University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invite
Bruins Set Three School Records at New Mexico MLK Invite
January 24, 2026 | Track & Field
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. โ The UCLA track & field team had a strong collective showing over the weekend at the 2026 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational, setting a trio of school records and finishing with a dozen top-three finishes over the course of the two-day meet hosted by New Mexico at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
UCLA's six first-place finishes were tied with Georgia for the most of any of the 15 collegiate squads at the meet. The Bruins' 12 medalists were third-most of any team, behind Georgia and California.
The top performance came courtesy of graduate sprinter/hurdler Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck, whose time of 7.96 in the women's 60m hurdles ranked No. 1 in the NCAA and set a new school record. New school standards also came courtesy of Michael Pinckney in the men's weight throw (22.33m / 73-3.25) and Keilee Hall in the women's 600m (1:29.92). All three won their events.
UCLA had three other event wins, highlighted by a gold medal performance from sprinter Taylor Snaer in the women's 200m, as her time of 23.10 was good for second-fastest in the country so far this season. Ameen Tokhi (6.78 in the unseeded men's 60m dash) and Avery Boyse (3.94m / 12-11 in the women's B Pole Vault) each earned their first collegiate wins as well.
The Bruins return to action next weekend with the two-day UW Invite in Seattle from Jan. 30-31.
Track Events Recap
Freshman sprinter Shaun McCoullum was the first Bruin to hit the track on Friday, going 21.13 in the men's unseeded 200m to finish runner-up and put his name at No. 8 in UCLA's indoor record book.
Later on, newcomers Gabriella Taylor (54.25) and Olivia Griffin (54.75) raced to a 3-4 finish in the women's unseeded 400m.
The evening races were highlighted by Hall and Snaer for UCLA.
In the women's 600m, Hall (1:29.92) became the first Bruin in school history to break the 90-second barrier in that race, edging out the field by a half second for a gold medal in that event. Kapiolani Coleman (1:33.92) also had a strong race, inserting herself at No. 6 on the program's all-time top-10.
Snaer closed out the night for UCLA with a 23.10 in the women's 200 dash, putting her at No. 2 on the NCAA performance list for the season.
The 60m hurdles, on both the men's and women's side, was the clear standout for the Bruins on Saturday.
At 7.96 in the women's 60mH, Ndjip-Nyemeck got under the eight-second mark for the first time and moved past UCLA Athletics Hall of Famer Dawn Harper-Nelson (7.98) for the school record. Those two remain the only athletes in school history to run the 60mH under eight seconds. It's the first individual school record for Ndjip-Nyemeck, who entered the season at No. 2 in school history in the indoor 60mH and the outdoor 100mH.
On the men's side, Otto Laing finished runner-up and improved his standing at No. 2 in school history with a time of 7.77.
Prior to that, Tokhi nailed down his first collegiate win with a 6.78 in the unseeded men's 60m. It was a sizable PR for Tokhi, who shaved off nearly two-tenths of a second from his previous PR.
Naomi Johnson was the Bruins' top performer in the 400m, running a 52.91 to take over at No. 3 in the program's all-time top-10 list. Chris Paige ran a season-best 48.43 on the men's side.
UCLA finished off the weekend with a second-place result in the women's 4x400. The Bruins' quartet of Gabriella Taylor, Snaer, Hall, and Johnson finished in 3:35.16, which was good for ninth place in school history.
Field Events Recap
Boyse got the Bruins off to a strong start with her performance in the women's "B" pole vault, as she edged out Arizona's Kelly De Jong (both had clearances of 3.94m / 12-11) for the event win by virtue of converting on her first attempt on the three preceding progressions.
Sophomore jumper Valentina Fakrogha followed with an indoor-collegiate-best mark of 1.85m (5-11.5) in the women's high jump, which was good for fourth place at the meet and No. 5 in UCLA indoor history. Jordan Robinson (1.71m / 5-7.25) also turned in a season-best mark.
The long jumps were highlighted for UCLA by a fourth-place finish for Sydney Johnson (6.16m / 20-2.5).
Pinckney closed out Friday with a record performance by the Bruins, hitting a mark of 22.33m (73-3.25) to break his own school record. Pinckney also easily beat the field at UNM, as no other entrant broke the 20-meter mark.
On Saturday morning, Paige Sommers (4.19m / 13-9) and Paige Echsner (4.09m / 13-5) competed to a 2-3 finish in the women's "A" pole vault. Mackenzie Kirk was also a standout in the Saturday morning field events, hitting a mark of 12.50m (41-0.25) in the women's triple jump to make her debut in the UCLA all-time top-10 list at No. 9. ย
Derek Smith closed out the meet for the Bruins on the field side with a third-place finish in the men's shot put. His mark of 17.13m was a PR.
Players Mentioned
