SACRAMENTO “”mdash; Monique Henderson is usually the first to
scan the scoreboard after a race, but on Saturday she
couldn’t bring herself to look.
First she gazed down at the track ““ then into the stands.
Finally Henderson gathered her courage and allowed herself a quick
glance over her shoulder before escaping to the solitude of the
cooling off zone adjacent to the track.
All she saw was more frustration.
Henderson finished seventh in the 400-meters at the NCAA
Championships in a pedestrian 52.14 seconds ““ hardly a mark
befitting a former Olympian who had once been considered the future
of women’s track in the United States.
“It’s really frustrating,” Henderson said.
“I thought this would be my year, but things just
didn’t go the way I wanted.”
After a mediocre mark in the prelims, Henderson was forced to
run in the unfamiliar lane one, the innermost lane on the track.
She managed a quick start, but faded down the stretch before
sputtering to the finish line well behind the leaders.
It was the second year in a row that Henderson placed seventh
with a time that was more than a full second slower than her best
high school marks. But while Henderson never felt comfortable prior
to the race last year in Baton Rouge, there were no extenuating
circumstances that affected her performance in Sacramento.
“This year was different because I really felt like I
could pull it off,” Henderson said. “It was definitely
challenging being in lane one, but that wasn’t what lost the
race for me. I just started out a little too fast and ran my race
wrong.”
For those familiar with Henderson’s record-breaking prep
career, it can be baffling to try to figure out why that success
has not carried over to the collegiate level. While Henderson, a
four-time California state champion and the former junior national
record-holder in the 400m, has completed two solid years as a Bruin
thus far, she has yet to make an impact on the national scene.
“She has to figure out what it takes to win at this level
and beyond,” UCLA head coach Jeanette Bolden said.
“She’s a great athlete, but she hasn’t performed
at this NCAA meet the way she wants.”
Even as Henderson struggles to live up to the expectations that
surround her, her competitors still see her as a threat. Sanya
Richards, 400-meter champion and Henderson’s long-time rival
on the junior national circuit, said she expects the UCLA sophomore
to be back in the thick of things next season.
“She’s been having some ups and downs, but I am
never going to count her out,” Richards said.
“I’m pretty sure next year she’ll be a lot closer
to the top.”