Bruin Throwers to Open 2019 Indoor Track & Field Season on Friday

Friday, January 11

Flagstaff, AZ

All Day

UCLA

Friday Night Duals

Ashlie Blake was a USTFCCCA Indoor All-American last season after she finished seventh in the shot put with a heave of 17.07m (56-0).

Bruin Throwers to Open 2019 Indoor Track & Field Season on Friday

January 09, 2019 | Track & Field

2019 Information Guide

SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

LOS ANGELES – The UCLA track & field program will open the 2019 indoor season on Friday, as the Bruin throwers will compete at the Northern Arizona University Friday Night Duals in Flagstaff, Ariz.

While the throwers are representing UCLA in the 2019 opener, a majority of the Bruins will open their season on Jan. 18-19 at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.

Meet information
Meet: NAU Friday Night Duals
Venue: Walkup Skydome
Location: Flagstaff, Ariz.
Teams: Northern Arizona, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Bloomsburg, Cal State Los Angeles, CSU Bakersfield, Southern Utah, UNLV
Meet Schedule

Schedule of Events
Friday's meet will begin with field events, as the women's pole vault and men's shot put will begin at 3 p.m. (MT). The women's shot put will follow after the completion of the men's shot put, followed men's and women's weight throw.

2018 Indoor Recap
Last season's indoor campaign saw the UCLA men and women take fourth and fifth, respectively, at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Indoor Championships. The Bruins collected one individual title at the meet, with Jessie Maduka (13.26m; 43-6) winning the triple jump. Meanwhile, nine other Bruins earned top-five finishes at the indoor meet. UCLA notched four indoor All-Americans in Ashlie Blake (first team, shot put), Nate Esparza (second team, shot put), Dotun Ogundeji (second team, shot put) and Alyssa Wilson (second team, shot put).

UCLA Throwers – Women
Wilson returns for her sophomore campaign after an unprecedented freshman season in which she collected three All-America honors. She was the only student-athlete in the country to qualify for three individual events at the 2108 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and at that event mustered a personal best of 66.99m (219-9) in the hammer throw to earn fourth place and book the second-best mark in UCLA history. Wilson posted eight event wins during the 2018 outdoor season and became the first junior woman ever to qualify for the World Junior Championships in three throwing events (hammer, shot put, discus).

Blake, another strong returning thrower for the Bruin women, qualified for the 2018 NCAA West Regionals in both the shot put and discus and was a USTFCCCA Indoor All-American after she finished seventh with a heave of 17.07m (56-0). She currently owns the fifth-best mark (outdoor) in the shot put (17.73m; 58-2) and recorded collegiate-best marks last season in the discus, hammer and shot put.

The Bruins also return Ilaria Casarotto, who qualified for the NCAA West Regionals in the javelin and holds the fourth-best mark (48.17m; 158-0) in program history in that event.

The sole newcomer for the throwers is Lauren McFall, a native of Tigard, Ore., who was a three-time USATF Junior Olympics All-American and, during her final prep season, finished third in the javelin with a PR of 43.46m (142-7) at the OSAA 6A State Championships.

UCLA Throwers – Men
The Bruins are loaded in the throwing department, having returned six from last season, including Esparza and Ogundeji, who were both USTFCCCA Indoor Second Team All-Americans in 2018.

Esparza is one of the top returning throwers on the men's side. He competed in five meets as a sophomore, all indoors, and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships where he took 12th in the shot put with a throw of 18.79m (61-7.75). His collegiate-best effort came at the 2018 season opener (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational), as he won the shot put with a mark of 19.49m (63-11.5).

Ogundeji, who was also a Second Team All-American in the shot put, finished 13th at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a mark of 18.54m (60-10). The Bruins bring back two additional senior throwers in Kai Wong and Justin Stafford. Last season, Stafford qualified for the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw and ultimately took 17th with a mark of 64.25m (210-9).

Litzell, another returner, took home the Pac-12 championship last season in the javelin, posting a collegiate-best mark of 74.46m (244-3). He earned USFTCCCA Second-Team All-American honors in the event for the second straight season, as he finished 14th in the javelin at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 66.72m (218-11).

Jacob Wilson, who redshirted last season, is expected to be a key contributor in 2019. He competed at the USATF Junior Championships, where he recorded a pair of top-five finishes in the shot put (fourth) and hammer throw (fifth).

Assistant Coach John Frazier (Throws)
UCLA assistant John Frazier returns for his sixth season as the throwers coach.

"Very solid right now," said Frazier on the Bruin throwers. "The last two years, we've struggled with different little injuries, but if everyone stays healthy, we can definitely be one of the best groups in the country."

Under Frazier, UCLA saw three Bruins collect USTFCCCA All-America honors during the 2018 outdoor season – Wilson, first team (shot put, hammer); Litzell, second team (javelin); and Marian Spannowsky, second team (javelin). Stafford (hammer) and Wilson (discus) also earned honorable mention honors. UCLA also saw Litzell win the Pac-12 title in the javelin.

Indoor, Frazier helped produce four All-Americans – Blake (first team, shot put), Esparza (second team, shot put), Ogundeji (second team, shot put) and Wilson (second team, shot put).