By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff How does a team follow up
back-to-back Indoor National titles? The most common
answer from the women’s track and field staff is to win the
outdoor title ““ something that UCLA hasn’t done since
1983, when Head Coach Jeanette Bolden was a Bruin athlete herself,
along with the late Florence Griffith-Joyner and Jackie
Joyner-Kersee. The 2001 women’s track and field team, which
finished third last year at nationals, is currently ranked first on
the Team Power Rating Chart and has a legitimate shot at
accomplishing its goal this year. Track and Field News agrees,
dubbing them as the early favorite to win the outdoor title. The
Bruins have depth on the track and well into the field. After
bringing in the best-regarded recruiting class in the nation,
including Adia McKinnon, Sheena Johnson and Sani Roseby, the sprint
and hurdle events are more filled out for the 2001 campaign. With
senior hurdler Michelle Perry and senior sprinter Shakedia Jones on
the track and junior pole vaulter Tracy O’Hara, senior
thrower Christina Tolson and junior jumper Darnesha Griffith on the
field, the Bruins are led by experienced veterans. “We have
some very talented newcomers in this incoming recruiting
class,” Bolden said. “When blending the veterans with
our newcomers, we should be able to field a very strong team for
this season.” The Bruins sent 10 athletes to the indoor
nationals and came home with three individual titles ““ Tolson
in the shot put and weight throw and senior Deana Simmons in the
triple jump.
Sprints The sprint corps is led by Jones, who
was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic relay pool and has repeatedly
turned in gutsy performances. At last year’s outdoor
nationals, she competed in the finals of the 100 meters and placed
sixth (11.55 seconds) even after suffering a hamstring injury. This
year, she qualified for the 2001 indoor nationals after recovering
from shin splints earlier in the season. Jones’ best marks
currently sit at 11.11s in the 100m and 22.84s in the 200m. The
young blood in the sprint squads is what has given the Bruins the
biggest boost on the track. The combination of McKinnon, who won
the 400m and placed fourth in the 200m at the Foot Locker/National
Scholastic meet, Roseby, who was the California state champion in
the 100m and won second in the 200m, and Johnson, who is the 400m
hurdle U.S. Junior champion and competed at the 2000 Olympic
trials, the Bruins will continue to be a force to be reckoned with
on the track in the years to come.
Hurdles The hurdlers have a well-developed
leader to follow in Perry. She is the defending 100m hurdles Pac-10
champion and earned All-American honors by placing fourth in the
400m hurdles at nationals in 2000. Perry has also undertaken the
challenge of the heptathlon, in which she will begin competing as
the season goes on. Junior middle-distance runner Ysanne Williams,
has started to compete in the 400m hurdles. In just her second time
competing in the race, she put up a strong provisionally qualifying
time of 58.61 at the home meet on March 31. The freshman duo of
Roseby and Johnson will have an impact in the hurdles as well.
Relays The Bruins will most likely look to the
NCAA indoor team of Johnson, Williams, McKinnon, and either Perry
or Bunmi Ogunleye to run the 4 x 400m relay. In the 4 x 100m pool
are Jones, Perry, Johnson, and either Roseby or McKinnon. Running
the 4 x 800m relay will most likely be Williams, sophomore Jessica
Marr, sophomore Tiffany Burgess, and freshman Lena Nilsson, who won
the event at the Texas Relays, setting a new school record at
8:33.21. Distance The distance squad will be led
by the athleticism of Nilsson, a 16-time Swedish Junior Champion in
events ranging from 400m to 3000m between 1995 and 1999. Nilsson
set the Swedish junior record in the 800m at 2:03.9 and is one of
the strongest 800m and 1500m runners for UCLA. The 800m runners are
five athletes deep, all of whom look to be serious national
contenders. Rounding out the middle distances are junior Williams,
Marr, Burgess, and senior Bridie Hatch. With the graduation of
distance star Tina Bowen and departure of senior Katie Nuanes, the
Bruins lost their top two distance runners and the team will now
look to senior Gina Donnelly in the 5000m and 10,000m races. The
3,000m steeple chase replaces the open 3,000m run as a NCAA event
for the first time this year, and four athletes have taken the
challenge upon themselves. The group is led by junior Elaine
Canchola, who holds the fastest time for UCLA at 10:54.79 and
rounded out by Donnelly, and sophomores Melissa McBain and Julia
Barbour.
Jumps The newest addition to the jumps squad is
Coach Al Joyner, who won the gold medal in the triple jump in the
1984 Olympics. Joyner’s ties to elite track and field
experience extend to his sister Jackie Joyner Kersee, late wife
Florence Griffith Joyner, and brother-in-law and UCLA Sprints coach
Bob Kersee. The jumpers are led by junior high jumper Griffith,
Joyner’s niece, who jumped 6-0 to finish fourth at indoor
nationals. Strong contenders in the long jump are Ogunleye, whose
best is 20-4 1/4, and Johnson. Johnson is also strong in the triple
jump (41-7) and junior Kristee Porter, who is a member of the UCLA
volleyball and basketball teams, is a fierce competitor in the long
jump as well with her best of 41-10.
Pole Vault The pole vaulters are led by
O’Hara, who is the 2000 Indoor and Outdoor champion.
O’Hara once held the collegiate outdoor record and looks to
have a shot at the outdoor title although she has not had the same
success early in the season that she did last year. “She
peaked very early in the season, with big jumps at the end of
indoors, and it’s tough to stay on top of your game all
through season,” said pole vault coach Anthony Curran.
“Tracy is making slow improvements each week and by
nationals, she’ll be ready to make her mark.” Also
strong for the vaulters are senior Erica Hoernig, who returns for
her final outdoor season, and junior Heather Sickler. Both Hoernig
and Sickler are possible scorers for the Bruins nationally.
Throws The throwers are one of the most
dependable portions of the team in terms of scoring at big meets.
Raking in 22 points at indoor nationals, the throwers scored almost
half of the team’s total points. Led by Tolson in the shotput
and hammer throws and sophomore Chaniqua Ross in the discus, the
throwers look to continue their dominance. Throws Coach Art Venegas
looks to score in the shot put, discus and hammer throws
nationally. The one event in which the Bruins will most likely not
compete for a title is the javelin. But with the improvements made
by junior Suzanne Linn over the past year, and the addition of
freshman Karina Powell to the squad, with time, they too can be
possible scorers.