When coach Eric Peterson was contemplating his lineup for this
year’s cross country squad, Allie Bohannon was not on his
mind, and no one would blame him.
Bohannon, a sophomore, was recruited primarily as a middle
distance runner for track and field, and was mostly just competing
in the fall for endurance training. As she had no background in the
sport, no one could have predicted her meteoric rise to the top of
UCLA’s lineup.
In just her full first year of competing in cross country at any
level, Bohannon has established herself as a force in the
Bruin’s roster, consistently finishing in the top pack of
every race.
“Allie is just scratching the surface of her
potential,” Peterson said. “She is arguably the most
improved runner in the Pac-10.”
Bohannon skipped her freshman season in cross country, not even
taking a redshirt year. After a decent first season in outdoor
track, the sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., changed her training
strategy during the offseason.
“In the summer, I shifted my training so that I was
focusing more on the longer distances,” Bohannon said.
“I did a lot more endurance training.”
The extra work has already paid dividends, as Bohannon has
transformed herself into an elite-level long-distance runner. After
a seventh-place team finish at the team’s first race against
UC Riverside in early September, Bohannon has become one the
Bruin’s most consistent runners, never finishing below second
in the lineup for the rest of the season.
All this success comes as a surprise to everyone, even
Bohannon.
“At the beginning of the year, I was just trying to make
the traveling team,” Bohannon said. “Everything else
has just been icing on the cake.”
Bohannon’s emergence came full circle last weekend in Palo
Alto at the Pac-10 Championship meet. Having finished second on the
squad all season long to All-American redshirt senior Ashley
Caldwell, Bohannon shocked everyone when she finally stepped out of
Caldwell’s shadow to capture eighth place at the conference
meet, earning All-Conference honors. Caldwell finished 15th.
“It really has been a surprise to me,” Bohannon
said. “Ashley has been the leader of this team all season
long. I really had no idea I would even be close to competing with
her.”
As the team has been ravaged by injuries and illnesses all year
long, Bohannon’s rise has become all the more important. With
key members of the Bruins ailing, such as redshirt senior Jenna
Timinsky and junior Claire Rethmeier, Bohannon has been able to
step in to fill the void ““ and them some.
“Allie has really been key in keeping us afloat,”
Peterson said. “She has always been right up there with
Ashley, and (last Saturday’s race) was really a preview of
things to come.”
Now the team will focus its attention to the West Region meet
next weekend, where it will have a chance to advance to the NCAA
Championships.
But even if the team fails to qualify, UCLA will more than
likely be well-represented in Terre Haute, Ind., with Caldwell and
now Bohannon as strong candidates to advance as individuals. For
Caldwell, it would be her third trip to the championships and a
fitting end to an illustrious UCLA cross country career. For
Bohannon, a ticket to Indiana could be just the beginning of what
could ultimately be one of the most successful yet unlikely cross
country careers at UCLA.
“Allie was brought in primarily just for the shorter
distances, just like Ashley,” Peterson said. “But when
it is all said and done, I really believe that Allie will be one of
the nation’s elite runners.”