NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Staff
Senior pole vaulter Tracy O’Hara clears
the bar against USC on May 4.
By Jeff Eisenberg
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected]
One year ago today, Jeannette Bolden was not happy.
The anguish of a second place finish at the track and field
national championships was still fresh in her mind, and the UCLA
women’s head coach was disappointed in the effort of her
talented squad.
Fast forward to the present, and everything is different. Well,
sort of.
Once more, Bolden’s Bruins finished as the runner-up at
the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Baton, Rouge, LA., this time to
South Carolina. But the coach’s attitude toward her squad is
entirely different.
“You can’t be upset about five national
champions,” Bolden said. “South Carolina was better at
nationals this particular year. They had as close to a perfect meet
as possible. We performed to the highest of our abilities. The
sting of getting second is still with me, but I don’t have
any regrets.”
With a young team that lacked experience on the national scene,
Bolden’s focus heading into the season was on improving
rather than results.
Nonetheless, the Bruins shocked their coach at how quickly they
developed as a team. Sophomores Tiffany Burgess and Lena Nilsson
established themselves as two of top distance runners in the
nation, while freshman Monique Henderson anchored the Bruins
400-meter relay team that placed third at nationals with the
fastest time in UCLA history.
“The team as a whole has exceeded my expectations,”
Bolden said. “There is such a rich tradition of NCAA
champions and Olympians at UCLA. To set a school record in the
4×400 was amazing.”
The Bruins accomplished each of their goals leading up to the
NCAA championships.
UCLA beat USC in the annual dual meet for the 10th consecutive
season, and won its sixth straight Pac-10 title, in large part due
to the squad’s wealth of talent in all facets of the
sport.
When seniors Darnesha Griffith and Tracy O’Hara faltered
at the conference meet, sophomore Sheena Johnson shined on the
track, winning the 400-meter hurdles and running the third leg for
the Bruins’ Pac-10 champion 4×400-meter relay team.
Ultimately the UCLA seniors came through for the team at
nationals. Despite battling a back injury, O’Hara won the
NCAA pole vaulting title, while Griffith added an outdoor
championship in the high jump to the indoor title she earned
earlier this season.
“It was a big feat for Darnesha winning indoors and
outdoors,” Bolden said. “She had a disappointing
Pac-10’s. For her to take the criticism that she received,
and jump so well was really good to see.”
Despite losing Griffith, O’Hara and fellow senior Bunmi
Ogunleye next season, the Bruins have a squad that should contend
for a national championship again next season.
In addition to returning 12 of the 15 Bruins who qualified for
nationals, 2003 will also mark the return to the track of team
captain Ysanne Williams, who redshirted the season with a foot
injury.
Furthermore the Bruins have another elite recruiting class which
should be ready to contribute immediately. Pole-vaulter Chelsea
Johnson jumped 13-9 earlier this year, and high jumpers Julia Pitts
and Sheena Gordon have a personal record of 5-11 and 6-0
respectively.
“We’ll be ready for next year,” Bolden said.
“South Carolina will probably be the favorite, and USC will
be back with a vengeance. If we’re in the hunt, anything can
happen.”