UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK / ROBYN NORWOOD : Freshman Sprinters Hitting Record Books

Part of being a freshman runner is sitting in the blocks while the runners are announced, the names of others accompanied by their honors.

“When you’re a freshman, there’s nothing before or after your name,” said Desiree Bracey, one of UC Irvine’s two outstanding freshman sprinters. “They say, ‘In Lane 4, such and such--NCAA qualifier, or Big West champion. I want them to say something about me next year.”

Bracey and Shelly Tochluk already have marked their names in Irvine history. They were part of the mile relay team that broke the school record at the West Coast Relays in Fresno last month, only to break it again at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays three weeks later. The relay team took more than a second off its record with a time of 3:45.45 at Mt. SAC.

Now, Bracey and Tochluk scan the list of Irvine records to see what others are within reach, not just for themselves, but also for their teammates.

“We look and say, ‘What other records can we take down?” Bracey said.

Bracey came to UCI from Pius X High School in Downey, where she had been overlooked by many colleges after failing to make the state championships because of a hamstring injury. But this season, she has excelled in the 100- and 200-meter races.

She has run the 100 in a wind-aided 11.91, which would break Michelle Kelley’s 1981 record of 11.97 were it allowable. Even so, it is the third-best time in the conference this season. With a 200 time of 24.50, Bracey is also within striking distance of that record, held by teammate Sjondrala Vaughn at 24.12.

“I have to get a school record,” said Bracey, who has come close but had times disallowed.

Tochluk came to Irvine from Westminster High, where she finished fifth in the state in the 400, and also ran the 100 and 200.

“I was the fastest in the 100 and 200 at my high school,” Tochluk said. “That doesn’t mean I could run against Bracey.”

Tochluk has specialized in the 400, in which her best time of the season is 56.17, fourth on the school’s all-time list.

Together, Bracey and Tochluk have drawn attention to the Anteater sprinters, long overshadowed by Irvine’s outstanding distance runners.

“We’ve had good sprinters, but no depth and no visibility,” said Danny Williams, women’s track coach.

With Bracey and Tochluk, the Anteaters seem set for years to come.

The two freshmen have complemented Irvine’s other sprinters, particularly Vaughn and Veronica Escoffery, with whom they set the record in the mile relay.

For most of the season, the relay team has been framed by freshman, with Bracey running the first leg, and Tochluk at the anchor.

“I never thought I’d be running the mile relay,” Bracey said. “First leg? That’s hard, out of the blocks, a cold start. But it’s mine, I’m not going to give it up. I’ve been running it all season.”

Tochluk’s competitiveness helps her at the anchor position. “We give it to her, and the way she’s running, no one’s going to pass her,” Bracey said. “Shelly just refuses to let people pass her.”

The relay team is focusing on the Big West championships May 11-12 at Las Vegas, when it will go against UNLV’s highly regarded team, one that has run as fast as 3:35.

Williams says Irvine can shave as much as three or four seconds off its best time at the conference championships, and he plans to move Tochluk to third in an effort to open up a lead before the final leg.

“We’re going to break it again,” Bracey said. “I’m just worried about once we leave. How long will it last? We need to improve it so it will last longer--five, 10 or 20 years.”

The men’s tennis team is coming off its fourth consecutive Big West title, but the most important match of the year will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday when the 20th-ranked Anteaters play fourth-ranked UCLA at the UCI Tennis Stadium.

“If we beat UCLA, it’s a money-back guarantee we’re in the NCAAs,” said Greg Patton, tennis coach. “If we don’t, then it gets into whim, and which side of the bed the selectors wake up on.”

Patton is pondering strategy this week, trying to decide whether to send Trevor Kronemann, No. 1 singles player and Big West champion, against Jason Netter, the Bruins’ No. 1 player and the Pacific 10 champion. Patton may switch Kronemann and No. 2 Richard Lubner in order to get more favorable matchups.

Dean Andrea, the UCI women’s basketball coach, has announced the signing of three players:

--Karie Yoshioka, a 5-foot-4 guard from El Toro High School who averaged 16.5 points a game, was a second-team All-Southern Section selection and most valuable player of the South Coast League.

--Denise Gandara, a 5-8 guard from University High who averaged 22.4 points and 9.5 rebounds, was second-team All-Southern Section and Sea View League player of the year.

--Chrissy Chang, a 5-6 guard from Santa Clara St. Francis High who played on St. Francis’ Central Coast Section Division I championship team.

--Kari Rasmussen, a 6-3 center from Glencoe High in Hillsborough, Ore., signed in November.

Anteater Notes

A men’s basketball game against Cal State Northridge Dec. 8 has been replaced with a game against Utah. . . . Freshman guard Dylan Rigdon, whose play during the late part of Irvine’s 5-23 season was one of the year’s highlights, broke his left hand this week while playing in a pickup game at Mater Dei High School, his alma mater. Rigdon said doctors have told him it should take three to four weeks to heal. . . . Two baseball teams, whose high hopes for the season have fallen off, will meet this weekend in the Anteaters’ home finale, a three-game series against San Jose State. . . . UC Irvine will host the Irvine Open, a decathlon competition, May 19-20. It will serve as a last-chance meet to qualify for the NCAA championships in June. Competition starts at 11 a.m. each day. . . . Irvine’s crew team will host a race on Sunday in conjunction with Orange Coast College. UCLA, Santa Clara, UC Santa Barbara and the University of San Francisco will be among the teams competing, beginning at 7 a.m. at North Lido Isle. . . . The women’s tennis team, fifth-seeded at the Big West championships, finished third.