It’s a feat no UCLA triple jumper has accomplished in
years, but Demetre Howard is convinced that he can change that this
weekend.
Howard, one of three Bruins who will compete in the triple jump
this weekend at the NCAA West Regionals, hopes to become the first
UCLA athlete to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the
event since Mel Moultry in 1998.
After going his first two years at UCLA without eclipsing the
50-foot mark, Howard, a junior, jumped a personal best of 51 feet,
3/4 inches at the Pac-10 Championships, taking fifth place in the
event.
If he hopes to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Sacramento,
Howard believes he’ll have to do even better than that. Only
the top-five jumpers at the West Regionals will secure automatic
berths, but Howard, seeded eighth heading into the weekend,
believes he has another big jump in him.
“I’ll need to improve by about half a foot and a
full foot would probably secure it,” Howard said, “I
started off the year at about 49 feet, and I’ve improved by
two feet. I have a feeling like I still have more left in me and
that 52 feet is definitely obtainable.”
The only UCLA jumper to have made an impact at the national
level in recent years was Juaune Armon, a former All-American in
the long jump. But with Armon having graduated last season,
it’s up to Howard and freshmen Dominique Easterling and
Michael Johnson Jr. to fill the role.
And the two freshmen have certainly done their share of late.
Johnson topped Howard in the Pac-10 Championships with a jump of 51
feet, 3/5 inches, finishing in fourth place overall while
Easterling finished in the top three at the USC dual meet in both
the triple jump and the high jump.
“Michael is definitely ready to (qualify),” Howard
said. “And Dominique, I think he has a chance of doing it
too.”
As the more experienced jumper, Howard has advised the two
freshmen and helped them improve over the course of the year. He
has worked hard to set an example for the young duo and knows that
he will play an essential role in their development as triple
jumpers.
“I’m the one that at times if they need to look up
to, they do,” Howard said. “I have to carry the
pressure.
“I have the “˜Follow me and I’ll take you where
you need to go’ kind of attitude, and that’s what you
need when you have young guys on the team.”