Familiar Finish Allows Texas Women to Take Title

For the second year in a row, the women’s portion of the NCAA outdoor track and field championships came down to the final event on Saturday night. And for the second year in a row, Texas’ 1,600-meter relay team turned in a collegiate record to win the race and defeat UCLA for the team title before 8,455 at Bronco Stadium.

The Bruins entered the event ahead of the Longhorns, 54-52, with USC in third at 50. The Longhorn team of Angel Patterson, Aminah Haddad, Tanya Jarrett and Suziann Reid ran in three minutes 27.08 seconds, beating their NCAA record set at last year’s championships of 3:27.50 and picking up 10 points.

USC’s Kinshasa Davis caught UCLA’s tiring Michelle Perry in the home straightaway as the Trojans ran in 3:28.08 to UCLA’s 3:29.41, both school records. That finish gave the Trojans eight points and the Bruins six, making the final totals: Texas 62, UCLA 60, USC 58.

“We told everybody that if we weren’t going to win this meet, we were going to get beat,” said UCLA Coach Jeanette Bolden, whose team lost to Texas by five points last year after not having a team qualify for the final relay.

Had the Bruins finished second in the final race, they would have tied the Longhorns. Had it been a USC, Texas, UCLA finish, there would have been a three-way tie for first.

“I tried to win [down the straightaway], but I shouldn’t have,” Perry said. “I should’ve just been maintaining myself. But when you see the chance for a win you just go for it.”

Said Davis: “I knew [Perry] was going to die soon, so I just waited for my chance.”

This was the fifth time in her six years at UCLA that Bolden’s team finished either second or third at the NCAA championships. She is still looking for her first national title.

On the men’s side, USC finished a disappointing fifth with 33 points, 26 behind Arkansas, which defeated Stanford by only seven points to win the championship for the eighth consecutive year.

USC senior Jerome Davis came in third in his attempt to defend his 400 title. His 45.05 was .27 seconds behind winner Clement Chukwu of Eastern Michigan.

UCLA finished in a tie for 16th with only 15 points, 10 coming on the final event, the 1,600 relay.

Michael Granville, Terrence Williams, Malachi Davis and Brian Fell ran a season-best 3:02.12 to defeat Auburn by .07 seconds. None of the Bruins have broken 46-flat in the 400.

Fell, who had been plagued by leg injuries throughout the season, dove at the finish line after just nudging Avard Moncur.

“It was time to put [the injuries] in the back of my head and put the team forward and win my last college race,” Fell said. “When I dove, I knew I had it.”

The 1,600 relay, meanwhile, wasn’t the only hotly-contested women’s event.

USC freshman Angela Williams officially made her presence known on the collegiate scene in the 100. After running the two fastest times, wind-aided, in the NCAA this year, Williams won the event with at 11.04, .06 better than defending 100 and 200 champion Debbie Ferguson of Georgia.

“I usually break down at 60 to 70 [meters],” said Williams, who led the race from the start. “So all I kept my focus on was when I get out, keep the lead.”

UCLA junior Seilala Sua became the first woman to win the discus three years in a row, and became the first since 1990 to win both the discus and shot put in the same championships. She was named the women’s outstanding athlete of the meet.

“I knew I had to get the winning throw off early,” said Sua, who set a meet record with a throw of 210-10 on her second throw. “In the past couple of months, I’ve had trouble fouling on the first throw.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NCAA Track

SOUTHLAND CHAMPIONS

MEN

1,600 Relay--UCLA (Michael Granville, Terrence Williams, Malachi Davis, Brian Fell), 3:02.12

WOMEN

100--Angela Williams, USC, 11.04 seconds

400 Hurdles--Joanna Hayes, UCLA, 55.16

Shotput--Seilalu Sua, UCLA, 57-9

Pole Vault--Paula Serrano, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 13-5 1/4

Discus--Seilalu Sua, UCLA, 210-10

TEAM SCORES

Men

1. Arkansas: 59

2. Stanford: 52

5. USC: 33

16. UCLA: 15

Women

1. Texas: 62

2. UCLA: 60

3. USC: 58