Of all Monique Henderson’s critics, the most vocal is
still the UCLA sprinter herself.
Henderson is relentless. Two disappointing seasons in Westwood
have left her hungry to recapture her past form in which she was
the nation’s most sought-after high school sprinter.
But even Henderson could not find much to criticize after
Saturday afternoon’s crosstown dual meet. The Olympic hopeful
turned in a performance worthy of her prep accolades as the UCLA
women’s track and field team coasted to a 93-70 victory over
USC at Drake Stadium.
“This was a great day,” Henderson said. “It
never gets old to beat ‘SC, no matter how many times we do
it.”
Skeptics have questioned whether Henderson would ever reach her
full potential at UCLA, but she took a monumental step forward
Saturday. A world-leading mark of 51.20 seconds in the 400 meters
highlighted an afternoon during which Henderson re-established
herself as one of the nation’s best young sprinters.
She also ran the anchor leg on UCLA’s victorious
4×100-meter relay and turned in a 22.71-second 200 meters, the
third fastest time in school history and the second fastest in the
nation.
“I came into this year more determined and more ambitious
than ever before,” Henderson said. “This was a big step
for me. It’s a reminder of where I am and where I need to
be.”
The second-ranked Bruins have not lost a dual meet to USC since
1993, and they were never really challenged Saturday. Subpar
performances from pole vaulter Chelsea Johnson and middle-distance
runner Jenna Timinsky were offset by 14 Bruin victories including
Candice Baucham in the triple jump, Ashley Caldwell in the 800m and
Sheena Johnson in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.
But the story of the day was Henderson, who looked every bit as
fast as she did in high school when she set the national prep
400-meter record.
Trailing USC’s Dominique Dorsey by several meters when she
got the baton in the 4x100m, Henderson blew by her as though she
were standing still. Barely an hour later, she electrified the
crowd once again in the 400m before racing into coach Jeanette
Bolden’s outstretched arms after her 200m victory.
Henderson credited an improved relationship with Bolden for her
recent string of success. Bolden agreed, saying that the
communication between the two has improved because she has a better
understanding of how hard she needs to push Henderson on and off
the track.
“I’m not waiting as long to get on her,”
Bolden said. “Not in a way that would make her feel bad
because she’s already hard on herself.
“She beats herself up, so my job is to keep her
light-hearted and let her know that everything is OK.”
By the time the meet was over, Henderson was already speculating
about her Olympic potential. An alternate on the 4x400m team in
2000, Henderson hopes to make the squad once again this summer.
“I made it in 2000,” Henderson said.
“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t make it again
this year.”
Before she can worry about the Olympics, there is still the rest
of the collegiate season to consider. That means avenging a pair of
seventh-place finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships the past
two years.
And maybe cutting herself some slack once in a while.
“I can’t go easy. I never go easy,” Henderson
said. “I have to be critical until I go out there and get the
job done.”