Winning at regionals is an accomplishment.

But it’s just the beginning, serving as the first stepping stone to potentially capturing a national title.

UCLA track and field competed in the NCAA West Regional at Texas A&M’s E.B Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas, from Wednesday to Saturday. Thirteen Bruins qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships as individuals, while both the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relay teams advanced on the women’s side.

The women’s 4×400-meter relay squad finished out the meet Saturday with a season-best 3:28.18 mark. UCLA trailed Texas A&M the entire race, but junior Naomi Johnson closed out the race with a team-best 51.43 split to send the squad to second in its heat and fourth overall.

On Friday, the men’s 4×400-meter relay squad placed dead last with a 22nd place finish in a time of 3:16.00. Junior Zaire Waring, who ran the second leg for UCLA, appeared to sustain an injury after the first 100 meters of his race as his stride quickly turned into a limp.

Waring pulled through with a 51.10 second split, the slowest leg of any competitor in the field, but still managed to finish despite his apparent pain during the majority of the race.

Despite missing out on qualification with the relay, sophomore Gabriel Clement II punched his ticket to Eugene, Oregon, after posting a personal best 46.75 to place third in the first heat of the 400-meter dash.

Juniors Michael Pinckney and Tamaal Myers were the other national qualifiers on the men’s side. Pinckney punched his ticket with a fourth-place finish in the discus event after throwing a personal-best 60.88 meters.

The Queens, New York, local tossed another personal best mark in Wednesday’s hammer throw, opening the meet with a 64.91 meter throw to place 15th.

On the women’s side, 10 Bruins recorded national championship-qualfiying performances. Graduate students Ka’Leila Abrille and Katerina Adamiec earned their spots after placing first and seventh, respectively, in the pole vault competition, clearing the 4.42 meter mark – the third best jump in program history.

Abrille took home the regional title despite the top six competitors matching her mark clearing all four heights on her first attempt. While both recorded personal bests, Adamiec’s career bests on her third and four jumps, shattering her previous record by .14 meters.

The women’s team racked up four top-10 finishes in the field events, with senior Sydney Johnson qualifying for nationals in the heptathlon as well as the long jump.

Senior Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck placed second overall in the 100-meter hurdles after posting a career-best 12.82 second mark in the second heat. Alongside Ndjip-Nyemeck’s victory, freshman Celeste Polzonetti earned her first ticket to the national championships after placing third in the same heat – and seventh overall – with a personal-best 13.08 time.

Another pair of Bruins in sophomore Taylor Snaer and Johnson qualified in the 200-meter dash after placing eighth and 12th, respectively. Snaer automatically qualified with a third-place finish while recording a personal-best 22.64 mark in the first heat. Johnson snagged a nationals spot after finishing 12th overall with a 22.94 mark.

With the first round of the 2025 Outdoor Track and Field Championships complete, UCLA will shift its focus to the national championships from June 11 to June 14 at Hayward Field.

And with one less Bruin headed to Eugene this year compared to 2024, the pressure to win seems stronger than ever.