SACRAMENTO “”mdash; Coach Jeanette Bolden knew she was taking a
mostly young and wide-eyed group to Sacramento, and over the
weekend, the youthful Bruins were definitely showing signs of some
major growing pains. The UCLA women’s track and field team
had a rocky week at the NCAA Championships, finishing in a
disheartening tie for 14th place with Florida State. The Bruins had
hoped to finish in the top 10, but instead scored only 18 points en
route to their lowest outing since 1992. “I don’t like
finishing 14th,” Bolden said. “We are a very young
squad, I’m just glad I was able to bring some of my athletes
here to get some experience.” The team was hoping for some
big points from freshmen Rhonda Watkins and Nicole Leach. While
both athletes had decent showings, the two fell short of their
respective goals. Watkins was on fire to start the meet, recording
the farthest mark of 21-6.25 in the long jump qualifying round
while also easily qualifying for the finals in the high jump. But
the freshman seemingly ran out of gas, as she ended up out of the
top eight for each event. Leach, who ran a lifetime best 55.61 in
the qualifying rounds of the 400 meter hurdles, finished fourth
during the finals, running 55.93. Though Leach becomes UCLA’s
first 400m hurdle All-American since Sheena Johnson in 2004, she
was not completely satisfied with her performance. “I’m
happy that I made it (to the finals), I was the only freshman so I
can’t be mad about that,” Leach said. “I would
have liked to have run better in the finals, but it was a good
experience.” In other events at the championships, both relay
teams, which were comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores,
failed to advance to the final rounds. The Bruins received the bulk
of their scoring from seniors. Chelsea Johnson took second in the
pole vault, clearing 13-11.25, while Dawn Harper ran to a fourth
place finish in the 100m hurdles in 12.92. “It was
challenging, but they come and they go,” said a disheartened
Harper, who was hoping for a better finish to her UCLA career.
Overall, the team received points from just three athletes and
failed to garner an individual title for the first time since
1987.
Bright spots: Though some athletes were unable
to score for the team, there were still impressive performances put
on by athletes who will be returning next season. In the 1500m,
redshirt junior Ashley Caldwell ran personal bests in both rounds,
clocking 4:19.73 to take ninth in Saturday’s final, just one
spot off of a scoring position. “I felt really good out there
today,” Caldwell said. “All I can do is give myself a
chance at the end, and that’s what I did.” Redshirt
sophomore Renee Williams also missed a spot as an All-American,
placing ninth in the triple jump in a new lifetime best of
42-11.25.