Wednesday, 5/28/97 Bruins topple Pac-10 competition UCLA wins
crown, sets records with 55 points to spare
By Donald Morrison Daily Bruin Contributor It was history in the
making this weekend in Seattle, Wash. for the No. 1-ranked UCLA
women’s track team. The Bruins managed to win their eighth Pac-10
title in 11 years and did so in record-setting fashion by winning
the Pac-10 Championships with 189.5 points. It is the most points
ever scored by a women’s team at the championships. The Bruins
dominated the entire meet, winning by a whopping 55 points. USC,
winner of last year’s Pac-10 title, finished a distant second with
134.5 points and Stanford was third with 110 points. UCLA had
control of the meet after Saturday’s competition, when they led the
conference with 68 points. "I was very pleased with everyone," said
head coach Jeanette Bolden, after the Bruins won their third
conference crown in Bolden’s four years at UCLA. "I was most proud
of the fact that every area on the team was covered. The sprint
group, jumpers, distance runners and throwers all contributed to
the win. "From scholarship athletes to walk-ons, everyone
contributed. I will relish and cherish this year. We are extremely
blessed." UCLA’s team performance was not the only history-making
event. Amy Acuff became the first woman in conference history to
win an event four consecutive times. Acuff won her fourth straight
high-jump title with a leap of 6 feet 2 3/4 inches, beating out
Arizona’s Erin Aldrich and Emelie Fardigh of USC. Aldrich was
second at 6-1 1/2 and Fardigh was third with a leap of 5-11 1/4.
Joanna Hayes had a spectacular meet as well, winning both the 100-
and 400-meter hurdles titles. Hayes won her second straight
100-meter hurdles title with a personal best time of 13.04 seconds
and captured the 400-meter hurdles crown with a personal best time
of 56.38 seconds. Hayes’ time in the 100-meter hurdles is the
second-best time in school history. Darlene Malco also successfully
defended her Pac-10 titles as she won the 400-meter dash. Malco,
who has been bothered most of the season by an injury from last
year, won the conference title with a personal best time of 51.92.
Malco’s time ties for the fourth-best mark in the nation. Andrea
Anderson won the 200-meter dash title with a time of 23.98 and
finished second in the 400 meters to Malco with a personal best
time of 52.58. The Bruins also captured victories in both relays.
UCLA won the 4 x 100-meter relay with a season-best time of 44.14
and the 4 x 400-meter relay with another season-best time of
3:40.05 UCLA also dominated the throwing events. Suzy Powell
captured her first two Pac-10 titles when she won the javelin and
discus throws. Powell won the javelin with a mark of 179-2 and the
discus with a mark of 196-1. Nada Kawar won the shot put with a
heave of 55-1 1/2 and finished fourth in the discus throw. Freshman
Seilala Sua finished second in the discus and shot put with marks
of 193-11 and 54-8, respectively. Deana Simmons finished fourth in
the long jump and second in the triple jump at the championships.
Simmons jumped 19-9 1/2 in the long jump and 42-31/4 feet in the
triple jump. Kiesha Porter leaped her way into sixth place in the
triple jump with a mark of 39-5 3/4. The Bruin distance corps also
performed well in Seattle. Katherina Kechris finished third in both
the 3,000- and 5000-meter runs. It was her highest placing ever in
the Pac-10 Championships. Kechris ran 9:24.22 in the 3,000 meters
and a 16:24.84 in her first-ever 5,000-meter run on the track. With
the NCAA Cchampionships coming up in a week and a half, the Bruins
now appear confident and ready to seriously contend for a national
title. "I think (winning the Pac-10 title) gives the team a lot of
confidence," said Bolden. "We’re going into nationals on a high but
we know we have a lot of work to do. It’s going to be a battle
between UCLA, Louisiana State and Texas. We’re going to make it
difficult for them to beat us." Another conference title for the
Bruins could give them the high they need to knock 10-time
defending NCAA champion, LSU, off its perch.