Seldom, if ever, does Jeanette Bolden predict the outcome of a
meet.
One of the few predictions that the UCLA women’s track and
field coach has made, however, is looking eerily clairvoyant.
Seeking a ray of hope after a disheartening eighth-place finish
at last year’s NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Bolden
peered into the future.
“Next year, I expect to be in the top three,” she
said.
If you ask the experts, that’s exactly where the Bruins
will be.
UCLA, which has placed third or better at the NCAA Championships
eight times during Bolden’s 11-year tenure, should once again
be squarely in the title hunt this week in Austin, Texas.
Host Texas and defending national champion LSU appear to be in a
dead heat with the top-ranked Bruins, who will be looking to
capture the first outdoor championship of Bolden’s otherwise
illustrious UCLA career.
“This is certainly going to be one of the closest
championships I can remember,” Bolden said. “We know we
have to be close to perfect to win.”
Bolden and the rest of the Bruin coaching staff are approaching
NCAAs as though it were a tri-meet, meaning that UCLA will be
looking to secure as many points as possible when they face off
head-to-head with Texas and LSU.
That means strong performances in the sprints and hurdles will
be a must, considering both the Tigers and Longhorns are loaded
with national-caliber talent on the track.
The 400-meter runs in particular should be a hotly contested
race as four out of the top five seeds, including hometown favorite
Sanya Richards of Texas, are members of the three championship
contenders.
Monique Henderson, UCLA’s lone representative in the race,
owns the nation’s second best time ““ 50.65 seconds
““ a mark she posted at the West Regional Championships less
than two weeks ago.
“If anyone’s going to beat me, they’re going
to have to run fast,” said Henderson, a seventh-place
finisher at NCAAs as a freshman and sophomore. “The last two
years, it didn’t feel like it was me out there running. This
year, it’s me again. I’m back.”
If she is able to unseat Richards, Henderson could provide UCLA
with a huge boost, but the outcome of the meet could still come
down to the hurdles, where Texas and LSU are well-stocked with
potential scorers.
The Bruins will rely on Sheena Johnson, Sani Roseby and Dawn
Harper in the 100-meter hurdles, while only Johnson, the defending
NCAA champion, will run in the 400mH.
“I don’t think I can have a better situation than
relying on those three young ladies,” said Bolden, who added
that Johnson must finish in the top three in both races, or
UCLA’s title hopes will be dashed.
If the Bruins do stay within striking distance in the sprints
and hurdles, they should have a significant advantage in the other
facets of the meet.
Chelsea Johnson, despite her recent struggles, is still the
heavy favorite in the pole vault, while jumpers Candice Baucham and
Sheena Gordon, and throwers Cari Soong and Jessica Cosby are each
likely to snare some points for UCLA as well.
An unexpected victory on the field, or a couple of unanticipated
points in the middle distance events from either Ashley Caldwell
(800m) or Alejandra Barrientos (1500m) and the Bruins could be
taking home their first NCAA Championship trophy since 1983.
“That’s what we’re hoping for,” UCLA
distance coach Eric Peterson said. “We’re certainly
more balanced this year than we ever have been in the
past.”
On the other hand, a few unexpected miscues in the
preliminaries, and the Bruins could find themselves in the same
position as they were last year in Sacramento ““ out of
contention after the first day.
“Last year we took a tailspin in the early days,”
Bolden said. “We can’t afford to have that happen
again.”
Bolden, while extremely comfortable with the group of 18
athletes that she’ll have with her in Austin, held off on
predicting a UCLA victory. She said the champion will likely score
at least 60 points, and that breaking the 70-point mark should
clinch the title.
“Even though we’re ranked No. 1, LSU is still the
defending champion and Texas gets the nod because they’re at
home,” Bolden said. “We’re the underdogs.
We’re chasing them. They’re not chasing us.”