University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Ross Wins Discus Championship, Bruin Women Lead Team Standings For Third Consecutive Day
May 31, 2002
2002 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
May 29-June 1
Baton Rouge, LA
Bernie Moore Stadium
Friday, May 31st Results (Day Three)-the meet was postponed for over an hour
because of lightning/thunder and rain.
Team Standings:
Women-(After 12 events) 1. UCLA 44, 2. South Carolina 40, 3. Florida 24, 4. USC 19, 5. (tie) Washington State, North Carolina State and Nebraska 16, 8. Stanford 15, 9. (tie) Kansas State and Colorado 13.
Men-(After 10 events) 1. LSU 39, 2. (tie) South Carolina and Florida 19 4. (tie) Texas and Tennessee (18). 6. Georgia 15, 7. Eastern Michigan 14, 8. UTEP 12, 9. (tie) Auburn and Penn 11, 11. (tied with several teams) USC 10, 22. (tie) UCLA 6.
UCLA WOMEN
Field Finals
Discus-the Bruins picked up 14 points in this event as junior Chaniqua Ross, the two-time defending Pac-10 champion in the women's discus, won the event with a mark of 182-0. She picked up 10 team points for the Bruin women and is the third individual Bruin women's champion in three days (joining senior Tracy O'Hara in the pole vault and senior Darnesha Griffith in the high jump). Sophomore Lara Saya picked up four team points by placing fifth, with a mark of 175-2. True freshman Briona Reynolds was ninth (171-9). Both Saye and Reynolds earned All-American status. Since 1995, under Bruin throws coach Art Venegas, the Bruin women have won six discus NCAA titles. "I had a bad opening throw, so I wanted to get a decent second throw to get in the finals, to make sure I was going to get points for the team," Ross said. "I wanted to handle my team obligation first, that was my No. 1 priority." Ross won with her third throw of 182-0. She placed third in this event last season.
Track Finals
400m Hurdles- sophomore Sheena Johnson, the two-time defending Pac-10 champion in this event, placed fourth in the final (55.71, personal-best, No. 4 in school history) and picked up five points for the Bruin women's team. As a true freshman last season at the NCAA Outdoor, Johnson qualified in the 400m hurdles but did not make the final. She entered the 2002 NCAA Outdoor meet with the nation's No. 3 collegiate time (56.56, her old PR was 56.02). She earns All-American honors for the fourth time in her career The winner of the race, South Carolina's Leshinda Demus (54.85), set a World Junior record and the Gamecocks, challenging the UCLA women for the team title, picked up 21 points in this race.
Track Semis
100m Hurdles-sophomore Sheena Johnson, who placed second at the Pac-10 in this event and who earlier in the day placed fourth in the women's 400m hurdle final, ran in heat two and placed sixth, with a time of 13.47. She did not qualify for Saturday's final but will run the third leg of UCLA's 4 X 400m relay in Saturday's final.