The women’s track and field team will head back north to its second home this season, looking for better results this time around with a trip to the NCAA Championships on the line.
The No. 15 Bruins will send 18 athletes to Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA West Region Championships. The top five finishers from each event will earn a berth in nationals a couple of weeks from now.
“In order to have a good nationals you have to have a good regionals,” coach Jeanette Bolden said. “You have to get everyone in that top five spot, and I think we can.”
Last year, the team came in fifth at the Pac-10 Championships and subsequently finished second in regionals. Two weekends ago, the team placed fifth again at Pac-10s and is looking for a similar jump in the ranks.
“I thought we had a bunch of strong performances at Pac-10s,” freshman Ryann Krais said. “It would be awesome for that to carry through to this week.”
A key to a strong showing could be the expected big performances of those who are among the top competitors in their events. An experienced group of veterans will lead the way for the Bruins.
“It’s nothing different from anything before,” senior captain Nicole Leach said. “The goal is to make it to nationals.”
Leach enters the meet with the top regional time in the 400-meter hurdles at 56.33 and is looking to become a four-time regional champion in her event.
Leach will also anchor the 4x400m relay team, which ran its fastest time at the Pac-10s in 3:33.62 and earned the top seed for this week.
Senior jumper Rhonda Watkins will have a busy day competing in three events. The 2007 long jump champion takes the fifth-best distance in that event and ranks sixth in the high jump. Watkins will also lead off the 4x100m relays.
“Rhonda has worked out those technical difficulties (from Pac-10s), so she should do well,” Bolden said.
Junior pole vaulter Katy Viuf has new equipment for this weekend since her pole broke two weeks ago, and she enters the competition ranked second in the region.
The 800m should be a very competitive event and will feature junior Krishna Curry, who at 2:06.01 has the fifth-best time. Senior Krystin Lacy is seeded fourth in the 400m and looks to better her lifetime best that she ran in her last meet.
Aside from the seniors and juniors, a talented younger group will get its first opportunity to compete for a nationals spot.
“I want to say there’s no pressure because we are young,” Krais said. “There’s still some pressure, but it’s a good feeling to know that we have made it this far and have years of growing.”
Krais will take a break from the heptathlon and run in the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles.
Sophomore Lindsay Rowe has the fifth-best time among athletes in the 100m hurdles. Freshman Camilla Dencer is recovering from an injury and is ready to go in the 800m. Freshman thrower Brittany Borman will double up shot put and discus. Freshman Yasmin Woodruff will be the lone Bruin sprinter in the 100m and 200m while taking the baton in the second leg of the 4x100m relays.
The Bruin athletes will face a tough field with six of the top 25 teams of the nation present ““ No. 1 Oregon, No. 5 USC, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 12 Stanford, No. 13 Washington and No. 21 Brigham Young.
The Bruins said they know not competing with their best will mean that their season is over, so they will use this meet to set up another successful run at the NCAA Championships.
“Honestly, if we can advance everyone, that will be bigger achievement than any other place,” Leach said. “You can win regionals and have not everyone advance. The regional champion isn’t always the champion at nationals. Anyone who is capable of making regionals can make it to nationals.”