Bruins Solid at the Halfway Point of NCAAs
June 12, 2025 | Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. โ Jana van Schalkwyk placed sixth overall in the javelin final and Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck led all qualifiers in the 100m hurdles semifinal to highlight UCLA's Day 2 at the Outdoor NCAA Championships at Hayward Field.
Van Schalkwyk became the first Bruin to score at this year's NCAAs, delivering three points for the Bruins after turning in a collegiate-best mark of 57.07m (187-3) on her second throw of the afternoon. That distance improved her standing at No. 2 on UCLA's all-time top-10 list, and led all competitors from her flight. With the result, the South Africa native eclipsed the 53-meter mark in all seven meets she entered during her debut season in Westwood.
In addition, van Schalkwyk's throw was the longest ever by a Bruin at NCAA Championships, and her finish was the highest for UCLA in the women's javelin at NCAAs since Suzy Powell was runner-up in 1998.
Ndjip-Nyemeck had a spectacular performance of her own earlier in the day, running 12.71 in the women's 100m hurdles semifinal. That time โ which matched a national record in her native Belgium โ beat out in the entire field and moved her all the way up to No. 2 in school history, trailing only the legendary Gail Devers.
She will now look to claim an individual national title in the 100mH on Saturday evening at 6:42 p.m.
New PR for Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck ??
โ NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) June 13, 2025
The @UCLATrack_Field hurdler blazes a 12.71 in the 100m hurdles. #NCAATF x ?? ESPN pic.twitter.com/WgFPdm5J22
Celeste Polzonetti (13.22) also competed in the 100mH, recording a 16th place finish to ensure Second Team All-America honors. It marks the first time UCLA has had multiple All-Americans in the women's 100mH since Sheena Johnson and Dawn Harper both made the final in 2004.
The Bruins booked one more spot in finals at the close of Thursday's action, as UCLA's 4x400 relay of Kayla McBride, Taylor Snaer, Aly Conyers, and Naomi Johnson ran 3:29.63 to finish ninth and grab the last qualifying position.
The UCLA women opened up Day 2 with the 4x100 relay, missing out on a finals spot by about two-tenths of a second after finishing 12th at 43.35.
The Bruins had two entrants in the pole vault, with Ka'Leila Abrille (4.24m / 13-11) notching the highest clearance of the two and finishing 12th to secure Second Team All-American honors.
Likewise, Sydney Johnson notched Second Team All-America honors after placing 14th in the women's long jump with a mark of 6.15m (20-2.25). Johnson was just getting started at NCAAs, as she's set to compete in the women's heptathlon over Friday and Saturday.
UCLA narrowly missed out on All-America slots in their final two individual races of the night, as Marie Warneke was 18th in the 800m (2:04.59) while Snaer (22.91) and Johnson (23.17) finished 18-22 in the 200m dash.
Alongside Johnson, the Bruin men return to action Friday on Day 3 of the NCAA Championships. Michael Pinckney will compete in the men's discus final at 2:15 p.m. PT, while Gabriel Clement II will race in the 400m final at 6:02 p.m. PT.
Day 1 Recap
EUGENE, Ore. โ Gabriel Clement II recorded a PR to advance out of the 400m semifinal as the UCLA track & field team opened up action at the 2025 Outdoor NCAA Championships on Wednesday at Hayward Field on the campus of Oregon.
Clement II was one of two Bruins competing on Day 1 of NCAAs. The Kaplan, La. logged a time of 45.35 in the second heat of Wednesday's 400m prelim, placing third in his heat and seventh overall.
He narrowly missed out on an auto-qualifying bid that comes with a top-two finish in each heat, and he dropped nearly a half-second off his previous PR of 45.75, which he accomplished two weeks ago during NCAA West Regionals in College Station, Texas.
With the result, Clement has secured All-America honors. He will compete for a national title in the 400m on Friday evening at 6:02 p.m. PT.
Tamaal Myers also competed for the Bruins on the first day of NCAAs, racing to a 19th place finish with a time of 51.24. He had previously booked a spot into NCAAs with a time of 50.01 at Regionals, a PR and the No. 9 time in school history.
Players Mentioned
