Most people have been thinking about the women’s team race at the NCAA Track and Field Championships as a two-team battle between UCLA and Southern California.
But it was another USC that made the biggest impact at Hayward Field Thursday.
The Gamecocks of South Carolina — the USC of the East Coast — put on a dazzling sprinting display in preliminary heats for the 400-meter dash and the 400 relay to prove that they, too, deserve to be mentioned as contenders for the 2001 women’s team title.
“I’m glad we’re the underdogs,” South Carolina sprinter Miki Barber said. “You never know what can happen at these meets.”
“We’re keeping South Carolina in mind as well as USC,” UCLA sprinter Sheena Johnson said.
Barber and her sister, Me’lisa, led the charge for the Gamecocks, along with Demetria Washington. Olympian Miki finished fourth overall in the 400 heats, Me’lisa finished seventh and Washington finished second. All three helped South Carolina to the best time of all the 4×400 relay heats.
“I know she’s a good quarter-miler,” Miki said of her sister. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”
UCLA scored much-needed points when standout Bruin thrower Christina Tolson won the shot put competition. After taking awhile to warm up, Tolson launched the shot 57 feet, 3/4 inches in her fourth attempt.
“I was patient, and it just happened,” Tolson said. “I still can’t believe it.”
Clemson’s Jamine Moton, who entered the event with the same season best as Tolson, threw 56-4 to finish second. USC’s Cynthia Ademiluyi scored the Trojans’ first points of the NCAA meet with a third-place finish.
In the day’s only other final, Amy Yoder-Begley set a blistering pace over the second half of the 10,000 meters to win the event. The Arkansas senior overcame the early-evening heat to beat out Wake Forest’s Sara Day by more than seven seconds. After she finished, at nearly 8:45 p.m., Yoder-Begley collapsed to the track in exhaustion.
“I didn’t want to sit back and let things happen,” said Yoder-Begley, who wasn’t even ranked in the top eight heading into the race. “I wanted to go out and establish the pace. I can’t believe that I was able to win by as much as I did.”
After two days of competition at the NCAAs, UCLA leads the women’s team race by six points. The Bruins have accumulated 16 points, while Arkansas, Idaho and Arizona all have 10.
In other action, Stanford’s Sally Glynn turned in a strong showing in the 1,500 preliminaries. She ran the best time of the two heats by nearly two seconds.
In the 100-meter hurdles heats, twin sensations Susanna and Jenny Kallur of Illinois led the way. Susanna ran the best time of the heats, while Jenny finished sixth and sophomore Perdita Felicien finished second overall. The hurdlers will compete in the semifinals tonight and the finals Saturday.
Today’s finals include the pole vault (5 p.m.), 4×100-meter relay (5:00), 400 hurdles (5:20), triple jump (5:45), javelin (6:00), 800 (6:05) and 3,000-meter steeplechase (6:55). Oregon’s Niki Reed will compete in the pole vault, while fellow Ducks Sarah Malone and Charyl Weingarten will compete in the javelin.
Saturday’s action begins at 2 p.m. with the heptathlon long jump.
‘Other’ USC women show up at prelims
Daily Emerald
May 31, 2001
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