UCLA Enjoys a Day of Success

UCLA thrower Christina Tolson kept alive a tradition. USC, however, made a difference in a developing tight team competition.

Tolson gave the Bruins their third consecutive national outdoor title in the shotput and fifth overall with a winning mark of 57 feet 3/4 of an inch Thursday in the second day of the NCAA track and field championships at Oregon’s Hayward Field.

The senior vaulted the Bruins into the lead in the team standings. With 10 points from Tolson, UCLA has 16 overall and a six-point lead over Arizona, Idaho and Arkansas.

Host Oregon has a surprising 11-point lead over Georgia, USC and Utah State in the men’s competition by virtue of Santiago Lorenzo’s upset victory in the decathlon.

Tolson said the victory made up for what she called a poor fifth-place showing last year. She followed Seilala Sua’s consecutive NCAA victories.

“I just knew I wanted to come out this year and, being a senior, take control of the situation,” Tolson said. “I still can’t believe it.”

UCLA men’s Coach Art Venegas said there is a pride factor in an event the Bruins have dominated.

“I especially love to win the shot,” he said. “We do have that attitude that the shot belongs to us.”

But USC picked up six points when Cynthia Ademiluyi threw 55- 1/4 on her fourth try to finish third. The Trojans nearly got a bonus with L’Orangerie Crawford, who missed scoring another point by finishing ninth with a personal-best 53-3 1/2.

“I’m very happy with what I did,” Ademiluyi said. “I felt kind of tired going into the finals. I was surprised I did that.”

Said USC throwing coach Dan Lange: “I think we are going to have some real knockdown, drag-out competitions in the future.”

USC and UCLA avoided any major collapses but South Carolina became a major threat for the women’s title. The Gamecocks do not have any points, but are in position for a big windfall by moving both relay teams and three runners each in the 200 and 400 meters into the finals.

“We know what they’re doing,” UCLA Coach Jeanette Bolden said. “They’re doing a fantastic job. As coaches, we knew it wouldn’t just be between us and USC.”

In the 1,600-meter relay, USC and UCLA reached the final. USC Coach Ron Allice shifted his lineup, putting Brigita Langerholc on the second leg and Carla Estes on anchor. He said he will likely put Langerholc, the strongest runner, on the final leg Saturday night.

For UCLA, Sheena Johnson made up for a miserable day Wednesday with a 52.1 leg. The freshman failed to qualify in the 400 hurdles and did not get the baton from Hasani Roseby in the 400 relay.

“I think I wasn’t as mentally prepared for the race as I should have been,” Johnson said of her hurdles failure. “I was thinking about the mishap in the four-by-one.

“I had to keep going and bounce back and not think about yesterday. . . . We’re keeping [South Carolina] in mind as well as USC.”

In the 100, UCLA’s Shakedia Jones won her preliminary heat in a wind-aided 11.11 seconds. USC junior Angela Williams, bidding to be the first three-time women’s champion in the event, ran 11.21 to win her heat before dipping her legs in an ice bath.

“I was confident. I was loose,” Jones said. “I actually ran faster that I thought I would.”

Norbert Horvath gave the Trojans six points by finishing third in the hammer throw with a mark of 234-5. “I was planning to throw farther,” he said. “I wanted 240 [feet]. That would have been a big breakthrough.”

In the women’s 10,000-meter final, UC Irvine junior Kareen Nilsson finished 11th. Other qualifiers were USC’s Ryan Wilson in the men’s 110 hurdles and UCLA’s Michelle Perry in the 100 hurdles. Perry will also begin competition in the heptathlon.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NCAA Track Championships

MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS

(after six events)

1. Oregon, 27; 2. Georgia, USC and Utah State, 16; 5. Arkansas, 14; 6. Texas El Paso and Tennessee, 13; 8. Notre Dame, Mississippi and Weber State, 10; 11. Alabama, 9.

WOMEN’S TEAM STANDINGS

(after four events)

1. UCLA 16; 2 Arizona, Idaho and Arkansas, 10; 5. Rice, Colorado State and Wake Forest, 8; 9. Arizona State, Texas Tech and USC, 6.