A total of four athletes from the UCLA track and field teams competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships over the weekend, and fittingly it was the two seniors that led their respective teams by earning All-American honors.
The only Bruin from the women’s team who traveled to the meet in College Station, Texas, highlighted UCLA’s performance.
Senior Rhonda Watkins, the 2007 indoor and outdoor long jump champion, came into the meet looking to reclaim her title.
“The goal was to improve on her spot coming in, which was fifth,” women’s coach Jeanette Bolden said.
Watkins came 2.75 inches short and earned third with a jump of 21 feet, 2.50 inches.
“The best thing was Rhonda scored on her sixth and final jump,” Bolden said. “She was happy she was able to pull that off.”
Watkins also picked up the fourth All-American honor of her career with her third-place finish.
For the men, senior thrower Boldizsar Kocsor also earned his fourth All-American honor.
Kocsor threw 70-5.25 to come in sixth in the weight throw.
“Boldi was consistent,” men’s coach Art Venegas said. “He just couldn’t break out the big throw.”
Competing in his first NCAA Indoor Championship meet, redshirt sophomore Bo Taylor finished 11th in the shot put with a throw of 58-8.75.
In the pole vault, redshirt sophomore Johnny Quinn no heighted.
With the end of the indoor season, both teams will turn their focus outdoors, the main concentration for the Bruins.
March 28 and 29, UCLA will host the Cal/Nevada Championships at Drake Stadium for the first full-squad outdoor meet.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Venegas was awarded the 2009 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men’s Coach of the Year, the conference announced last Thursday.
Venegas led UCLA in winning the MPSF Indoor crown at the end of February, upsetting several highly ranked teams, including Oregon who won the NCAA Championship. It was the Bruins’ first title win since 2005.