When the race to UCLA’s 100th NCAA title began this
quarter, few might have thought the team to eclipse the century
mark would be women’s track and field.
With a week to go in the school year and all other sports
abruptly coming to a close, UCLA’s championship hopes now
fall on coach Jeanette Bolden’s squad.
No. 11 UCLA opened up play in Sacramento today, in an attempt to
fly under the radar and bring back to Westwood the program’s
second national championship in three years.
The Bruins, who finished second in last year’s title meet,
have a strong core of upperclassmen leading their squad. But they
have relied on the emergence of a slew of freshman all year long,
and the NCAA Championships will be no different.
Even though UCLA is not expected to win the title, the Bruins
are excited to go to the state capital and surprise a few
people.
“A lot of people are overlooking us,” said senior
captain Chelsea Johnson, the favorite to win the pole vault
competition. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we won
the championship.”
Along with expected points from Johnson and the hurdling duo of
senior Dawn Harper and freshman Nicole Leach, UCLA at least appears
to have the depth to take home a title, if everything falls into
place.
The Bruins have 13 event entries heading to Sacramento, only a
few behind Arizona State, which has the most.
Also in the Bruins’ favor is the fact that Texas, the
early favorite to win the meet, will be without the services of its
star sprinter, Marshevet Hooker, who was anticipated to win the 100
meters and the 200 meters.
Hooker, who also anchors the Longhorn’s 4x100m relay,
succumbed to a hamstring injury at the regional championships.
Hooker will be able to compete in the long jump, but her injury may
also hinder her ability to score points in that event.
Hooker’s injury appears to have leveled the playing field,
but UCLA will still need to exercise its fullest potential if it
wishes to compete for the national title.
“We have a very young team and going into the meet, our
top priority is just to get better,” Bolden said. “But
we are peaking at the right time, so I can’t rule (winning a
championship) out.”
The Bruins also have the makeup of a team poised for several
breakout performances. The Bruins are currently carrying five
athletes who have previously scored at a championship level,
including redshirt junior Ashley Caldwell in the middle distances,
redshirt junior Kamaiya Warren in the discus and redshirt sophomore
Renee Williams in the long jump. While these athletes are not
currently projected to score any points for UCLA this year, their
performances at prior NCAA Championships indicate the team’s
potential for unexpected points.
That being said, the Bruins are still heavy underdogs to win it
all, though should everyone peak at the right time during the next
few days, they could realistically be celebrating a historic moment
heading into finals week.
“I wouldn’t say I would be surprised if we
won,” Bolden said. “But I would be very
elated.”