TRACK AND FIELD / NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS : UCLA’s Hecox Runs a ‘Perfect Race’ in 3,000

UCLA junior Karen Hecox pulled away on the final lap to win the women’s 3,000-meter title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Friday.

Hecox followed a prerace strategy to keep pace with favorite Kay Gooch of Oklahoma.

When Gooch left most of the field behind at the 400-meter mark, Hecox went with her.

“In the races I’ve seen (Gooch) in, she’s left the field early and no one would go with her,” Hecox said, who won with a time of 9 minutes 22.63 seconds. “Our strategy was to stay with her until about 400 meters were left then try to pull away.

“I was the perfect race, although the time was not that fast.”

Gooch finished second, five seconds behind Hecox.

For the third straight year, Louisiana State’s men’s and women’s teams won the 400-meter relays.

The men’s foursome of Eddie Kennison, Bryant Williams, Derrick Thymes and Fabian Muyaba blazed around Boise State’s Bronco Stadium track in 38.91 seconds, the fastest time by a collegiate team this year.

No men’s team has officially won the men’s race three consecutive years, although USC finished first in 1970-72 and 1977-80. However, because of violations, the Trojans were forced to give up their 1970 and 1978 titles.

Kentucky finished second at 38.94 and Houston was third at 39.00.

In the women’s relay, LSU’s team of Debbie Ann Parris, D’Andre Hill, Zundra Feagin and Cheryl Taplin romped to victory in 43.26, only 0.01 seconds off the season’s collegiate best they set at the Texas Relays in April.

“The thing is the last three years we have dominated the relays,” Muyaba said. “Mainly, it’s because we focus on the exchanges. That’s where we gain ground. We have a lot of confidence.”

Thirty minutes after running the leadoff leg on the relay, Parris came back and won the 400 hurdles for the second year in a row, in 55.54

UCLA’s Keisha Marvin was second in 56.62.