The No. 9 UCLA women’s track and field team is in Austin, Texas this weekend for the 80th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. One of the largest track meets of the year, the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosts athletes from across the country and focuses on events such as the 4×100 meters, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m, sprint medley and distance medley.
After a recent second-place finish at the Cal/Nevada Championships and tallying 17 regional qualifiers, the Bruins look to continue to build upon their strong season and develop their athletes.
“It would be great to go to Texas, and get out of Texas healthy,” coach Jeanette Bolden said. “With many of our athletes competing, this is a good opportunity to test our depth across the board. The Texas Relays is an important meet for us because of the national exposure and the chance for us to compete against athletes from across the country.”
Members of the team remaining in Los Angeles reflect enthusiasm and support for the team headed to Austin.
Redshirt junior Georgea Richards, winner of the long jump title at the Cal/Nevada Championships, will stay in Los Angeles to train, but will be cheering on her teammates from afar.
“As a team, we are looking to run good relay times and have good exchanges,” Richards said. “This is a chance to show consistency in competition, to continue to get better. The team is excited, (coach) Jeanette is trying new things with the girls.”
Bolden has fostered an atmosphere of unity throughout the team and has the Bruins looking forward to the Texas Relays with anticipation. Middle-distance runner Allison Hall is confident in her relay team as they compete on the national stage.
“We all train together, and we’re a tight-knit group. We do well in practice together, so it is a matter of translating our practice into competition,” Hall said. “I would like to see us really be competitive and I feel we have a good chance to compete well against other teams. Personally, I want to use the Texas Relays as a chance to develop and to excel throughout the season.”
Other than UCLA’s outstanding relay teams, talented Bruins will also be competing in individual events.
Representing UCLA in the long jump, 2007 NCAA Indoor long jump champion Rhonda Watkins will be competing in the A section. Redshirt junior Renee Williams will be competing in the long jump B section, in addition to the B section of the triple jump with junior Nicole Duhart.
After competing in the NCAA Indoor Championships, junior Keneisha Creary will be opening up the outdoor season in the high jump event.
In the A section of the 1500m, indoor All-American Allie Bohannon and last year outdoor All-American Ashley Caldwell will be the sole UCLA individual runners.
Pole vaulters Megan Jamerson, Jacqueline Nguyen and Ingrid Kantola are all currently ranked in the top 10 in the country. Jamerson and Nguyen will be competing in the B section, while Kantola will be competing in the A section.