TRACK AND FIELD / NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS : BYU’s Kaljurand Wins; USC Sets Relay Record

Brigham Young’s Anu Kaljurand, who will be the only woman on the Estonian Olympic track and field team, won the NCAA heptathlon championship Thursday with the second-highest score in the meet’s history.

Kaljurand, a 23-year-old junior, finished the two-day, seven-event competition in the University of Texas’ hot and humid Memorial Stadium with 6,142 points.

Only 1988 Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner Kersee, who compiled 6,365 points when she was at UCLA in 1983, has amassed more points than Kaljurand did Thursday.

Kaljurand also became the third-best collegiate performer of all time. Joyner-Kersee is the leader with 6,718 points in 1985 and Marlene Harmon of Cal State Northridge had 6,215 in 1983.

The heptathlon was the only final Thursday, when the program also included preliminaries, qualifying and semifinals in 17 events. Fourteen finals will be held today and 24 on Saturday, the final day of the meet.

In a 1,600-meter relay heat Thursday, the USC team Travis Hannah, Curtis Conway, Martin Cannady and Quincy Watts set a school and stadium record with a time of 3:00.79. Baylor (3:01.07) was second in the heat, the first loss for Baylor this season and snaps a 20-race victory streak.

Watts, who ran a 43.7 split, took the baton 15 meters behind Baylor and caught Baylor’s Corey Williams with 30 meters left in the race. The time also breaks the Memorial Stadium (Texas) record of 3:00.88 set by Baylor in 1985. It is only the third time that the quartet has run together for USC this season and they advance the finals on Saturday.

UCLA’s men 1600-meter relay had a season-best 3:04.28 time of to advance to the finals on Saturday.

All six of USC athletes that competed Thursday advanced.

Mark Crear finished second in the 110 high hurdles (13.77) and Conway and junior Jeff Laynes advanced to today’s semifinals in the 100 meters. Laynes finished second in his heat with a 10.1 and Conway finished fifth in his heat with a 10.3.

USC sophomore Inger Miller won her 100-meter heat (11.37) and advanced to today’s semifinals and Allison Franke advanced to Saturday’s finals in the javelin with a throw of 153-6.

UCLA sophomore Dawn Dumble had the top mark in the shot put preliminaries (53-2 1/4).

UCLA Freshman John Godina finished third in his shot put flight at 63-0 1/4.