Freshman Nicole Leach knew that when she came to UCLA she had
some big shoes to fill. On Saturday, she will take her first steps
in those shoes. Leach will be pitted against former Bruin greats
Monique Henderson and Sheena Johnson when she takes the track this
weekend in the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at
Drake Stadium. Leach, a heralded recruit out of Philadelphia, has
shown great promise in the early season. Her 400 meter time of
52.46 is already a regional qualifier, and she has also had success
in the 200-meter race. Leach is slated to run both the 200- and
400-meter events this weekend, where she will face two of the
greatest Bruin sprinters of all time, Johnson and Henderson.
Henderson, the UCLA record holder in the quarter mile, won the NCAA
title in the 400m race in 2005, a year after earning a gold medal
on the U.S. 4x400m relay team in the Athens Olympics. Johnson, also
a 2004 Olympian, is the current collegiate record-holder in the
400m hurdles. “Having Nicole go up against those two just
shows what a great tradition we have,” coach Jeanette Bolden
said. “Sheena and Monique have competed on the Olympic level,
and we are hoping that one day Nicole will be at that same
level.” Leach will face Henderson in the 200m while running
alongside Johnson in the 400m. While the first-year sprinter will
be squaring off against two of UCLA’s most heralded
sprinters, Bolden feels that the situation will aid Leach by giving
her, along with the rest of the underclassmen, a taste of the honor
and tradition the program has built throughout the years.
“Having the meet here at Drake really gives us a relaxed
atmosphere,” Bolden said. “It’s great to have
these alumni come back and run with us. It’s a great
feeling.”
CALDWELL CRUISING: Junior Ashley Caldwell has had a strong start
to the season, but her toughest competition is yet to come.
Caldwell has ran in three races and has taken first place in each.
She will put that perfect track record on the line Saturday at the
Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at Drake Stadium
against a talented field. Caldwell has competed in the 800 meter,
5000 meter and two-mile races and has won each event handily. On
Saturday, Caldwell will finally compete in the 1500 meter, the race
she has been looking forward to all season. “I’m
looking for a breakthrough performance from Ashley this
weekend,” distance coach Eric Peterson said.
“She’s won all three races she has entered, but she is
really itching to get out there and run in the 1500.” Now
that the season is starting to hit full throttle, Caldwell, the
Pac-10 champion in the 800m just two years ago, will now focus
exclusively on the middle distance events for the remainder of the
season, according to Peterson.