Sunnier days have accompanied the start of the spring quarter in Westwood, and the Bruins are readying to bring the heat to their next one-day outdoor meet.
No. 21 UCLA track and field is preparing to tackle its upcoming meet in Arizona with the Jim Clark Invitational in Tucson this weekend, and graduate student Mayyi Mahama said she is no holds barred heading into the meet.
“I need to get hot faster,” Mahama said. “If I start the series with a higher mark, I’ll end with a higher mark. I need to come out and bring a higher score rather than play it safe.”
Thus far, the Bruins have posted record-breaking results in the Texas relays and two home meets to open the outdoor season. But the blue and gold has one goal underscoring its efforts in the regular season: qualifying for the Pac-12 and NCAA championships.
The results from its home meet a couple of weeks ago gave the blue and gold a push to do better and aim for higher marks in these upcoming meets, according to sophomore thrower Kris Emig, who added that the unique construction of Drake Stadium has proven to the athletes they can perform in any circumstance.
“In the home meets, our field is a soccer field, so it is elevated, which means we lose a meter in the distance,” Emig said. “If I go to a home meet and do well, then I know I will be able to throw well in other meets.”
The sophomore from Mountain View, California, added that the pair of home meets primed him with a confidence boost.
“I did well in our previous home meet,” Emig said. “Opening up at home made me realize that I can do better in other meets, so that just sets me up well.”
The upcoming meet serves as a place for the Bruins to show their skills with qualifying meets and nationals on the horizon. The student-athletes understand the momentum needed to qualify and win, which is shared by all athletes and staff.
“We are trying to qualify as many throwers as possible,” said assistant coach Sean Denard. “We have been training all year for this, and we are geared towards outdoor. … We have been waiting all year to get outdoors and qualify for national championships.”
In order to win and excel like they have been, the Bruins also need to put in the work in honing their mental game. One of the strategies for UCLA is to emulate competition with mock meets in practice, according to Mahama.
Emig added that a factor in his personal mental preparation is knowing where other athletes stand by comparison.
“I like to look at other schools and see how the other throwers are doing, so I always have an expectation for who I am up against,” Emig said.
UCLA currently sits at No. 21 in the official coaches’ ranking and will look to rise higher after its meet in the desert this weekend.
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