It wasn’t how fast Alison Costello ran the 5000 meters
that pleased UCLA distance coach Eric Peterson, so much as how much
faster the redshirt freshman could have run it. Costello made
several critical tactical errors on Friday night at the Mt. SAC
Relays, but still managed to shave seven seconds off her lifetime
best in the 5000m, posting the fifth-fastest time in UCLA history,
a regional-qualifying 16 minutes, 25.74 seconds. “If she
fixes those mistakes, she’s a sub-16:10 kid,” UCLA
distance coach Eric Peterson said. “She’s got a bright
future ahead of her.” Friday’s race showcased
Costello’s immense talent, but also exposed her inexperience.
Though the former junior All-American held her own against a slew
of professional runners, she wasted a lot of energy in the middle
of the race. Several times, Peterson said, another runner would
pass Costello, and she would immediately pass them back instead of
conserving her energy for a finishing kick. She finished 16th in
the race Friday night, but her time was among the 15 fastest
collegiate times in the nation so far this season. “I’m
really happy,” Peterson said. “It’s going to be
fun to see a young athlete like her climb the ranks this
season.”
BAUCHAM EXCELS: For someone who has specialized in the triple
jump throughout her UCLA career, Candice Baucham appeared to be
pretty comfortable in the long jump Saturday at the Sun Angel
Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Baucham, the two-time defending Pac-10
triple jump champion, took first place in the long jump, posting a
mark of 20 feet, 8.5 inches, the sixth-best collegiate mark in the
nation so far this year. It’s only one inch shy of a lifetime
best for Baucham, who was making her outdoor debut in the jumps
event.
SPEED TO BURN: UCLA’s Monique Henderson improved on her
season-best times in the 100 and 200 meters and anchored the Bruin
4×100-meter relay team to a season-best and regional-qualifying
mark of 45.02 seconds on Saturday in Tempe. Henderson, who will not
run the open 400m until the USC-UCLA dual meet later this month,
ran a personal-best 11.34 seconds in the 100m and 22.96 seconds in
the 200m. The Bruin senior now owns the nation’s
third-fastest collegiate time of the season in both events.
OPENING STRONG: Fresh off a month-long layoff after a busy
indoor season, UCLA’s Dawn Harper came out of the blocks
strong outdoors, winning the 100m hurdles in 13.29 seconds on
Saturday afternoon in Tempe. That’s the fastest
season-opening race of Harper’s Bruin career, and gives the
former All-American one of the 10 fastest times in the nation so
far this season.
ODDS AND ENDS: Sophomore MacKenzie Hill, who has been hampered
by a knee injury, ran the 400m hurdles on Saturday in Tempe,
finishing fourth in a season-best 1 minute, 1.38 seconds … Lara
Saye’s path to an NCAA title in the discus got a little
harder on Saturday when another top contender, Florida’s
Rachel Longfors, beat her head-to-head … Harper’s time of
11.90 seconds in the 100m is a lifetime best … UCLA’s
Jessica Cosby, a former NCAA champion in the shot put, continues to
struggle with her transition between the glide and the spin
technique, placing sixth with a mark of 50 feet, 6.25 inches.