After a season-long hiatus from track, junior Ashley Caldwell
has returned to form. Caldwell ran a lifetime best by over five
seconds in the invitational section of the 1500m race Saturday at
the Mt. SAC Relays. Her time of 4:22.05 placed her fifth in the
race overall and also earned her the title of third highest
collegiate runner. “I’m definitely excited to have run
faster than I did last weekend,” Caldwell said.
“I’m happy with this time, but I think I can run a lot
faster, which is a good feeling.” Last year, Caldwell, who
was an All-American in the 800m as a sophomore, was forced to sit
out during the track season with a medical redshirt due to stress
fractures found in her shins. Despite the setback, Caldwell has
bounced back nicely, as evident by her performance over the
weekend. “I don’t feel like I have been out for an
entire year because of cross country, but it is really exciting to
be back on the track and racing again,” said Caldwell, who
claimed All-American honors in cross country in the fall.
Caldwell’s breakout performance comes at a crucial time for
the Bruins. In the upcoming weeks, they will be competing against
USC and heading to Oregon for the Pac-10 Championships. While the
junior runner has vastly improved her times over the course of the
season, Caldwell believes she has the ability to run even faster.
“I am just really optimistic about the rest of the
season,” said Caldwell, whose time on Saturday is the ninth
best in the nation collegiately. “I know I can run a lot
faster than what I have shown, so I am just going to continue to
focus on bringing my times down.”
LEACH SHINES: Freshman Nicole Leach has been
been so successful in the 200m and 400m that it is easy to forget
that until Friday, she had yet to compete in her signature event.
Leach ran the 400m hurdles at the Long Beach Invitational over the
weekend and won handily in a time of 56.89, beating the
second-place finisher by over five seconds. Despite the soggy
conditions, her time was the third fastest college mark in the
nation.
NEWS AND NOTES: Senior Chelsea Johnson was the top collegiate
pole-vaulter at Mt. Sac on Saturday, though her mark of 14-0 was
well below her season best of 14-5.25. … Freshman Rhonda Watkins
finished second in the long jump at 19-5.50. … Senior Briana
Reynolds placed third in the discus with a mark of 152-4.