Even though the UCLA women’s track and field team will be attending two meets this weekend, there will be just a few Bruins in action.
Coming off a second place finish at last week’s Cal/Nevada Championships, most of the team will train through this weekend’s Texas Relays meet in preparation for the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner Kersee Invitational held at UCLA next weekend.
Coach Jeanette Bolden said that the “big push” will come for the Penn Relays later in April. Most of the team members skipping this weekend “just worked out better for our training.”
Four pole vaulters will go to Austin, Texas for the Texas Relays and seven distance runners will be at the Stanford Invitational.
Freshman pole vaulter Tori Anthony will lead the Bruins in Texas. Anthony jumped 13 feet, 5 3â„4 inches last week at the Cal/Nevada Championships to earn a second-place finish and a regional mark. Rounding out the group will be senior Ingrid Kantola, who also achieved a regional mark, senior Megan Jamerson and junior Katy Viuf.
While the vaulters will represent UCLA in Texas, the distance runners will compete at Stanford. It is a relatively small group attending, and senior Claire Rethmeier had to be pulled from the entry list because of an injury that has not yet been diagnosed.
“We are managing some injuries, that’s all,” distance coach Eric Peterson said. “If any of the kids have anything that is flaring up or bothersome, we have to be very cautious. We can’t allow anything that is going on now from a minor standpoint to develop into a major standpoint.”
The Stanford meet will help get some of the women ready for their specific events and most now will be competing in their primary events, according to Peterson. Early in the season the team works in off events to target certain aspects of their training that they need to work on.
Coming off a season best at the Cal/Nevada Championships, junior Lauren Jirges will look to continue improving in the 1500 meters.
“Lauren had a great indoor season,” Peterson said. “If she runs the same time she did indoor, she will be right at the regional mark for outdoor, so she is knocking on the door for that.”
The other Bruins competing will be redshirt freshman Christine Jones in the 200m and 400m, sophomore Krishna Curry in the 400m and 800m, sophomore Rosa Magana in the 800m, redshirt freshman Kelcie Wiemann in the 5000m, redshirt junior Olga Aulet-Leon in the 1500m and junior Gabrielle Bournes in the 400m. UCLA will also run a 4 x 400m relay consisting of Jones, Curry, Bournes and Magana.
With so many young competitors and no seniors in the line up, this weekend will really help the Bruins gain experience in competition
“I do feel some of our older, more experienced athletes are a little more focused on the postseason since they’ve been there before and are right where they need to be,” Peterson said. “The young kids need some more work, but we are making some solid gains that are really encouraging.”