University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
MPSF Indoor Championships
Postseason Track and Field Kicks off at MPSFs
February 22, 2018 | Track & Field
The UCLA track and field team will return to Dempsey Indoor in Seattle, Wash. this weekend for the MPSF Indoor Championships. The two-day meet will begin on Friday, Feb. 23 and is hosted by the University of Washington.
Friday's meet program will get started with with the women's weight throw at 12:00pm PT. Saturday's competition will begin with the 60m hurdles for the men's heptathlon at 10:30am, as well as the women's shot put and high jump.
The Bruins will toe the line against a strong field of teams this weekend on both the men's and women's sides. The UCLA men will take on three squads in the USTFCCCA's latest national rankings, particularly USC (4), Oregon (13), and Stanford (16). The Bruin women will compete against a field highlighted by USC (2), Oregon (5), Stanford (9), and Colorado (17).
UCLA enters the MPSF Championships having posted strong performances in their regular season finales. At the Husky Classic in Seattle, junior Robert Brandt finished seventh collegiately in the 5,000m with a time of 13:53.18, good for third all-time in UCLA indoor history. Sophomore Carter Blunt led the way for the Bruins in the mile, posting a time of 4:02.89 to move into sixth place on the UCLA indoor Top-10.
The Don Kirby Invite in Albuquerque, N.M., saw junior Ashlie Blake and freshman Alyssa Wilson go 2-3 in the shot put with marks of 17.36m (56-11.50) and 17.30m (56-09.25), respectively. These marks currently put Blake and Wilson on track to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the shot put.
Sophomore Isaiah Holmes took home the victory in the high jump with a clearance of 2.12m (6-11.50), while junior Justin Stafford posted his third consecutive Top-2 finish in the weight throw, going 19.11m (62-09.50) to finish second overall.
UCLA's entries for the MPSF Championships include senior Jessie Maduka, who will be competing in the triple jump, long jump, and 60m dash. Maduka set the indoor school record in the triple jump with a mark of 13.74m (45-01.00), currently good for third in the country and a virtual lock for NCAA Championship qualification. Senior Kendall Gustafson will also be in action this weekend. She set the school record in the pentathlon (4,065 points) at the Columbia Challenge, and will look to solidify her 12th-place national ranking.
The men's squad will feature redshirt freshman Nate Esparza (19.49m, 63-11.50) and junior Dotun Ogundeji (19.37m, 63-06.75) in the shot put, good for 10th and 12 in the nation, respectively. Blunt will get the start in the mile, and senior Daniel De La Torre will toe the line in the 3,000m and 5,000m. De La Torre finished 11th in the 3k at the 2017 MPSF Championships with a time of 8:05.63, good for 10th in UCLA indoor history.
The MPSF Championships will be broadcast on FloTrack.com, available with a paid subscription.
Players Mentioned
