By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The Northern Arizona and the Reno Invitationals featured strong
performances from the UCLA indoor track and field squad last
weekend.
There were standout performances from sophomore thrower Dan Ames
in Flagstaff and sophomore distance runner Elaine Canchola in
Reno.
Canchola ran the wining time of 4:57 in the mile.
“It was definitely the most notable performance,”
said UCLA assistant distance coach Helen Lehman-Winters. “She
had a great race tactically and a very solid
performance.”
Ames’ marks of 63-4 1/4 and 59-2 1/4, respectively, were
the top collegiate performances in both the shot put and weight
throw competitions. In the shot put, Ames placed second to silver
medalist and former Bruin John Godina, who threw 66-5 3/4.
“He showed a lot of leadership and he’s not showing
any hesitation, stepping up and competing aggressively,” said
Art Venegas, the UCLA throwers and men’s head coach.
“He was the athlete of the meet.”
Other notable performances in the throwing circle came from
sophomore Scott Wiegand and senior Christina Tolson. Wiegand
notched a lifetime best of 58-7 1/4 in the shot put, while Tolson
nailed an NCAA automatic qualifying mark in both the shot put (53-4
1/4) and weight throw competitions (65-9 3/4).
“Christina had a little trouble getting started, but when
she finally got her form together, she dominated the field,”
Venegas said.
Consistent performances came from the vaulters, who also
competed in Arizona.
All five women vaulters placed in the top eight, with junior
Tracy O’Hara tying for second with a vault of 13-7 1/4.
Sophomore Karen Bewley and freshman Gail Larson followed in a tie
for sixth at a height of 11-11 3/4. Junior Heather Sickler and
sophomore Bridget Pearson rounded out the crew in eighth place at
11-5 3/4.
The men were led by senior Steve Michaels and sophomore Jared
Drake, who both cleared 16-6 3/4, placing second and third due to
the attempts in which they cleared the height.
The jumping squad showed promise as well, with the leading
performance coming from freshman Oliver Jackson. Placing third in
the long jump with a mark of 23-11, Jackson also finished fourth in
the triple jump, notching a lifetime best of 46-10 1/4.
With the rest of the indoor season ahead of them, both the
men’s and women’s squads have shown promise in the
early meets.