Former Edison Runner Taylor Moving to UCLA

Shelley Taylor, a former Edison High runner and an All-American in cross-country and track and field, said she has left Arkansas and will enroll at UCLA.

Taylor said she transferred to be closer to family and friends. She will enter UCLA at the start of the spring semester.

“I really enjoyed Arkansas and I’m glad I went there, but I decided during Christmas break that (Southern California) was a pretty nice place,” Taylor said. “I’m going to be a junior next year and I realized that it’s going by pretty fast. I wanted to enjoy the rest of my college career closer to home.”

Taylor’s homesickness is a benefit to the Bruins. She was twice named All-American in cross-country and once in track.

Taylor finished ninth in the NCAA cross-country championships last fall. She finished 13th in 1992, the top placing by a freshman. In track, she finished seventh in the 5,000 meters in the spring of 1993.

“I had a lot of great experiences at Arkansas,” Taylor said. “Nothing happened that made me want to leave. It was just really difficult to be away from my family and friends.”

Taylor set numerous records while at Edison. She was a State champion in cross-country and in the 1,600 meters. Her time of 4 minutes 48.52 seconds in the 1,600 is still a school record and the fifth-fastest time in county history.