Track Notebook

Six more recruits sign on for 2003

UCLA track and field announced six National Letter of Intent
signings Tuesday, four women and two men, who will begin as true
freshmen next year.

Chelsea Johnson from Atascadero, Calif. is the daughter of 1972
Olympic bronze medal pole vaulter Jan Johnson. At the Mt. SAC
relays April 20, Chelsea set a meet record at 13’4″ in
the pole vault, the second-highest outdoor mark by a high school
woman. A multi-event star, she also won the 300-meter low hurdles
last season at the Southern Section Div. III Championships.

Sarah West from Davis, Calif. will add to a strong young corps
of distance runners with sophomore Lena Nilsson and freshmen
Alejandra Barrientos and Valerie Flores. West ran the 3200 meters
in 10:46.50 during the 2002 indoor prep season, finishing No. 5 in
the state.

Two sprinters, Chauncee Smith from University City High in San
Diego and Craig Everhart from Tacoma, Wash., are both state-ranked
in their events. Smith ran a 10.83 100 meters and Everhart ran a
47.09 400 meters (the No. 5 11th grade mark in the country).

Michael Landers from Merced (Golden Valley HS) was the state
high school champion in the pole vault. His height of
16’3″ was the second-best 11th grade mark
nationally.

Men’s head coach Art Venegas has found another young
thrower to groom in Brian Ruzieczki from Huntington Beach. This
year, he threw a personal-best 61 feet in the shot put (which would
already place him third on the UCLA depth chart) and threw
188’2″ (20th among American high schoolers) in the
discus as a junior in 2001.

“˜Big Meet’ notes

The 69th USC-UCLA Dual Meet commences Saturday at Drake Stadium
and will break from tradition in a major way.

Despite urging from Pac-10 brass, the NCAA-mandated scoring
format (5-3-2-1, two scoring athletes per school) will be
instituted, the first change in the meet’s history.

USC head coach Ron Allice conceded that this will affect
strategies.

“The change in scoring is the worst thing to ever happen
to track and field,” Allice claimed.

UCLA pole vaulter Yoo Kim was held from practice this week and
it appears the sophomore will redshirt the whole season rather than
return for the Big Meet.

Junior Jessica Marr was a late addition to the 1500-meter relay
squad for Saturday.

Fox Sports West 2 will tape delay the meet until Saturday, May
11 at 1 p.m.

Compiled by J.P. Hoornstra, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.