Ashley Caldwell finally had an injury-free year last season and
became one of the nation’s top runners. Now, as a senior,
Caldwell is primed to take the Bruins along with her.
Caldwell headlines this season’s UCLA women’s cross
country team, which looks to be much improved from last season when
the Bruins failed to make the NCAA Championships for the first time
since 2000.
Caldwell battled numerous injuries during her first few years in
the distance program and was never really able to unleash her full
potential. But last season she had a breakout year, finishing with
her second All-American honor in cross country. Now, the senior
will be seeking not only to continue her success but also to bring
her team back to the NCAA Championships.
“It has been a long time since we have had this kind of
senior leadership,” coach Eric Peterson said. “With her
past experiences, we really look to her to be our go-to runner, day
in and day out.”
Caldwell is followed by a talented group of runners who should
be able to complement the senior nicely. The Bruins, who last year
were without several top runners because of injury, welcome back
veteran seniors Jenna Timinsky and Alison Hall as well as sophomore
Olga Aulet-Leon, all of whom are coming off redshirt years. Along
with the development of junior Claire Rethmeier, UCLA suddenly
finds itself rather top heavy.
“These are athletes who all had experience competing on a
high level, and we just were not able to fill those holes a year
ago,” Peterson said. “Now that we have all of those
athletes back, led by Ashley Caldwell, we expect this team to be
back in the NCAA Championships by the end of the year.”
Though the Bruins will be getting reinforcements from last
year’s injured runners, they will also be missing a couple of
key athletes. Most notably, former cross-country Junior National
Champion and school-record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase
Alison Costello, who redshirted last season and missed all of the
outdoor track season, has decided to retire because of medical
complications.
“She has been disappointed and frustrated with having to
manage injuries and those things,” Peterson said. “She
is at a point where she needs to do what is best for her and for
her health and, at the end of the day, what is best for her
future.”
Also missing from the team is last year’s standout
freshman Lindsay de la Montaigne who missed the last portion of the
2005 season with a mysterious illness that even sent her to the
hospital after the Pac-10 Championships. Team doctors were unable
to pinpoint the cause of de la Montaigne’s condition, leading
to the decision to have her stop running completely.
Nevertheless, this year’s squad looks capable of absorbing
the loss of its prematurely departed athletes through its depth, as
the Bruins look to return to the NCAA Championships.
“We would love to have their services,” Peterson
said. “But we have the kind of team with runners who should
be able to come right in and fill those spots.”
The team will be tested early on as it will face off against 16
of the nation’s top cross-country squads in just its first
two meets.
Matchups against these early-season foes should give fans a
preview of how the season will play out. According to Peterson, the
results should be favorable.
“Top to bottom, I can say that this is one of the deepest
lineups we will be putting out there in some time,” Peterson
said. “And with that kind of senior leadership coming from
the top, I am very excited to see us back in the NCAA
Championships.”