Sua Delivers as UCLA Gains

On a day when there weren’t many points available and qualifying was the goal in most events, the UCLA and USC track and field teams got some big performances from their stars Thursday at the NCAA championships before 5,805 at Bronco Stadium.

Seilala Sua earned 10 points for the Bruin women, becoming the fourth UCLA woman to win the NCAA shotput title in the 1990s. And USC’s Jerome Davis--after qualifying for the 400 meters, the event he won a year ago--overcame an early bump to anchor the 4x400 relay team to the sixth qualifying spot.

“Jerome Davis had a full plate today,” USC Coach Ron Allice said. “As Jerome goes, we go.”

Davis is going to the 400 finals Saturday after running 45.71 seconds, the third-fastest time in qualifying. But his pivotal run was in the relay, where he was bumped by Iowa’s Tim Dodge after Dodge handed off. Davis moved around Dodge, then ran fast enough to get the Trojans into Saturday’s relay final.

Iowa qualified second after Tim Dwight, an Atlanta Falcon kick returner using his final year of college eligibility in track, brought his team from last to first with a tremendous second leg.

Meanwhile, Sua began the shotput with a throw of 55 feet 4 1/4 inches, then improved that mark three more times before a winning mark of 57-9, two inches off her personal record.

In fact, Sua’s first distance, which was her worst, was still good enough to win the competition.

The Bruins, who had two points entering Thursday’s events, are in third place with 12. USC’s women are seventh with their nine from Wednesday. Southern Methodist leads with 20.

USC freshmen Sultan McCullough and Angela Williams qualified second and fourth, respectively, in the 100. Joining Williams (11.22) in qualifying for today’s semifinal was teammate Torri Edwards, who was seventh, UCLA’s Shakedia Jones, who was eighth, and Tamatha Jackson of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the 16th and final qualifier.

The only runner ahead of McCullough was Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Kaaron Conwright, who ran a 10.12. McCullough ran a 10.17.

USC, however, received a blow when Candace Young suffered a quadriceps injury while trying to qualify in the 100. Young is the anchor on USC’s 4x100 relay team, and Allice, not wanting to change the rotation, will put a new runner, probably Kinshasa Davis, in the anchor spot.

The Bruin men are tied for 15th overall with four points. Stanford still leads with 24. USC has yet to score on the men’s side. That will change with more event finals today, including the men’s and women’s 4x100 relays, 400 hurdles and 800 meters.