Over the weekend there was a rare sight on Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania: UCLA athletes competing at the Penn Relays.
For only the second time in her 15-year tenure, coach Jeanette Bolden and the UCLA women’s track and field team traveled across the country to compete in the 114th running of the event. The Bruins showed the East Coast crowd why they came in ranked No. 12.
“Overall, I’m pleased about the weekend,” Bolden said. “We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish. We wanted to run a good 4×400.”
On Thursday, the team of senior Merice Wisdom and juniors Krystin Lacy, Chanelle Curry and Nicole Leach finished second in their heat and sixth overall with a new season-best of 3 minutes, 34.77 seconds.
Two days later, the 4×400-meter relay team of freshman Joy Eaton and the three juniors placed sixth overall with a time of 3:36.83.
In the 4x100m relay, Leach, Lacy, freshman Lindsay Rowe and senior Jolanda Diego ran 45.56 to a second-place finish in their heat and sat in 12th position overall. The team advanced to the finals, but coach Bolden decided the team would not run in order to protect the athletes’ health.
“We decided not to run and wanted to rest everybody,” Bolden said. “Lindsay would have had to run three races in one day, and we thought we had a better chance in the sprint medley relay, which we did.”
The sprint relay team of Diego, Rowe, Eaton and sophomore Krishna Curry came from 25 meters back on the final lap to earn a second-place finish in the race.
In field action, sophomore Danielle Watson won the college section of the long jump with a wind-aided jump of 20 feet, 5 1/4 inches.
“I’m really proud of her,” Bolden said. “For her to go out there and keep her composure was great. It was a breakthrough performance.”
Aside from competing at a famous meet, a few athletes had a chance to go back home and run in front of family and friends. Leach, raised in Philadelphia, was a hometown favorite.
Rowe’s mother made the trip from New York to see her daughter perform.
Wisdom, who is native to Jamaica, had an opportunity to see friends, as many other Jamaican athletes competed.
Bolden credited these athletes with showing the rest of the team how to handle the meet.
“I think they did a great job, and they helped everyone,” Bolden said. “They prepared everyone for the crowd and intensity.”
With the successful weekend, Bolden plans to make sure the team will be back to impress the field once again.
“They were really happy UCLA came back,” Bolden said. “When the schedule permits, we would love to go to Penn.”
TRITON INVITATIONAL: Several athletes stayed on the West Coast and competed at the Triton Invitational at UC San Diego and came home with event wins.
Senior Allie Miller cleared 5-7 to win her second straight high jump competition, and sophomore Tara Ross came in first in the javelin with a throw of 152-7.
Junior Gabrielle Bournes ran a lifetime best of 2:11.80 to place sixth in the 800m.
KRAIS IMPRESSES: At the Penn Relays, high school senior Ryann Krais was able to show her future coach what she could do.
“It was good to observe Ryann compete,” Bolden said. “She was a class act.”
The UCLA signee from Methacton High School in Norristown, Pa., won the 400m hurdles with a time of 59.62. Krais also anchored her school’s 4x100m team to a heat victory and then to an overall second-place finish.