COURTNEY STEWART/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Freshman
Briona Reynolds prepares to launch the shot put in
a meet against USC.
By Jeff Eisenberg
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected]
As War Emblem streaks toward the finish line in the 127th
Preakness, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, on
Saturday afternoon, excuse the members of the UCLA women’s
track team if they are not among the millions glued to their
television sets watching the race.
These Bruins have their own Triple Crown to win instead.
After crushing USC in the annual cross-town dual meet two weeks
ago at Drake Stadium, UCLA will attempt to win its sixth
consecutive Pac-10 Track and Field Championship this weekend in
Pullman, Washington before going after an elusive outdoor national
title later this month in Louisiana.
“All of us need to concentrate and focus on doing our best
individually this weekend,” said UCLA head coach Jeannette
Bolden, who has led the Bruins to eight Pac-10 championships in her
nine years as coach.
“The Pac-10 is a strong conference, and it is getting
stronger each year. Every school has a opportunity to
win.”
It’s hard to imagine the league being better than it was
last season when USC, UCLA and Arizona took first, second and third
respectively at the outdoor nationals. Nonetheless, with seven
schools ranked in the top 25, the conference may be deeper from top
to bottom.
Indisputably the pole vault could be one of the most hotly
contested competitions at the meet, as four of the nation’s
top six vaulters will be among the entrants. UCLA senior Tracy
O’Hara is the three-time defending conference champion in the
event; a back injury, however, has left her at less than full
strength heading into the meet.
“Tracy’s a great competitor, but her back is a
little sore,” said Bolden.
O’Hara’s ailments leave the door wide open for the
other contenders like Oregon’s Becky Holiday or
Arizona’s Amy Linnen. If the UCLA star does not win the
competition, that places pressure on the shoulders of the Bruin
throwers and sprinters to pick up the slack.
UCLA’s throwers dominated against the Trojans two weeks
ago, handily winning in the shot put, discus and hammer throw.
Since it will be difficult to top USC and Arizona in the sprints,
the Bruins may have to rely on their throwers again this
weekend.
“If we let our guard down this weekend, we will be at a
loss,” said sophomore Cari Soong, one of the favorites in the
hammer throw competition.
“We need top end performances like we had at the “˜SC
meet. We just have to continue to do even better.”
With the depth and flexibility of her roster, Bolden has made
some tactical changes to her lineup in the sprints. Freshman
Monique Henderson, who has the best collegiate mark of the season
in the 400 meter, will run only in the 200 meter this weekend in
order to give the Bruins a viable threat against the strong field
in that race.
Senior Bunmi Ogunleye and sophomore Adia McKinnon will run in
the 400 meters instead.
“The decision to put Monique in either the 200 meters, the
400 meters or both will be based on whatever is best for
her,” Bolden said Tuesday before meeting with her the next
day.
It is hard to imagine the Bruins could deliver a better overall
performance than their victory against USC. Nonetheless, according
to Bolden, the squad will save its best for last.
“We definitely did not peak against USC,” she said.
“We had some great performances that day, but that
wasn’t the meet to end all meets. The celebration should have
been a one day thing. That was just one meet in our Triple
Crown.”