She may not be perfect at it yet, but she has certainly come
closer than any other Bruin before her. Redshirt freshman Alison
Costello raced her way to victory in the 3000-meter steeple chase
during Saturday’s UCLA/USC dual meet in her first attempt at
the event, posting a time of 10:33.70 to establish new meet and
UCLA records, despite an early fall over the water pit.
“I’ve never practiced going over the water
before,” Costello said. “I’ve done some work
going over the hurdles, but as far as the water goes, that was my
first time today.” The decision to place Costello in the
steeple chase rather than her usual 5000 meter race was part of a
strategy to garner more points and ensure a UCLA victory. With the
Bruins able to post a strong field without Costello in the 5000m,
the decision was made to place her in the steeple chase, a move
that in the end earned the Bruins an additional three points in
what turned out to be a fairly close meet. Despite the fact that
she was able to break the school record after only her first time
running the event, Costello was not surprised by her strong
showing. “I had really high expectations coming into the race
because I’m in really good shape right now and I like that
distance,” Costello said. Technique was the only thing that
slowed Costello down on Saturday. Landing on the same foot she was
hitting the barrier with, Costello had less-than-ideal form because
of her lack of experience. UCLA distance coach Eric Peterson said
Costello, who had never practiced jumping over water, prepared by
jumping into the sand off a barrier Peterson stationed in front of
the long jump pit to serve as a rudimentary reproduction of race
conditions. “She can be a lot cleaner going over the
water,” Peterson said. “Her hurdling technique is very
strong, but she’s got a lot of work to do running through the
water. With that said, her potential is very high.” Costello
sees that potential herself. “It’s scary to think
about,” Costello said. “This could be my new
event.” As the postseason rapidly approaches and the Bruins
vie for as many points as they can get their paws on, Costello
hopes to use the 3000m steeple chase to help her team to victory.
“I’m very excited,” Costello said. “Just to
be in uniform and getting points again is great. I hope to (run the
steeple chase) again at the Pac-10s and the championships later in
the season.” Peterson, keeping in mind that Costello is also
a very strong 5000m runner as well, is not ready to change course
quite yet. “She is a top runner in the 5000m, too,”
Peterson said. “If she doesn’t clean her technique in
the steeple, she’s going to have a hard time. For now, the
5,000m is going to be our focus.”
FIGHT’S OVER: It was announced Monday that no suspensions
would be handed down for a skirmish that occurred toward the end of
Saturday’s dual meet.
INJURY UPDATE: Despite tweaking her left knee Saturday, pole
vaulter Chelsea Johnson is not expected to miss any time due to
injury. Her knee will be re-evaluated later in the week.