UCLA Track & Field Set For Big Indoor Weekend

Track & Field Set For Big Indoor Weekend
Men's team to compete at NAU Team Challenge, while women head to New York

Feb. 1, 2010


The UCLA track and field programs have a big weekend ahead as the women head to New York for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational and the men travel to Flagstaff, AZ for the NAU Team Challenge. The NAU Team Challenge will be contested on Saturday, February 6, while the New Balance meet is on Friday and Saturday (5-6).

A handful of athletes competed this past weekend at the UW Invitational as Cory Primm (800m) and Shannon Murakami (3000m) led all athletes with NCAA provisional qualifiers in their respective events. This weekend is the season opener for the rest of the team.

The NAU Team Challenge will feature all event groups except for long distance runners. Senior Kevin Craddock returns to competition after missing the 2009 outdoor season due to injury. He will make his 2010 debut in the 60m hurdles this weekend.

Also of note are the young sprinters led by Karlton Rolle and Jamal Alston. Both men had solid freshmen campaigns and will be looking to carry those performances over into 2010. The Bruins also added two new sprinters from the football team, Randall Carroll and Sheldon Price. Both men will debut for the Bruins in the 60m and 200m races. Newcomer Maxwell Dyce will also be looking to open up with some top times in the sprint events.

The pole vaulters, always one of the deepest groups on the squad, will be in full force as seven athletes will be competing highlighted by Johnny Quinn and Greg Woepse.Nelson Rosario and Jonathan Clark will also be competing in several jumping events. Frosh DJ Lloyd will also be debuting for the Bruins in the long jump.

The throwers are led by Bo Taylor, a 2009 participant at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor meets in the shot put.

A few jumpers and throwers will compete for the women's team in Flagstaff, while the majority of the team heads to New York.

The women's team will send a large squad to the New Balance Invite highlighted by NCAA All-Americans Ryann Krais, Danielle Watson and Tori Anthony. Krais has a busy weekend ahead as she will compete in the hurdles and high and long jump. Watson will compete in the long jump, while Anthony will be vaulting.

Also of note in New York is two-time NCAA competitor Lindsay Rowe in the 60m and 60m hurdles and 2009 NCAA Championship runner Yasmin Woodruff (60m/200m). The Bruins will also field a 4x400m and distance medley relay team.

Krishna Curry and Murakami highlight distance runnerss competing this weekend. Murakami will be looking for a provisional mark in the mile, while Curry will be running for an NCAA qualifier in the 800m. Both women will also be running on the DMR.

Courtesy UCLA