UCLA’s Johnson Wins 400-Meter Low Hurdles

She leaned against a chain-link fence, unable to stand under her power.

She struggled to catch her breath as well-wishers hugged her, patted her on the back and shook her hand.

Yet Sheena Johnson of UCLA was reveling in the moment Friday night at the NCAA track and field championships at Cal State Sacramento after winning the women’s 400-meter low hurdles in a meet-record 54.24 seconds.

The time broke the previous meet record of 54.54 set by Ryan Tolbert of Vanderbilt in 1997, was the fastest in the U.S. this year and cut nearly a second and a half off Johnson’s previous best of 55.71.

“It means a lot, especially to my coaches,” Johnson said about her victory, “because this is something that we’ve all been wanting for a while now.... To actually get it is really great.”

Johnson, a 5-foot-5 junior from Garfield High in Woodbridge, Va., had the fastest time in the 400 hurdles entering the 2001 NCAA championships as a freshman but failed to advance out of her first-round heat.

She finished fourth in the NCAA meet last year, but sophomore Lashinda Demus of South Carolina was favored to win her second consecutive title as recently as a month ago. But when Demus, a former state high school champion at Long Beach Wilson, was suspended from competing for South Carolina last month for violating unspecified team rules, the race for the 400 hurdles became wide open.

Not that Johnson looked at it that way.

“I really didn’t think about it too much because I know Raasin [McIntosh of Texas] is a really good competitor as well.” she said. “So I knew the competition was going to be really good. I was looking forward to it.”

Johnson and McIntosh posted the fastest times in the semifinals Thursday, but Nicole Ireland of San Diego State led the first half of the final Friday.

McIntosh, who finished a place ahead of Johnson in the NCAA meet last year, moved into the lead around the second turn. But Johnson surged into the lead while clearing the ninth of 10 hurdles and pulled away down the home straightaway.

McIntosh finished second in 55.02. Ireland was fourth in 56.10.

“I usually start charging late around the ninth hurdle,” Johnson said. “So that was the same way I always run.”

Johnson was the lone winner from the Southland, but three other athletes from the region posted top-five finishes.

Senior Stephanie Brown of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo finished second in the women’s discus with a throw of 181 feet 5 inches, junior Inga Stasiulionyte of USC was second in the javelin with a toss of 171-5 and junior Juaune Armon of the UCLA was fifth in the men’s long jump with a leap of 25-10 1/4.

Brown, a former state champion for Arroyo Grande High, moved from fifth place to second on her sixth -- and final -- throw of the competition.

Stasiulionyte finished second in the javelin for the second year in a row after winning the title two years ago.

USC senior Natasha Mayers, running with a sore right hamstring, finished ninth in the women’s 100 after placing second to teammate and four-time champion Angela Williams last year.

The Auburn men and the South Carolina women were leading the team scoring entering the final day of competition.

Auburn had 37 points, followed by Arkansas with 30 and Florida with 23.

Defending champion South Carolina had 27 points in the women’s meet followed by Texas and Indiana with 19 each.