Bruins, Trojans Make Big Plans for the NCAA Meet

Jeannette Bolden says it is time for UCLA to pull off the triple crown.

That bold statement has nothing to do with horse racing or baseball. The UCLA women’s track coach refers to the Bruins’ two previous victories over USC this season and what she hopes will be a third that results in an NCAA track and field championship.

“From the beginning, when I recruit athletes, I talk about three meets,” she said Tuesday. “There’s the SC meet, the Pac-10 and the national meet. They know right from the beginning what the rivalry is about.”

As the NCAA meet begins today, the Bruin-Trojan women rivalry is a much-talked about topic. UCLA has edged the Trojans in the dual meet May 5 and at the Pacific 10 Conference meet last week, with both victories coming in the final event, the 4x400-meter relay.

Both squads are loaded and several events could help determine the winner Saturday night. Then again, maybe neither will win.

“There are two great teams in this city but that doesn’t mean somebody else could come through and deny both of us,” USC Coach Ron Allice said. “This is our chance. This is our best team that we’ve ever had.

“I got rid of one jinx this year. Maybe the third time is the charm.”

One of the featured events will be the 100 meters. USC junior Angela Williams will try to become the first woman to win three consecutive college titles.

However, she has rounded into form slowly during the outdoor season and will be in a tough field that includes UCLA’s Shakedia Jones. Jones, a senior, edged Williams at the dual meet.

“It’s a big deal and it could be a great accomplishment,” said Williams, who finished second in the 60 meters at the World Indoor Championships in February. “When I put the right kind of pressure on myself, I run well. When I’m overpressured, I don’t do well.”

Last week, the 4x400 relay race came under controversy when USC’s Kinshasa Davis alleged that UCLA’s Adia McKinnon knocked the baton from Davis’s hand, denying the Trojans the critical points needed to pull out the team victory.

On Tuesday, both coaches focused on the meet being held in a place often called Track Town, USA.

“Eugene has so much history there with Steve Prefontaine and all the great athletes that have come out of that area,” Bolden said. “It’s a place that’s very conducive for track and field athletes. They cheer whether you’re in first of you’re in eighth.”

Said Allice: “It’s like when you’re a performer and the sound system is great and you have an appreciative audience in front of you. It is a great meet, it will be presented well and it’s probably the best stage you can be on.”

In the men’s competition, both USC and UCLA could produce some individual winners. For the Trojans, Dennis Kholev is a threat in the pole vault after surpassing 18 feet 4 1/2 inches for the first time to win the Pac-10 title.

Senior Djeke Mambo has the third-leading triple jump mark in the nation at 54-4. Norbert Horvath, a senior from Hungary, has two top-five hammer throw finishes at the NCAAs and ranks fourth in the country.

UCLA’s Scott Moser and Dan Ames are title contenders in the discus and shot put.