Tuesday, 5/13/97 Men’s, women’s squads turn in solid
performances at invitational TRACK: ‘Stepping stone for the Pac-10’
heaps rewards on UCLA for high jump, shot put, sprints
By Emmanuelle Ejercito and Donald Morrison Daily Bruin Staff
Suzy Powell and Seilala Sua were not the only big performers at the
Modesto Invitational on Saturday. Amy Acuff took home the high-jump
title with a leap of 6 feet, 1 1/2 inches. Acuff’s leap was almost
six inches ahead of second-place Sue Dimarco, who competed
unattached. However, the Pac-10 championships should provide more
excitement in the high jump when Acuff battles Arizona’s Erin
Aldrich and USC’s Emelie Fardigh. Aldrich has jumped 6-3 1/2
outdoors and Fardigh has jumped 6-2. Nada Kawar finished second in
the shot put with a put of 54-5 1/2 but won the collegiate
invitational, since the winner was former Bruin Valyeta Althouse,
who now competes for Bruin Reebok. Rachelle Noble finished fourth
in the shot put with a mark of 49-7 1/4. Jocelyn Chase finished
fifth in the pole vault with a vault of 10-11 3/4. The pole vault
will not be an event at the NCAA or Pac-10 championships this year
but will be next year. Kiesha Porter finished fourth in the triple
jump at Occidental by jumping 38-7 1/2 and third in the long jump
with a leap 18-11 1/4. Kelly Cohn and Kara Barnard had personal
bests in the 1500 meters. Cohn ran 4:35.65 to come in 10th and
Barnard ran 4:40.58 to finish in 14th. In addition, Bethany Lucas
ran a 2:12 in the 800 meters and Christina Bowen ran a 2:14 in the
same event. The women’s distance corps will have a chance to set
more seasonal and personal bests this Sunday at USC when it
competes in the Reebok Twilight Classic. The meet is a distance
carnival. Bethany Lucas will have one more chance to qualify for
the Pac-10 championships in the 800 meters. She will need to run
faster than 2:11.14. * * * The sprinters and throwers for the UCLA
men’s track and field team also posted solid results at the Modesto
Invitational last Saturday. "Basically, it’s just a stepping stone
for the Pac-10," UCLA throwing coach Art Venegas said. True
freshman Damian Allen had a fruitful day in Modesto, setting two
personal bests. Allen broke his previous lifetime best of 10.67 in
the 100 by crossing the line at 10.59. Allen finished sixth in the
100 open race. His second personal record came in the open 200.
Allen ran a time of 21.35, finishing second just ahead of fellow
Bruin Jim McElroy, who finished third in 21.48. Sophomore Travis
Haynes was hoping to better his season-best to get an automatic
qualifying mark of 193-7 in the discus. However Haynes threw a
185-11 for eighth place at Modesto. Senior David Dumble placed the
highest amongst the Bruins, in sixth with a throw of 193-4. Other
results in the field events included Mel Moultry taking sixth place
in the triple jump with a leap of 50-6 1/2. In the shot put, Haynes
threw for 59-1 1/4 while Wade Tift heaved the shot for 58-10 3/4.
In the open pole vault competition, Travis Calkins cleared a
personal best of 16-4 1/2 and earned himself a Pac-10 qualifying
mark.