Sleepless nights were the norm for UCLA coach Jeanette Bolden as
she vacillated over her strategy for the NCAA Championships. Well,
now Bolden can rest easy. She sent the NCAA a final list of
declared athletes in each event Tuesday afternoon, meaning the
Bruin contingent heading to Austin for nationals is set. The
hardest decision, Bolden said, was not entering sophomore Sheena
Gordon in the triple jump. Gordon would have had to compete in the
triple jump preliminaries less than two hours before the start of
the high jump finals June 11, something Bolden was hesitant to make
her do. “It was hard because she loves the triple
jump,” Bolden said. “If it were on two different days
it wouldn’t be an issue.” Little else was surprising
about UCLA’s declarations. The Bruins received four at-large
bids ““ pole vaulter Jackie Nguyen, high jumper Julie
Stevenson, shot putter Kamaiya Warren and the 4×400-meter relay.
Junior Candice Baucham will double in the long jump and triple
jump, as will senior Sheena Johnson in both hurdles, junior Jessica
Cosby in the shot put and the hammer throw, and senior Sani Roseby
in the 100m and 100m hurdles.
RELAY OPTIONS: Perhaps Bolden’s next
toughest decision will be determining who will run on each relay in
the prelims. Since Roseby and Johnson are already entered in
multiple events, it will be likely be up to senior Adia McKinnon
and freshman MacKenzie Hill to take their places as needed.
“I’m going to wait until after the first day at
nationals to see how things unfold,” Bolden said. “Then
I’ll make a final decision.” Relying on either Hill or
McKinnon to help the relay teams advance to the finals is a risk
for UCLA. At the regional championships, both ran on the
Bruins’ 4×400-meter relay squad which placed a disappointing
fourth. “The hope is that they can help us qualify,”
Bolden said. “People can definitely run better.” Bolden
had to declare a pool of six athletes eligible to run on each
relay. Johnson, Roseby, McKinnon, Hill and Monique Henderson could
run on either relay. Freshman Jenna Timinsky will be an alternate
on the 4x400m relay, and sophomore Dawn Harper will likely run on
the 4x100m.