UCLA squads fail to defend titles, but take two events

  UCLA’s Lena Nilsson sprints ahead during
the distance relay Friday.

By J.P. Hoornstra
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

While it couldn’t defend its consecutive team titles at
the indoor track and field finals in Fayetteville, Ark., the UCLA
women can now claim the title of best in the country in two events:
the distance medley relay and the high jump.

The men’s team, meanwhile, failed to notch any team points
over the weekend, as its four competitors were shut out of the top
eight in their events.

The distance medley relay team of juniors Tiffany Burgess,
Jessica Marr, Lena Nilsson and freshman Monique Henderson,
completed the race in 10 minutes, 58.19 seconds on Friday. It
shaved three seconds off the meet record and course record at the
Randal Tyson Track Center, established by the Stanford team at the
2000 Indoor Finals.

“This is the first time UCLA has ever won a distance
medley relay indoors for women,” women’s head coach
Jeanette Bolden said by phone. “They had the crowd on their
feet. They just ran great.”

Senior Darnesha Griffith claimed UCLA’s other national
title Saturday, winning the high jump on her second attempt at 6
3/4.

Assistant coach Eric Peterson described Griffith as an
“unexpected and phenomenal winner,” entering the meet
tied for fourth in the event.

“Darnesha is a great athlete, a wonderful jumper, and the
shortest among all of them at 5-5. She was just phenomenal,”
he said.

Tracy O’Hara, the senior pole vaulter whose collegiate
record was broken in February by Amy Linnen of Arizona, saw Linnen
take first and extend the record to 14-10 1/4 Friday. O’Hara
vaulted 13-11 1/4 on her first attempt, but could not clear 14-2
1/4 in three tries.

Nilsson finished second in the mile Saturday with a
personal-best time of 4:38.88, losing to Heather Sagan of Liberty
University by less than four-tenths of a second.

The women’s 1600-meter relay team of senior Ysanne
Williams, Henderson, Burgess and sophomore Sheena Johnson finished
fifth, picking up four points for the team on Saturday night.

Jessica Cosby threw for 53-10 1/2 on her final shot put
Saturday, sixth in the field of 17 finalists. Junior Chaniqua Ross
finished 13th in the event at 50-10.

Weight thrower Cari Soong placed 10th with a throw of 63-10 1/4
in the first event of the weekend. The junior was one of 16
competitors in the field who could only watch as Florida sophomore
Candace Scott established a new collegiate record at 75 3/4.

The women’s bracket was won by LSU with 57 team points,
compared to the Bruins’ 43.

“Indoors is such a big thing for the SEC conference, and
(taking second) just shows our balance,” Bolden said.

Tennessee University won the men’s field with 62.5
points.