The top teams on the West Coast will take a weekend trip for the experience of a lifetime and compete on the biggest stage in Track Town, USA.
In Eugene, Ore., the UCLA women’s track and field team is eyeing a conference title at the Pac-10 Championships this weekend.
Returning to Oregon for the first time since 2006, the elite of the Pac-10 are competing at historic Hayward Field, the site of the 2008 Olympic Trials and this year’s USA Track & Field National Championships.
“I’m really excited because this is Track Town,” sophomore Lindsay Rowe said. “I’ve never been to Oregon so this will really be exciting to see everyone come out and run in the famous stadium.”
In front of more than 10,000 enthusiastic fans, the No. 13 Bruins want to better their fifth place finish from last year and win their first Pac-10 crown since 2004.
Leading the way for the team will be a duo of experienced seniors at the top of the conference rankings.
Senior Rhonda Watkins comes into the meet with the best mark in the long jump at 21 feet, 3.25 inches and the sixth best high jump at 5-10.75.
“It would mean the world to me to be a double Pac-10 champion,” Watkins said. “It’s the perfect way to close off my collegiate career.”
Nicole Leach, the other senior, will try to earn her first win in the 400 meters as she enters with the fastest time in the Pac-10 at 52.04. She won the 400m hurdles last season but will take a break from her signature event for a straight run.
Junior Katy Viuf is the third Bruin with the top mark in the conference with a height of 14-1.25 in the pole vault.
The 800m is another event that UCLA hopes to gain some valuable points in. Redshirt sophomore Krishna Curry has the second best time at 2:06.05, and a top finish will bode well for the team. Rowe will run in the 100m hurdles.
Aside from the upperclassmen, the newcomers have shown they can handle the pressure. Freshman Ryann Krais, who finished fourth last week in the heptathlon, will double up in the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles. Freshman Brittany Borman will also be in two events, the shot put and the discus.
The top of the podium will not be an easy road because the Pac-10 boasts three top 10 teams: No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 USC and No. 7 Arizona State, the defending champions.
“We know how to run (our race),” Rowe said. “We just need to focus on our race and make sure we’re the first one to cross the finish line.”