W. track roll into NCAA meet…
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 28, 1996 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 29, 1996
Bruins hope for top-three team finish, individual titlesBy Scott
Yamaguchi
Daily Bruin Staff
Fueled by the disappointment of losing its Pacific 10 Conference
Championship two weeks ago, the UCLA women’s track and field team
opens competition today in the four-day NCAA Outdoor Championships
in Eugene, Ore.
The Bruins, who finished among the top three teams in the last
three national meets, have once again been tabbed by Track and
Field News to finish third in this year’s version.
But a rash of late-season injuries has cast some doubt over the
team’s ability to score the necessary points for a top-three
finish, and it appears that outstanding individual performances
have become the focus.
"I think, with the injuries, I’m not too worried about winning a
team title this year," sophomore discus thrower Suzy Powell said.
"Of course, I would love it, but the most important thing to me is
taking care of this individual title."
Powell is one of three Bruins ranked at the top of the NCAA in
their respective events. Senior captain Valeyta Althouse is the
clear favorite to defend her title in the shot put, and junior Amy
Acuff is also favored to defend her title in the high jump.
Sophomore Nada Kawar will join Powell and Althouse in the discus
and the shot put competition, and should earn points for the team
in both events.
Junior 400-meter runner Darlene Malco has run the ninth-fastest
time in the NCAA this year, as has freshman Joanna Hayes in the
100-meter hurdles.
Hayes will also run the 400-meter hurdles, and freshman Andrea
Anderson will compete in the 200-meters.
Today, Powell will compete in the trials and finals of the
discus, while Hayes will run the semifinals of the 400-hurdles and
Anderson the trials of the 200.
If Hayes finishes among the top-eight today, she will advance to
Friday’s final. Anderson must finish among the top-16 to advance to
Friday’s 200-meter semifinals, then must finish among the top-eight
there to advance to Saturday’s final.
Thursday, Althouse will compete in the shot put, Hayes will run
the trials of the 100-meter hurdles, and Malco will run the
semifinals of the 200-meters.
Acuff does not compete until Saturday afternoon.
Conspicuously absent from UCLA’s list of entries are the 400 and
1,600 relay teams, neither of which ranked among the top-10 in the
NCAA and, as a result, did not receive invitations to the meet.
