NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Senior pole vaulter Tracy
O’Hara launches herself over the bar in a meet against
USC.
By Jeff Eisenberg
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]
It’s not Mardi Gras, but the atmosphere in Louisiana will
still be especially festive when the NCAA Women’s Track and
Field Championships come to Baton Rouge May 29 ““ June 1.
Top-ranked UCLA will be seeking its first outdoor national title
since 1983, but they will be challenged by a talented field.
Defending champs USC and Southeastern Conference powerhouses
South Carolina and LSU have more than enough firepower to knock off
the Bruins.
“The meet will come down to whoever has a perfect
day,” said Pat Henry, head coach of the host LSU Tigers.
“UCLA is the team that everyone is gunning for. They can even
afford to make a few mistakes because of their depth.”
It is true that UCLA has a wealth of talent, but the bulk of
that talent is inexperienced. Of the 15 Bruins competing this week,
there are just three seniors compared to nine freshmen and
sophomores.
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“The team is so young, they need a lot more nurturing and
hand-holding,” UCLA head coach Jeannette Bolden said.
“No matter how much you talk to them in advance about
nationals, they have to feel it and see it for
themselves.”
Thus far this season, UCLA’s young stars have shined under
pressure. Sophomores Sheena Johnson and Lena Nilsson won the
400-meter hurdles and the 1500 respectively both against USC and at
the Pac-10 Championships, and freshman Monique Henderson is ranked
second in the nation in the 400-meter.
Surprisingly, it has been the Bruin senior leaders who have
struggled lately. Nursing a sore back all season, collegiate pole
vault record holder Tracy O’Hara managed just third place at
the Pac-10 Championships.
NCAA indoor high jump champion Darnesha Griffith also finished a
distant third in the conference.
“I am not concerned at all for Tracy or Darnesha,”
Bolden said. “Darnesha had a couple problems with her
placement over the bar, and that is something she can work on.
Sometimes you don’t hit it on every level.”
To win an NCAA Championship, the Bruins will need both Griffith
and O’Hara to rebound with a strong performance.
South Carolina, LSU and USC have a surplus of talented
sprinters, so UCLA must capitalize on its opportunities to score in
the field events.
“Every team has its strengths and weaknesses,”
Bolden said. “Since I have been here at UCLA, I have always
tried to have a balanced program, and that balance gets better
every year.”
That event depth could give the Bruins the margin for error they
need to finally win an elusive national title.
“I’m a competitor,” Bolden said.
“I’ve wanted to win NCAA’s since I have been here
as head coach. To finally win it this year would be very
special.”