While most of us are taking finals and ending our year at UCLA, several women will be working hard as 13 members of the No. 8 women’s track and field team will compete in the NCAA Championships.
The four-day event beginning on Wednesday will run until Saturday. Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa will play host.
Last year UCLA finished fifth with 30 points and this year hopes to improve on that finish with desires of bringing back national championship No. 104 to Westwood.
“I guess we don’t have the depth that we’ve had in the past,” coach Jeanette Bolden said. “We have a lot of good quality kids, and they are going to go out there and try to improve on our fifth-place showing from last year.”
A couple of juniors will lead the way for the team as they try to defend their individual titles from last year.
Long jumper Rhonda Watkins and 400-meter hurdler Nicole Leach have rested most of the year and are ready to go with no injuries. After sitting out the Pac-10 Championships, both women came back strong at Western Regionals.
“Health-wise I feel great,” said Leach, who won the regional title. “No pain, I feel good. I don’t run races that hard, so I don’t get to feel my rhythm as often, but for the most part I feel good. I feel sharp.”
For several seniors, their last meet as a Bruin will be a memorable one.
Renee Williams will cap her UCLA career competing in the long jump and triple jump.
“I’m glad that I’m able to finish up and get some points for my team hopefully and end on a good note,” Williams said.
Jolanda Diego will also double in two events as she will compete in the 100 and the 200. Keneisha Creary qualified for the high jump and hopes to score points in her first outdoor nationals.
Joining Creary will be Allie Miller, who earned an at-large bid in the high jump.
“Allie Miller has to be one of the happiest kids on our team,” Bolden said. “She really worked hard, and I’m really proud of her for getting herself together.”
Adding to the talent on the track will be a freshman, an improved 800-meter runner and a strong 4-x-400 relay team.
Freshman Lindsay Rowe ran a personal best of 13.53 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles at regionals to earn a spot at nationals. Sophomore Krishna Curry also ran a lifetime best in the 800, her second straight in two weeks.
The team of senior Merice Wisdom, junior Krystin Lacy, Curry and Leach will take their national top-10 time to Iowa to show the country that the Bruins can run with the best.
In the pole vault, three newcomers will make their nationals debut.
Tori Pena, Katy Viuf, and Tori Anthony will take their consistent performances from throughout the year and aspire to score some big points for the team.
While a team title or another top-five finish would be great for the Bruins, it will have to be the individual performances that will get them there. The talented team has been working hard all year to have each person step up at the right time, and this week will be the biggest chance for the athletes to do just that.
“We try to pride ourselves on trying to do well at the end of the season, which is when it counts,” Bolden said. “Everybody’s feeling good. Just staying on the high note we had at regionals and working on a couple little things, it’s going to be a good nationals.”