AUSTIN, Texas “”mdash; Simply defending her 400-meter hurdles
title wasn’t enough for Sheena Johnson. The UCLA senior
picked up her second consecutive national title Saturday at the
NCAA Championships. She posted the fastest time in the world this
year at 53.54 seconds, annihilating a star-studded field and
claiming the second-fastest time ever run by a collegian. “It
was pretty shocking,” said Johnson, who clocked an NCAA
meet-record 54.24 seconds to take first place a year ago. “To
come back, defend my title, and run an amazing time was
great.” Johnson, who has not been challenged in the 400m
hurdles all season, finally appeared to have some legitimate
competition. In the two lanes directly to her left were a pair of
U.S. Olympic hopefuls ““ Raasin McIntosh of Texas and South
Carolina’s Lashinda Demus. It didn’t take long, though,
for Johnson to prove she was the class of the field. With
machine-like precision, she made up the stagger, separating her and
South Carolina’s Shevon Stoddart almost immediately,
attacking the first two hurdles with grace and vigor. Johnson
opened up a huge gap and then prevailed over the final 50 meters,
crossing the finish line nearly a full second before second-place
Demus. “I went out a lot faster than I usually do,”
Johnson said. “Once I got to that eighth hurdle I sprinted as
hard as I could, and I was able to hold on.” The victory caps
a remarkable collegiate career for Johnson, UCLA’s first
back-to-back champion in hurdles since Janeene Vickers (1989-91).
An eight-time Outdoor All-American, Johnson has established herself
as perhaps the nation’s most versatile collegiate hurdler and
a legitimate Olympic hopeful. She collected an incredible 29 points
at the NCAA Championships ““ 10 in the 400mH, six in the 100mH
and a total of 13 from the two relays. With the U.S. Olympic Trials
about one month away, Johnson feels she is prepared to take on the
nation’s best. “It’s been the perfect
year,” she said, “but if I end up on the Olympic team,
it will be even better.”
HAMMER TIME: UCLA’s Jessica Cosby, a former NCAA champion
in the shot put, narrowly missed repeating the feat in the hammer
throw Saturday afternoon. Cosby, a junior, threw a personal-best
and school record of 219-5 on her third throw in the hammer
competition, temporarily landing her in first place. Though
Florida’s Candice Scott surpassed her on her subsequent
throw, second place and an unexpected eight points were more than
satisfactory for Cosby. “Art (Venegas) always said I could
throw 220,” Cosby said, “but I don’t know if I
really believed I could throw it myself.” The combined 12
points earned by Cosby and senior Cari Soong, a fifth-place
finisher in the event, was a huge boost to UCLA’s title
hopes. Cosby had a tougher time in the shot put, placing 11th. But
the event was not a total loss for the Bruins. Freshman Kamaiya
Warren, who has struggled with fouls of late, uncorked a 55-1 throw
in the prelims. Although she could not quite sneak into the top
eight, Warren’s ninth-place finish confirmed her potential.
“I wouldn’t trade her for any thrower out there,”
Venegas said. “If she really wants to work, she’s an
incredible talent.”
SHORT SPRINTS: Candice Baucham seemed to run out of steam in the
horizontal jumps, just making the triple jump finals and failing to
clear 20 feet in the long jump prelims. “¦ Sheena Gordon
turned in another strong performance, taking fourth place in the
high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 1.5 inches. “¦ Dawn
Harper broke the 13-second mark in the 100mH for the first time
Thursday, crossing the line in a personal record of 12.91 seconds
in the prelims. “¦ Ashley Caldwell missed out on qualifying
for the 800m finals by just two-thousandths of a second.