UCLA
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invitational
Bruin Throwers Lead the Way on Day One of MLK Invite
January 18, 2019 | Track & Field
Albuquerque, N.M. โ On a night that saw eight student-athletes make their respective UCLA debuts on the track, veteran throwers Alyssa Wilson and Justin Stafford led the Bruin charge from the cage with lifetime bests in the weight throw.
Wilson continued her dominant indoor campaign Friday, posting a lifetime-best launch of 21.12m (69-03.50) to win the women's weight throw competition by almost 11 feet. The mark is currently good for eighth place in the NCAA and third all-time in UCLA indoor history.
The Bruins' throwing prowess didn't stop with Wilson, as the senior Stafford and redshirt freshman Jacob Wilson also had career nights. Stafford took second in the men's weight throw with a career-best 20.61m (67-07.50), good for fifth in school indoor history. Wilson finished third overall, tossing the implement 18.74m (61-05.75) for his second straight personal best in his first indoor campaign for the Bruins.
The men's high jump saw Sean Lee kick off his Bruin career in impressive fashion, as the freshman cleared 2.16m (7-01.00) for a second-place finish. With the clearance, Lee already moves into a tie for third place in UCLA indoor history in the event. Senior Michael Burke took sixth place with a jump of 2.07m (6-09.50). Senior Christina Chenault cleared 1.56m (5-01.25) for a tie for 12th place in the women's competition.
Junior Riley Kelly led the way for the Bruins in the men's 600m, clocking a time of 1:19.99 for a heat victory and fifth place overall. Redshirt junior Arturo Sotomayor followed closely at 1:20.77, good for eighth place. Junior Carter Blunt opened his indoor campaign in 14th place with a time of 1:23.74. Freshman Gwyneth George was the Bruins' top finisher in the women's competition, crossing with a time of 1:34.30 for sixth place. Junior Cassandra Durgy (1:37.09) took 12th place overall.
A trio of Bruins took to the track for the men's 200m competition, with redshirt senior Leon Powell taking home a fifth-place finish and a time of 21.62. Freshman debutant Seth Holloway took seventh with a time of 21.87, while junior transfer Jesse Audelo opened his 2019 campaign with an 18th-place finish (22.39). Senior Schuyler Moore took 16th place in the women's competition, crossing with a time of 25.09.
Freshmen Nyree Brown and Jade Hinds also made their UCLA track debuts Friday, with the duo going 1-2 in their heat of the women's unseeded 400m. Brown clocked a time of 58.16 for second overall, while Hinds finished in seventh place at 59.59.
Freshman Alex Enos finished sixth overall in the men's long jump competition with a leap of 6.80m (22-03.75). The women's competition saw fellow first-year Taylor Undem finish fourth in her flight and 20th overall with a mark of 5.10m (16-08.50).
Day 2 of the MLK Invite will kick off Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. MT/8:30 a.m. PT with the women's shot put competition. The women's 60m hurdle qualifiers will get the track action started at 9:00 a.m.
Players Mentioned
