UCLA Women Get Help From Texas

After the completion of 10 events at the the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, the UCLA women continued to lead.

The Bruins, trying to end Louisiana State’s 11-year reign, led the Tigers, 40-31.

Meanwhile, the UCLA men were in third place with 25 points, trailing Stanford (39) and Arkansas (25 1/2).

The Bruin women got an assist from Texas in the women’s 400 relay, as the Longhorns upset LSU. The Texas team of Kim McGruder, Nanceen Perry, Angie Vaughn and LaKeisha Backus clocked 42.76 seconds, the fastest time by a college team this year.

LSU, which had won the 400 relay the last six years and eight times in the past nine years, finished second in 43.02. The UCLA team of freshman Michelle Perry, freshman Shakedia Jones, junior Andrea Anderson and senior Bisa Grant finished fourth in 43.82, the fourth-best time in school history.

Grant was bothered by a strained right hamstring but said, “I was willing to blow it out.”

Jones also qualified for today’s finals in the 100- and 200-meter races.

The UCLA men’s 400 relay team of junior Brian Fell, senior Brandon Thomas, sophomore Damien Allen and senior Jim McElroy also placed fourth, clocking 38.96, second-best in school history.

USC’s Bengt Johansson finished second in the hammer throw with a career-best of 236 feet 11 inches. Libor Charfreitag of Southern Methodist had the season’s best throw in winning at 237-2.

Texas A&M;’s Rosa Jolivet also set a collegiate best in winning the women’s 400 hurdles in 55.24. USC’s Natasha Danvers stumbled after hitting the third hurdle and finished third in 56.35.

USC freshman Brigita Langerholc ran a career-best 2:04.16 to finish third in the women’s 800.

In the men’s 400 hurdles, Georgia Tech sophomore Angelo Taylor won in 48.14, the fastest time in the world this year, a career best, a record for the University at Buffalo stadium and made Taylor the No. 10 all-time performer in U.S. history.

In the women’s pole vault, a first-time event, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo freshman Bianca Maran won at 12 feet 5 1/2 inches.