Track Notebook

Women’s title decided in less than a
second

It’s a well-known sports adage that the difference between
first and second place can be a matter of seconds.

Or thousandths of seconds.

When UCLA freshman Monique Henderson edged out USC senior Angela
Williams for second place in the Pac-10 200 meter dash final on
Sunday, it was by the narrowest of margins. According to the
official records, both finished the race in 23.04 seconds;
Henderson actually took second place by less than one hundredth of
a second.

Had the order of finish been reversed, USC would have won the
meet.

Because a second-place finish earns eight team points and third
place fetches six, the Bruins’ 160-157 team victory over USC
could just as easily have been a 159-158 loss.

“At that time I didn’t know it was going to mean the
difference in the meet,” Henderson said.

“I saw that I wasn’t in first,” she said,
“but I still knew that I could do my best to get points for
my team.”

Injury update

Sprinters Chuckie Ryan and Kyle Erickson were held from practice
Monday and Tuesday because of hamstring injuries each has sustained
in the last week.

Ryan, a third-year sophomore, redshirted his freshman season
because of a hamstring injury. It was reaggravated Sunday as he ran
the anchor leg of the 4×400 meter relay at the Pac-10 final.

“It’s grim, but I’m almost 100 percent
confident he’ll be able to run,” teammate Michael
Lipscomb said about Ryan’s outlook for the NCAA finals May 29
in Baton Rouge.

Erickson injured his right hamstring in practice prior to the
Pac-10 championships. Lipscomb said both would maintain limited
practice schedules leading up to the NCAAs.

“But if anyone can come back and run a 49 (second 400
meter hurdles), it’s gonna be Kyle,” he said.

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