Freshman hurdler Darius Reed had been performing admirably up to this point, but over the weekend, Reed showed just why he is one of UCLA’s top recruits.
With sophomore sensation Kevin Craddock competing on the East Coast, Reed had a breakout performance at the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seattle over the weekend, running a lifetime best of 7.83 seconds in the 60-meter hurdle final to win the league title.
“He just did a fantastic job making some adjustments,” sprints coach Tony Veney said. “It was just a very nice performance. … It’s great for him to get a title so early on.”
Reed, the Colorado state champ in the high hurdles just a year ago, has made the transition to college competition quite nicely, according to his coaches. His time places him among some of the top hurdlers in the nation and gives him an outside shot of qualifying for the NCAA Championships in just two weeks in Fayetteville, Ark.
Even more importantly, the success Reed is experiencing figures to translate very nicely into the outdoor season where No. 12 UCLA finds itself loaded with young talent.
“We really use the indoor season to focus on technique,” Veney said. “So when we get into outdoors, we can just apply what we have been working on indoors. Right now, (Reed) is 80 percent of where we want him to be.”
Also turning in a fine performance was senior pole vaulter Mike Landers, who leaped to a lifetime best mark of 17 feet 5 1/2 inches to win the competition.
UCLA finished in ninth place overall with 55 points, competing with just a handful of athletes. Washington won the MPSF Championships with 109 points.
CRADDOCK IN BOSTON: Craddock, in an effort to better prepare himself for the NCAA Championships, ran in the USATF Indoor Nationals in Boston, qualifying for the semifinals on Saturday with a time of 7.82. However, the sophomore was interrupted the next day during his heat by a field volunteer, according to coaches, and was pulled from the race in order to prevent injury.
“Kevin isn’t injured, but he did feel a little twinge pulling up,” Veney said. “And with nationals two weeks away, we decided to take him out.”
Craddock remains one of the top 60m hurdlers in the nation and figures to be a key factor in Arkansas in two weeks for the NCAA meet.
KANTOLA AND BOHANNON IMPRESS: On the women’s side, No. 5 UCLA had a handful of standout performances in Washington as well.
In particular, junior Ingrid Kantola had another solid meet in the pole vault as she placed second, clearing a height of 13-5 1/4. That mark is only the second best of her career as she had a breakout jump of 13-10 the prior weekend in Arizona. Kantola currently ranks in the top five in the nation.
In the 800 meters, sophomore Allie Bohannon ran a huge lifetime best of 2:08.40, a near 3-second drop off her previous best time. The time was good enough for third place overall.
Also on the track, senior Ashley Caldwell ran a season best of 4:51.20 to take fourth place. Junior Georgia Richards finished fourth in the long jump with a career best jump of 19-10 1/4.
The Bruins, also carrying a light team, finished the competition in eighth place with 40.50 points while Arizona State took home the MPSF league title with 135 points.