Kamaiya Warren didn’t need any added incentive when she
was preparing to face the USC throwers on Saturday. But she got
some anyway, and put it to good use. After last week’s press
conference, which featured some verbal sparring between UCLA and
USC, Warren felt slighted by her crosstown counterparts and was
looking for some retribution. “Comments were said at the
press conference and that really upset me,” Warren said. To
add more fuel to the fire, the team had surprise visitors.
“Our alumni came in and were like, “˜You guys gotta win;
you gotta win again this year.'” And Warren did so by
taking first place in the discus with a score of 167-10 and placing
second in the shot put with a lifetime best of 55-11. USC’s
Katie Hutchinson was considered the favorite in both events, but
the Trojan’s reckless play hindered her placement. Whereas
Hutchinson fouled on each of her last four tries, Warren was
careful in her approach, knowing that an infraction would make it
nearly impossible to top Hutchinson. On her last throw, Warren came
up with a big throw of 167-10 to overtake Hutchinson’s best
throw of 166-8. “Honestly, it didn’t matter how far I
threw. I just wanted to beat their farthest thrower,” Warren
said. “I just had to dig down for it.” In the shot put,
Warren finished second, with a lifetime best of 55-11 to Pac-10
leader Karen Freberg, though Warren did throw a lifetime best of
55-11.
HARPER AND CALDWELL ON TRACK: While Warren took
care of business on the field, Ashley Caldwell and Dawn Harper took
it to the Trojans on the track. Caldwell and Harper both took the
comments made at the press conference to heart and had something to
prove. “They were just really underestimating what the Bruins
are about,” Caldwell said. “It was about the heart, and
the Bruins definitely had more heart.” Caldwell, who ran in
three events, scored points in each of them. Running the 5,000
meters, 800 meters and 1,500 meters, Caldwell placed third, second
and first, respectively. In the 5,000m, 800m and 1,500m, she ran
respective times of 17:46, 2:14 and 4:31. Harper ran in the
100-meter hurdles and 100 meters for the first time this season. In
the 100m, Harper placed second with a time of 13.20, the No. 9 time
collegiately in the nation so far.