NCAA Indoor Championships: Track athletes look to drop
By Jason T. Lee
March 8, 2007 10:01 p.m.
This weekend the No. 12 UCLA women’s track team will be sending four athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships held in Fayetteville, Ark.
The talented distance runner Allie Bohannon, pole vaulter Ingrid Kantola, and jumpers Rhonda Watkins and Keneisha Creary will be competing against the best in the nation over the weekend.
Currently ranked fourth in the NCAA with a 13 feet, 10 inches mark, junior Kantola hopes to attain her goal of 14 feet and place among the top five NCAA pole vaulters. In addition to her personal goals, she is excited for the rest of the Bruins competing this weekend.
“As a team, I feel we are in a good position to score some points and since we are all underclassmen, gain some valuable experience,” Kantola said.
Junior Bohannon will be heading into the meet as the sole Bruin distance runner and looks to beat her best mile time of 4:41.42.
“I look forward to running a great race and translating success here to the rest of the season,” Bohannon said.
Junior Creary goes into the meet with the sixth-best high jump mark in the country of 6 feet, 1/2 inch. Competing against other top jumpers from colleges across the country adds to Creary’s motivation in her event.
“I feel I am really self-motivated and able to finish in the top three. No doubt,” she said.
Fellow jumper, sophomore Watkins, had an impressive long jump mark of 21 feet, 9 1/2 inches at last weekend’s UCLA Invitational. With the third-best indoor mark (20 feet, 9 inches) in the nation, Watkins has a legitimate opportunity to win an NCAA individual title.
“The atmosphere here (in the championships) is definitely competitive, and I’m looking to finish in the top five and possibly win the individual title,” Watkins said.
The championships will be a chance to build valuable experience for the future.
“We have a small group here, but great team chemistry,” Bohannon said.
With each athlete in the top 10 of their respective events and in position to win All-American honors, this weekend will be a catalyst to further cement the high reputation of UCLA in the track world.
