UCLA Doubles Its Wins Over USC

Monique Henderson started it.

Tiffany Burgess continued it.

Sheena Johnson ended it.

Those three UCLA track and field athletes strung together a trio of the fastest collegiate times in the nation this year during a 35-minute stretch Saturday afternoon to help the Bruins to a 111-92 Pacific 10 Conference dual-meet victory over visiting USC at Drake Stadium.

USC outscored UCLA, 64-55, to win its first NCAA women’s title last spring. But UCLA won its 10th consecutive dual meet against the Trojans before 8,094 to take a 16-3 lead in the series.

The UCLA men defeated USC, 121-81, for their 23rd victory in the last 24 dual meets against the Trojans. USC leads the series, 39-30.

“We had the most incredible team meeting last night,” said Burgess, a junior who cut more than two seconds off her previous best in the 800 meters when she ran 2 minutes 3.73 seconds. “We talked about everyone doing their part to help the team win. So all I wanted, really, was to do my part. I figured if I win, I’ll have a fast time. If I win, I’ll score points to help our team.”

Henderson, a freshman who set a national junior (age 19 and under) record of 50.74 in the 400 while at San Diego Morse High in 2000, won that event in 51.33 on Saturday to give UCLA a 58-49 lead after 10 of 19 events. Her 51.7-second anchor leg in the 1,600 relay gave UCLA a come-from-behind victory and a season-best time of 3:32.02 in the final women’s event of the meet.

“I was just thinking about the win and getting the points for our team,” Henderson said of her 400 showdown with USC’s Nakiya Johnson. “She had run 52.30 earlier this season so I knew I was going to have to run well to beat her.”

Burgess said that watching Henderson win the 400 got her adrenaline flowing and Sheena Johnson said that watching Burgess and Lena Nilsson finish first and second for the Bruins in the 800 had the same effect on her.

“After watching them do that, I figured why not go for a national-leading mark in the 400 hurdles,” said Johnson, whose 56.56 clocking surpassed the previous national best of 56.64 by Lashinda Demus of South Carolina.

Johnson’s victory gave UCLA an 87-75 lead after 15 events. The Bruins clinched the victory when Nilsson and freshman teammate Alejandra Barrientos finished first and second in the 1,500.

Angela Williams, the three-time defending NCAA champion in the 100, paced the USC women. Williams won the 100 in 11.30 and the 200 in 23.56. She also ran the first leg on the victorious 400 relay team that tied for the NCAA lead with a 43.71 clocking.

The UCLA men, who lost to USC by a point last year, won 14 of 19 events. Bruin senior Scott Moser won the hammer throw with a career-best 210 feet 11 inches and the discus with a toss of 200-3.

Teammate Juaune Armon won the long jump with a school sophomore record of 26-3.