Women’s track and field prepping for approaching postseason season at various meets

This weekend, the women’s track and field team will send two squads to two different meets as a part of a midseason tune-up.

The No. 9 Bruins will have distance runners, jumpers and throwers competing at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., while the pole vaulters will be at the Cerritos Invitational. The sprinters are being held out to prepare for the upcoming Penn Relays and USC meet.

“I’m just looking for everyone to continue to improve from their performance from last week,” coach Jeanette Bolden said. “Some people just need to fine-tune and get another meet under their belt. We will train through this meet and not train for it.”

So far this year, the team has earned 19 regional qualifiers as well as six national top-10 marks.

Headlining the select group is freshman Tori Anthony, the No. 3 pole vaulter in the country.

Last week at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational, Anthony cleared a season-best 13 feet, 9.75 inches to move into fourth place in UCLA history and earned Pac-10 Field Event Athlete of the Week.

“It’s extremely awesome to achieve that great height this season, especially for a freshman,” pole vault coach Anthony Curran said. “I think she is just starting to tap on what she can do.”

With their coach leaving for Oregon to coach the men’s team, Anthony and the rest of the vaulters will look to help each other and improve on their marks this weekend.

“It’s such a technical sport, but we all know each other’s jump pretty well,” Anthony said. “Everyone is ready to jump high. If we can get those technical things down, we will get by.”

Four of the five vaulters competing have already qualified for regionals.

“Hopefully we will have five girls ranked in the top 15,” Curran said. “We hope to work hard and peak by nationals.”

Other athletes competing this weekend and looking to improve their regional qualifying marks will be No. 10 pole vaulter senior Ingrid Kantola (13-5.25) and No. 16 vaulter junior Katy Viuf (13-1.75). Junior All-American Rhonda Watkins, who ranks fifth in the long jump (21-3.50) will compete in the high jump. Sophomore Krishna Curry will run in the 800 meters and sophomore Tara Ross will compete in the javelin.

BOHANNON’S CAREER OVER: Redshirt junior Allie Bohannon will no longer compete at UCLA due to an injury suffered at 2007’s Pac-10 Championships. The All-American distance runner had several surgeries during the offseason but has not completely recovered.

Although she has an extra year of eligibility, Bohannon will graduate in June and pursue a law degree.

“Allie has done some amazing things,” Bolden said. “We will definitely miss her and her competitive spirit on the track.”

Bohannon earned All-America honors in 2007 for finishing second at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2006, she was the No. 1 cross country runner for the Bruins as well as the MVP.

Her top times are 2:07.07 in the 800m, 4:22.30 in the 1500m, and 4:41.42 in the mile.

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