Two Top Bruins Left Down, Out

Chelsea Johnson sat alone in the twilight, staring at the track but seeing nothing except the end of her chance to win a second successive NCAA pole vault title.

Jon Rankin, who had the second-best collegiate time in the 1,500 this season and was the Pacific 10 champion, threw his hands up in disbelief after he finished seventh in his heat in 3 minutes 48.51 seconds, too slow to advance to the final of an event he was considered a contender to win.

Johnson, a UCLA junior and the NCAA women’s record holder, no-heighted at 13 feet, 1 1/2 inches and was eliminated in qualifying Thursday night at the NCAA outdoor track and field meet at Hornet Field. Rankin, a senior who set a UCLA record of 3:40.39 in April, was the other half of a stunning double loss for the Bruins.

“I’m surprised. Shocked. I’m not even mad,” Rankin said of his failure to match a surge by Georgetown’s Chris Lukezic after running a 55-second third lap. “I had nothing in the tank when I called on my kick.

“It’s the first time all year it hasn’t been there. I’m blown away.”

Johnson labored after undergoing surgery last fall on her left knee -- her takeoff knee -- and pulled her left hamstring twice. She cleared 14-1 1/4 at the USC-UCLA dual meet to earn the top seed here but never found the rhythm that carried her to fourth place at last year’s U.S. Olympic trials.

On Thursday, she passed at 12-3 1/2 and 12-9 1/2 before missing twice badly and once barely at 13-1 1/2 . She was too distraught to talk to reporters, but UCLA pole vault coach Anthony Curran said he would probably tell her to skip the U.S. championships.

“She wasn’t anywhere near where she wanted to be,” he said. “She was struggling in practices and meets, and she’d never struggled in practices and meets before. She had some devastating results and that put her in a difficult mind-set.”

Although UCLA endured some misfortune, the crowd of 4,517 was treated to a dramatic day that included a world-leading 19.93 by Arkansas senior Tyson Gay in winning his semifinal heat of the men’s 200. Also, Texas Tech’s 1,600-meter relay team recorded a world-leading 3:01.69.

NCAA indoor high jump champion Jesse Williams of USC was among a pack of 16 jumpers who cleared 7 feet, one-quarter inch and qualified for Saturday’s final. USC senior Alexis Weatherspoon advanced to the finals of the women’s 200 with a 23.47 in the first round and 23.11 in the semifinals; she will be joined by former Long Beach Poly standout Shalonda Solomon, a freshman at South Carolina who won her semifinal in 22.82. Candice Baucham of UCLA finished fifth in the long jump at 20-9 1/4 , earning four points, the Bruins’ first.

USC senior Marvin Anderson pulled a hamstring and didn’t finish his qualifying heat of the men’s 200. His place on the 400-meter relay squad in today’s final will probably go to junior Blake Frazier or junior Jeff Garrison.

UCLA senior Jessica Cosby qualified fourth in the women’s hammer throw at 204 feet, nine inches, and second in the shotput, at 54-11 1/4 . The finals in both events will be Saturday.

Cal State Northridge senior Tomas Fajardo of Mission Hills qualified for Saturday’s discus final with a toss of 181-4, eighth among 12 finalists. UCLA’s Greg Garza was eliminated in the opening round. UCLA sophomore Brandon Johnson reached the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles today with a time of 50.15, second only to Florida sophomore sensation Kerron Clement’s 49.13. Bruin senior Jonathan Williams (50.32) also moved on. UCLA and USC were eliminated in the first round of the men’s 1,600-meter relay.