TRACK AND FIELD / NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS : UCLA Women’s Team Gets a Jump on LSU

The battle between UCLA and Louisiana State for the women’s NCAA outdoor track and field team title is similar to a boxing match between a puncher and a boxer.

Behind the shotput combination of Valeyta Althouse and Dawn Dumble, who finished first and second in Thursday’s final, UCLA took the role as the puncher and scored first against LSU’s group of sprinters at Tennessee’s Tom Black Track.

Althouse set a meet record with a put of 59 feet 11 3/4 inches for 10 points and was followed by Dumble’s 56-5 3/4 to put the Bruins in first place with 18 points after three events.

“We knew that we had to do our job and get points in order for us to keep our title hopes alive,” said Dumble, who won the NCAA shotput title two years ago. “It was important for us to get the team off to a good start.”

For most of the shotput preliminary round, it did not look as if UCLA would get its expected points from the event when Dumble fouled on her first two efforts before getting her second-place mark.

“I was really worried [before Dumble’s third throw] because I have seen it too many times before when a superb athlete starts to have problems and then panics,” UCLA throwing coach Art Venegas said. “But Dawn didn’t let the pressure get to her and came through strong.”

UCLA’s next big scoring day is expected to be Saturday in the discus with Dumble, the national leader, and Suzy Powell; and in the high jump with Amy Acuff, the collegiate record holder. The Bruins will also have Shiela Burrell in the heptathlon and their 1,600-meter relay team, which was the fourth top qualifier Thursday.

While UCLA has to rely on field events for most of its points, eight-time defending champion LSU will get the bulk of its points on the track.

The Tigers, who have not lost an NCAA championship meet since 1986, have only six points on Marita Hunt’s third-place finish in the long jump. LSU, however, does have a solid group of qualifiers in sprint events.

D’Andre Hill and Zundra Feagin are heavy favorites in both the 100 and 200 meters for LSU, and Kwajalein Butler had the fourth-best qualifying mark in the 100 and Shiela Powell qualified in the 200. The Tigers also have leading qualifiers Charlene Maulseed and Youlanda Warren in the 400 and are expected to score big in both the 400- and 1,600-meter relays after winning their respective heats.

“It’s funny because we can see what they are doing on the track, while we’re competing in the field,” Althouse said. “But I think that our points in the field events are more solid because in running events, anything can happen--like a false start or injury.”

UCLA’s men’s team did not score any points Thursday, but the Bruins are still in the team hunt with Ato Boldon finishing as the top qualifier in the 100 in 10.10 seconds.

Three-time defending champion Arkansas will be tough to defeat, however, after Ray Doakes and Matt Hemingway finished first and tied for third in the high jump for the Razorbacks.