Wednesday, April 29, 1998
Bruins leap, dash ahead of field at championship
TRACK: Fresno win helps UCLA prepare
to hurl USC out of race
By Alvin Cadman
Daily Bruin Contributor
California’s best track and field athletes gathered in Fresno
this past weekend for the Cal/Nevada Collegiate Track and Field
Championships, hoping to set the tone for the all-important USC
meet this Saturday.
The Bruins came into the meet second in the collegiate ranks,
behind the Lady Longhorns of Texas and ahead of the third-ranked
BYU Lady Cougars. UCLA captured the team title with a total score
of 145, far ahead of runner-up Fresno State, which had 100.5
points, and third-place San Diego State with 91 points.
UCLA head coach Jeannette Bolden was named female coach of the
meet, as she continued her current undefeated streak of dual meet
victories.
Freshman Shakedia Jones continues to find success in her first
year in Westwood. The Illinois native was victorious in the finals
of the women’s 100-meter dash on Saturday with a time of 11.51
seconds. This is a provisional qualifying time for Jones in the
1998 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held in Buffalo,
New York, in May. This ranks her third best on the 1998 Pac-10
charts, eighth best for all time in UCLA’s women’s track history,
and was also a personal best.
Senior Cicely Scott, a 1997 UCLA All-American, won the 400-meter
dash in 54.26 seconds. This moves Scott from No. 11 to No. 4 on the
Pac-10 charts, and makes her a favorite to win the event at the
Pac-10 Championships in Palo Alto.
Junior Melinda George won the 1,500-meter run with a personal
best time of 4:28.02. This vaults her into the top 10 in the
Pac-10. She should be a force to contend with at the Pac-10
Championships, as she competes with the likes of Anna Lopaciuch of
USC, the Pac-10 leader in the event, and Stanford’s freshman phenom
and former Santa Rosa prep star Julia Stamps.
Freshman Michelle Perry took third in the 100-meter high hurdles
with a time of 13.75 seconds, 0.24 seconds behind champion Miesha
McKelvy of San Diego State. This personal best time puts her at No.
4 on the 1998 Pac-10 list behind teammate Bisa Grant.
Perry also took second in the long jump with a mark of 20-0,
which places her second in the Pac-10 rankings.
The 400-meter relay team took second on Saturday afternoon with
a time of 45.45 seconds, 0.05 of a second behind the Rebels of
UNLV. UCLA already has a qualifying time of 43.85 seconds for the
NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Sophomore Deana Simmons took first in the triple jump with a
jump of 41-6, almost 5 inches farther than runner-up Brandi Prieto
of Cal State Northridge. Simmons owns the top two jumps on the
Pac-10 charts and has earned a provisional qualifying mark for the
NCAA Outdoors.
The throwing events, as they have been all season long, were
dominated by the Bruins. Suzy Powell first won the discus throw
with a mark of 192-6. She then went on to capture the javelin throw
title with a throw of 165-4. She has already earned automatic
berths in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both of these events.
Sophomore Seilala Sua took second in both events with throws of
192-5 and 152-0, respectively. Like her counterpart Suzy Powell,
Sua has earned an automatic berth in the discus throw and a
provisional qualifying mark in the javelin.
Senior Nada Kawar won the shot put with a throw of 57-5, a
3-inch improvement on her automatic qualifying mark in the event.
She went on to complete the Bruin sweep in the discus throw with a
third-place throw of 174-1, an event in which she has earned an
automatic NCAA Outdoor Championship berth.
The Bruins will host their final home meet of the season at
Drake Stadium against Southern Cal’s Women of Troy. This battle for
the title of the city’s best female track program in 1998 will also
feature the BYU Lady Cougars. In the past, the head-to-head
match-up against the Trojans have showcased the likes of Inger
Miller, Gail Devers, Jackie Joyner and Amy Acuff. UCLA holds the
all-time series lead, 11 to 3. Field events start at 11:30 a.m.,
and running events begin at 1:00 p.m.