The Associated Press UCLA’s women track team celebrates
after winning the team competition at the NCAA Division I Indoor
Track and Field Championship in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday.
Indoor Nationals 1.UCLA 53.5 2. South Carolina 40
3. Clemson/Arizona 30
By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
They did it again. And there was no “oops” about
it.
With a well-rounded squad and seven individuals scoring for the
team, the UCLA women’s track and field team defended its
indoor national title at Fayetteville, Ark. This is the 84th NCAA
Championship title for UCLA.
“I like this national championship because it displays the
balance we’ve been trying to do for years,”
Women’s Head Coach Jeanette Bolden said. “It really
shows the depth on our team.”
The women’s track and field team, a squad more focused on
outdoors than indoors, sent 12 athletes, competed in nine total
events and finished atop the standings with 53.5 points. UCLA
scored 13.5 ahead of second place South Carolina, and Clemson and
Arizona trailed in third by 23.5.
With an individual title from senior Christina Tolson in the
shot put (55-9 3/4), and second place finishes for Tolson in the
weight throw (68-9 3/4), senior Deana Simmons in the triple jump
(44-2 1/2) and junior Tracy O’Hara in the pole vault (13-9
1/4), the Bruins spread the scoring around.
Tolson, competing in her final indoor season, stepped up and
notched a strikingly similar performance to that of Seilala Sua
(“˜00) at last year’s meet. Tolson, like Sua, finished
first in the shot and second in the weight.
“It’s as high as you can get in college,”
Tolson said. “I achieved it and I feel great. I knew I was
going to get what I came here to get ““ and that’s No.
1.”
According to throwing Coach Art Venegas, Tolson, who won the
shot put by more than two feet, dominated the event and made
Florence Ezeh of Southern Methodist University work to defend her
title in the weight throw.
“She shocked everyone in the weight throw, throwing nearly
three feet better than her personal best,” Venegas said.
“We got 18 points out of Christina. She was by far the MVP of
this trip.”
With freshman Jessica Cosby’s fifth-place finish in the
shot put, the two throwers contributed 22 points (10 for first,
eight for second and four for fifth) to the team’s overall
score.
Simmons’ performance in the triple jump was also her last
chance to make her mark.
In Simmons’ final season of competition ““ she does
not have anymore outdoor eligibility ““ it came down to her
third jump of preliminary competition. After fouling her first two
attempts, that third jump launched her into the finals, where she
jumped 44-2 1/2 to place second.
In the high jump, junior Darnesha Griffith had a gutsy
performance as well. The 5-foot-5 athlete nailed a jump of 6-feet
to finish fourth. Griffith had competed in several previous
nationals, but this was the first time she scored for her team.
“Every time you compete, you take something with you and
learn from it,” Bolden said. “Darnesha and Deanna are
more experienced and Al (Joyner) coaching them is a great benefit
because of the combination of his enthusiasm and
experience.”
The track showcased the Bruins’ competitive drive in
seniors Michelle Perry and Shakedia Jones and the promise for the
next few years in the young 4 X 400 relay team.
Perry, who was the last Bruin to qualify for nationals, entered
the finals of the 60-meter high hurdles in sixth at 8.22 seconds
and placed fifth in the finals with a time of 8.25. Jones, who has
been recovering from a stress fracture, laid out a tough race in
the 60m dash, with her fifth-place finish at 7.40.
The meet ended with the 4 X 400m relay race. The team of junior
Bumni Ogunleye, redshirt freshman Ysanne Williams and true freshmen
Sheena Johnson and Adia McKinnion finished fifth with a time of
3:35.27.
Williams, who ran the fastest leg of the relay race, also
competed in the 800m run but just missed the finals by .32
seconds.
But Williams’ frustration was somewhat placated with her
performance in the relay because she helped her team win the
title.
“I felt so good because (when) last year’s team won
indoors, those who weren’t there felt like they didn’t
have anything to do with it,” Williams said. “But this
year I did contribute in the relay.”
Pole vaulter O’Hara notched a strong performance, and tied
for second at a height of 13-9 1/4.
Competing for the men at nationals were senior Steve Michaels in
the pole vault, and junior Scott Moser and freshman Dan Ames in the
shot put. Moser scored the only points for the men with his
eighth-place throw of 61-8 1/4, while Ames finished ninth with
61-00 3/4 and Michaels no-heighted.