Junior sprinter Gabriel Clement II holds the baton as he sprints. Clement hails from Kaplan, Louisiana, and he will compete in his home state for the first time in his collegiate career Friday and Saturday at the Battle on the Bayou in Baton Rouge. (Daily Bruin file photo)
Homecomings often elicit a wide range of emotions.
And Gabriel Clement II said he is embracing them all.
He is heading home.
The junior sprinter will compete less than 100 miles away from his hometown of Kaplan, Louisiana, on Friday and Saturday at the Battle on the Bayou in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his family will cheer him on.
Home is not always on the schedule for college athletes.
But for one Bruin, this weekend’s meet will offer exactly that.
UCLA track and field will divide its roster across two competitions, sending nine distance runners to compete at the Stanford Invite in Palo Alto, California while sprinters and field athletes will head to compete in the Battle on the Bayou meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
To be the best, you need to beat the best.
And after competing at nine indoor meets to start the 2026 campaign, UCLA track and field will send just a select few qualifying athletes to compete at the NCAA Indoor championships slated for March 13 and March 14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, before moving to the outdoor half of the season.
This post was updated March 11 at 12:06 p.m.
Michael Edwards, nicknamed “Eddie the Eagle,” was the first British Olympic athlete to compete in ski jumping, taking flight at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Like passing a baton, life can close chapters while opening new ones.
And after nine weeks, the Bruins are transitioning from the conclusion of one campaign to the start of another.
This post was updated March 3 at 2:55 p.m.
Midterms in the classroom test one’s ability to understand content up to that point.
Yet the Bruins faced a different type of test that may allow them to see what improvements must be made moving forward.
Every technical tweak and off-season training block has pointed toward this moment.
And the Bruins may showcase how months of refinement have solidified themselves as conference contenders.
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