very motivated for NCAAs  she’s out for blood,"
UCLA throwing coach Art Venegas said. "Once she got a good throw,
she didn’t expect to lose the meet like that. But it’s a good
lesson for her, not to think that she’s in the driver’s seat until
the last throw’s in the bag."
* * *
The weekend’s gutsiest performance might have come from Hayes,
who won the 100-meter hurdles in a lifetime-best 13.29, was second
in the 400-meter hurdles with a lifetime best 58.32, and then
collapsed after running the opening leg of the 1,600 relay.
"I told Joanna, ‘You did what you wanted to do in the 100-meter
hurdles, now you have to go out in the 400 hurdles and do it for
the team,’" UCLA head coach Jeanette Bolden said. "After the trials
on Saturday, she had the sixth fastest time, and she ended up
second."
Hayes’ second-place time was more than a two-second improvement
on the 1:00.76 she ran in the preliminaries.
* * *
In the true spirit of the team, USC’s Leslie Coons nearly blew
the Trojans’ chances for the team title.
Coons, who owns the American record in the hammer throw, was the
obvious favorite to win that event and probably could have done it
with an arm tied behind her back.
But, looking for the monster throw, she fouled on all three
attempts and lost the 10 points her team was counting on.
* * *
Wednesday, Venegas will bring his corps of throwers to Salinas,
where the Bruins have a tradition of strong showings.
Four of UCLA’s top 10 discus marks, including Powell’s American
junior record mark of 190-6 last year, have come at the Salinas
Invitational.