Monday, 5/12/97 Weekend meets yield records for No. 1 UCLA
Powell, Sua break collegiate, junior marks in discus throw
By Donald Morrison Daily Bruin Contributor Suzy Powell and
Seilala Sua had record-setting performances this Saturday as the
UCLA women’s track team lived up to its No. 1 ranking at the
Modesto and Occidental Invitationals. Powell, competing in her
hometown of Modesto, set the new American collegiate record in the
discus with a monstrous toss of 214 feet. She won the event and
broke the former American collegiate record mark of 213-11. Sua
finished second in the discus at Modesto and broke her own American
junior record with a heave of 205-4. Sua also has the American
junior record in the shot put with a mark of 57-3 1/2. At
Occidental, Katherina Kechris finished third in the 1,500-meter run
and set a new personal record by six seconds with a time of 4:22.
Kechris was the first collegiate athlete to finish the race. Her
time of 4:22 puts her fifth in the Pac-10 in that event this year.
"For the first time since (Kechris) has been at UCLA, she ran
against big-time runners in Darcy Arreola and Tina Colebrook, and
she ran with them in the middle of the race," said distance coach
Eric Peterson. "She was right there and ran strong." Cicely Scott
made her outdoor season debut in the 400 at Occidental after
sitting out much of the outdoor season due to injury. Scott managed
to finish third in the 400 with a time of 56.19. Coach Jeanette
Bolden feels that Scott will make a tremendous impact on the team
when she is 100 percent healthy. "She’s always ran a strong leg on
the 1,600-meter relay," said Bolden. "I’m looking forward for her
to make it to the finals in the Pac-10 championships (in the 400).
When she was healthy, she was one hundredth of a second off from
qualifying for the NCAA championship final." Joni David was
victorious in her heat of the 400-meter hurdles with a time of
1:02.96. David started training for the 400 hurdles in April, and
Saturday’s race was only her third time competing in that
event.