The odds are certainly stacked against the women’s track
and field team.
Though the sixth-ranked Bruins boast a strong pedigree and a
star-studded roster, the absence of several key figures has left
the squad with diminished expectations as it prepares for this
weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Coach Jeanette Bolden, who admits placing a greater emphasis on
the upcoming outdoor season, reluctantly concedes that the Bruins
are probably just fringe contenders for the team title.
“We have a shot, but we’re not sending enough people
in enough events,” Bolden said. “We’d basically
have to win every event to win.”
The collection of talent UCLA will be leaving behind in Westwood
is nearly as accomplished as the 11-woman squad that is headed to
Arkansas. All-American sprinters junior Monique Henderson and
senior Adia McKinnon will not make the trip, nor will throwers
junior Briona Reynolds and freshman Kamaiya Warren, who sat out the
indoor season with injuries.
Also nursing a left foot injury is sophomore Sheena Gordon, a
potential national caliber high jumper who failed to qualify in the
event.
Without its full contingent of athletes, UCLA seems to have
little chance to win its third indoor title in the past five years.
No. 1 Texas and defending champion Louisiana State University will
assume the role of co-favorites, while the Bruins will be among a
group of teams battling to remain within striking distance.
“Our goal is certainly to do as well as we can as a
team,” distance coach Eric Peterson said. “But we feel
like we’re definitely better outdoors with a full
roster.”
The irony for the Bruins is that they could walk away with the
most individual titles of any team and still not crack the top
three in the team competition.
Sophomore pole vaulter Chelsea Johnson and freshman long jumper
Renee Williams enter the meet with the nation’s top mark in
their respective events, while senior Sheena Johnson (60-meter
hurdles) and the UCLA distance medley relay team each should also
contend.
Johnson, who set a collegiate outdoor record in the pole vault
this weekend with a mark of 14 feet, 9 inches, is the only Bruin
considered a prohibitive favorite in her event. The 20-year-old is
the only collegiate vaulter to clear 14 feet this season.
“I’m not taking anything for granted,” Johnson
said. “I want to go in thinking I’m the underdog
because everyone is my equal there.”
Williams, who will be making her national championship debut,
should face a much stiffer challenge than Johnson. Five competitors
are within three inches of Williams (20 feet, 6.5 inches), who has
set a goal of eclipsing 21 feet by the end of the season.
“We’re looking for some good things from her,”
Bolden said.
The Bruins will look to take the competition by surprise in the
distance medley relay. UCLA took first place in a collegiate record
10:58 in 2002, and they will look to duplicate that
performance.
Although the Bruins qualified just sixth, Peterson is hoping
that the addition of Sheena Johnson (400m) to a lineup that already
includes sophomore Ashley Caldwell (800m), seniors Melissa McBain
(1200m) and Lena Nilsson (1600m) will help bridge the gap.
Tennessee and Brigham Young University have the best times
heading into the meet, but the quartet is confident it can match
anyone.
“This team is every bit as strong as the (2002) team
was,” Peterson said. “I think we’ll give everyone
a run for their money.”
Other potential scorers for the Bruins include senior Cari Soong
(weight throw), junior Jessica Cosby (shot put) and sophomore Dawn
Harper (60m hurdles). If the trio finds a way to break into the top
eight in their respective events, they could propel the Bruins into
a top-three finish.
UCLA finished eighth overall in the team competition a year ago,
and the squad believes it can improve upon last year’s finish
dramatically this weekend. Though a national championship may be
beyond the Bruins’ grasp, Soong is expecting an excellent
all-around effort.
“This team is more together than we were a year
ago,” she said. “We want to surprise everybody this
weekend.”
To do that, however, they’ll have to beat the odds.