The Bruins created a buzz in the indoor season, but so far, UCLA has been low-key early on in outdoor competition.
The UCLA women had a small contingent of athletes competing over the weekend at two meets in Fresno and Palo Alto. The bulk of the team was in Fresno, taking part in the Cal/Nevada Championships where the Bruins put in a handful of noteworthy marks.
With the team coming off of a long indoor season, the coaches have yet to put a team out at full strength on the track. “We are a little all over the place,” coach Jeanette Bolden said. “We have a big meet next week at the Texas Relays and you will probably see a full team at the (Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee) meet.”
NCAA Indoor Championship qualifiers Keneisha Creary, Allie Bohannon and Rhonda Watkins, the indoor long jump champion, were all absent from this weekend’s competition while other top athletes were taking part in off events. Bohannon, the runner-up in the mile indoor championship race, was scheduled to run at Stanford but was held out.
“She ran so well in the indoor season, we don’t want to over-race her,” distance coach Eric Peterson said. “I have no doubt that she is going to qualify for the national meet. Her season is going to involve a lot of racing at high levels; we just want to be careful to not over-run her.”
While most of the team’s big scorers had the weekend off, there were still a number of impressive performances. Most notably, pole vaulter Ingrid Kantola, fresh off of her All-American performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, carried that success into the outdoor season. With a jump of 13-1.50, Kantola won the pole vault title. That mark puts her once again among the nation’s elite jumpers even though the junior has a better mark indoors.
Also in the field, redshirt senior Kamaiya Warren took the shot put title with a toss of 51 feet even, her best mark of the season so far.
Junior Claire Rethmeier in the 5000 meters (17:12.02) and redshirt junior Georgea Richards in the long jump (19-8) also won titles.
LEACH PREPARING: Sophomore All-American Nicole Leach ran in relay races over the weekend in Fresno, but has yet to open up the season in her main event, the 400m hurdles. After a grueling freshman campaign, Bolden has decided to ease her star sprinter into the season.
“Nicole had such a long season last year, and when you have a long season like that, you have to make sure you bring an athlete along carefully,” Bolden said. “She ran at our first meet outdoors working on her speed, so she has been competing.”
Leach will most likely compete in the hurdles in two weeks at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at UCLA.