After spending most of the year in the shadow of a pair of
Olympic hopefuls, UCLA freshman Ashley Caldwell appears to be ready
to make her mark.
Caldwell had been expecting to ease her way into her collegiate
career behind teammates Lena Nilsson and Tiffany Burgess, but a
season-ending injury sustained by Burgess has suddenly thrust her
into a more prominent role.
With Burgess ““ one of the nation’s top
middle-distance runners ““ on crutches after breaking her toe
at the Mt. SAC Relays, Caldwell could provide a big boost for the
Bruins if she can surprise the field in the 800-meters at the
Pac-10 Championships later this month.
“I’ve looked up to Tiffany ever since I got
here,” Caldwell said. “Having her go down has inspired
me not so much to fill her shoes, but to concentrate on how I can
help the team.”
Burgess would have been a heavy favorite in the 800m at the
Pac-10 Championships as her season-best mark of 2:04.54 is nearly
three seconds faster than anybody else’s in the conference
(besides Nilsson who may not run in 800m at the conference
meet).
But with Burgess sidelined, the race is wide open, which could
give Caldwell a chance to contend.
“Instead of the race being contested in the 2:01-2:03
range, it will now be in the 2:06-2:07 range,” UCLA distance
coach Eric Peterson said. “Ashley now has a chance to shine
in a meet where her performance was probably going to go
unnoticed.”
Caldwell’s personal best in the 800m is 2:09.83 ““
the eighth fastest in the Pac-10 ““ but she expects to improve
that mark. The freshman knows that if she can stay in contention
until the waning moments of the race, she could have the chance to
pull the upset.
“It’s very wide open,” she said. “I know
that I can be running if I want it bad enough.”
The x-factor in the race is Nilsson, last year’s Pac-10
800m champion. Since she is already running in the 1500m, the
coaching staff will only allow her to run in the 800m if it is
necessary to win the meet as a team.
While Nilsson would be the overwhelming favorite if she runs,
Caldwell has been training as if the Bruins’ fate in the race
will rest on her shoulders. She ran a leg of the 4x400m relay in 57
seconds last Saturday at the UCLA Invitational, and also ran the
1600m in the distance medley.
Although the loss of Burgess is potentially devastating to the
Bruins’ NCAA title hopes, Peterson is excited about the
potential he has seen in Caldwell.
“The torch is going to get passed at some point
anyway,” Peterson said. “It’s not the way any of
us would have wanted it ““ certainly not Tiffany, certainly
not Ashley, and absolutely not me.”
Caldwell didn’t ask to be in the spotlight. But now that
she’s there, she’s going to make the best of it.