Anderson, Women's Relay Teams Qualify to NCAA Championships
Fayeteville, Ark. - UCLA Track and Field finished competition at the NCAA West Preliminaries by qualifying another individual athlete and two relays to the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore. Senior Shae Anderson qualified in the 400m, and the the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay teams earned championship berths.
Anderson finished second in her quarterfinal heat and seventh overall in the 400m with a time of 51.89, her second-fastest mark of the season. Additionally, in tonight's 4x100m relay quarterfinal, Anderson ran the anchor leg and led the Bruins to a time of 44.05, good for third place in heat 3 and seventh overall. Juniors Catherine Leger, Makenzy Pierre-Webster and Maddy Doane ran the first three legs.
In the 4x400m relay, Leger, Kate Jendrezak, Pierre-Webster and Doane recorded a time of 3:32.34 to place second in heat 3. Doane ran an anchor leg of 52.93 to help the Bruins secure the championship bid for the second consecutive year.
Four more Bruins competed in individual track and field events on the final day of competition in Arkansas. Freshman Lyvante Su'emai and sophomore Natalie Ramirez competed in the discus in the afternoon, with Su'emai placing 14th overall with a mark of 54.14m (177-07) and Ramirez throwing for a distance of 48.41m (150-10) to place 38th overall.
On the track, junior Emma Tavella had a strong performance in the 3000m steeplechase (10:28.24) placing 16th overall. Pierre-Webster competed in the quarterfinals of the 200m and placed fifth in her heat and 18th overall (23.31).
The Bruins will send a total of five entries to the NCAA Championships, which will take place June 8-11. Three total athletes will compete in the 400m, with Anderson representing the women and Ismail Turner and Cameron Reynolds representing the men. Each of the three athletes hold Top 10 Marks for UCLA. Both relay teams on the women's side will also have the opportunity to compete again in Eugene. The 4x100m relay squad also holds a Top 10 UCLA mark.