NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Junior high jumper
Darnesha Griffith stretches herself over the bar
in a meet at USC.
By Christina Teller and Will
Whitehorn
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Looking for one last gut-check before next weekend’s
Pac-10 Championships, the UCLA women’s track and field team
sent a handful of competitors to the Occidental Invitational and
Modesto Relays this weekend.
At Occidental, the Bruin 800 meter corps stole the show.
Sophomore Tiffany Burgess notched a lifetime best of 2 minutes,
6.13 seconds. Burgess was followed by freshman Lena Nilsson’s
2:06.47, sophomore Jessica Marr’s personal record of 2:07.08
and senior Bridie Hatch’s 2:08.92. The Bruins are in good
position going into the conference championships.
“Tiff ran wire to wire and won the race,” Distance
Coach Eric Peterson said. “It’s impressive when you run
a lifetime best and do it in that fashion.”
Each athlete approached the race differently, and Peterson has
been working with Burgess and Nilsson especially. After the race on
Saturday, Peterson noted that they both were embracing the changes
they had been working on: Burgess in letting the race take its
course and making decisions based upon what is happening in the
race and Nilsson, whose PR in the 800m is 2:03.9, to pace herself
and not run out too fast.
“They took a step forward this weekend,” Peterson
said.
Through this point in the season, the Bruin 800m runners have
been the strongest in the races and have learned to take the lead
““ another tactic they’ve been working on.
“They knew that they were going to have to create the
intensity inside themselves,” Peterson continued.
“We’ve been working on going out fast and then finding
a position where they’re comfortable in lane one where they
sustain that pace and then kick. It’s dramatic the effect
that it has on their times.”
Also competing at Occidental was sophomore Ola Adenisi, who
finished second place finish in the 100m dash, clocking in a
respectable 12.67 seconds. Adenisi also competed in the 200m,
finishing eighth with a time of 26.10.
Freshman Lara Saye finished second in the discus with a throw of
166-feet-4 inches. Seilala Sua (’00) who competed unattached,
easily took the event with a hurl of 203-2.
Junior Darnesha Griffith’s leap of 5-9 3/4 in the high
jump wielded a second place finish as well, bested only by Eunice
Barbour of France (5-9 3/4 ). Senior Heather Newlin and
freshman Julie Stevenson placed fifth and sixth in the high
jump.
At the Modesto Relays, the Bruin vaulters had strong
showings.
The group was composed of several Pac-10 title hopefuls but also
drew athletes from west coast schools such as San Diego State,
Fresno State and Portland State. Competitors from schools as far
away as Colorado State also attended.
Junior phenom Tracy O’Hara, fresh off her victory at USC
last week, equaled her leap of 14 feet on Saturday, notching a
third-place finish in the event.
Senior Erica Hoernig took seventh place with a jump of 13-6,
giving her a seasonal PR. Junior Heather Sickler, who forged a
first-place tie in the event at last year’s Modesto Relays,
delivered an impressive leap of 13 feet. Sickler’s leap was a
two-inch improvement over last year’s first-place jump of
12-10, but fell short in this year’s bracket, which was
drastically improved.
“Heather Sickler had the jump of her life,” Pole
Vault Coach Anthony Curran said. “She made it by plenty.
Erica had a great jump (as well). Unfortunately, we just
couldn’t get (first place).”
Freshman Gail Larsen fared well in the
event. Larsen’s previous PR leap of 12-5 was bested by a
jump of 12-9. The overall performances by the vaulters gave Curran
optimism heading into Pac-10s.
“Overall we had some great jumps today,” Curran
said. “I think we’re ready for the Pac-10s. We’re
ready to go.”