World and collegiate records were broken throughout the Pacific-10 Conference in dual meets last weekend.
During UCLA’s 12th consecutive dual meet victory against Southern California, junior Monique Henderson ran a world-leading mark of 51.20 seconds in the 400 meters.
Henderson was a highly recruited athlete out of high school. She is a former national high school record holder in the 400 meters at 50.74 seconds and was an alternate on the United States 4×400 relay team in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
However, after two disappointing seasons in Westwood, Henderson has refocused and is starting to fulfill her potential as one of the top sprinters in the nation.
“I came into this year more determined and more ambitious than ever before,” Henderson told The Daily Bruin. “This was a big step for me. It’s a reminder of where I am and where I need to be.”
Henderson, a San Diego native, ended the meet by also winning the 200 meters with a time of 22.71. That set a new personal best and tied her for third place in UCLA history alongside Olympic track star Gail Devers.
Henderson cited improved communication with Bruins head coach Jeanette Bolden this season as the reason for her success.
“I’m not waiting as long to get on her,” Bolden said. “Not in a way that would make her feel bad because she’s already hard on herself. She beats herself up, so my job is to keep her light-hearted and let know that everything is OK.”
UCLA defeated the Trojans 93-70 to improve the series record to 18-3. Bolden is also undefeated in 11 all-time dual meets against USC and is 70-0 overall in dual competition.

Collegiate record falls
Stanford sophomore Alicia Craig became the new American collegiate record holder in the 10,000 meters at the Cardinal Invitational last weekend.
Craig beat the 12-year-old record that belonged to Carl Zajac of Villanova by exactly three seconds with a time of 32:19.97.
“It felt comfortable like a workout,” Craig told the Stanford Daily. “I was hoping the packs wouldn’t spread out like they did. I was just running by myself a lot.”
Craig, a Gillette, Wyo., native, will next compete at the Olympic Trials in July, where she hopes to meet the standard of 31:45 and participate in the Olympic Games at Athens.

Rankings
Five Pac-10 women’s track and field teams were voted into the top 25, according to the Trackwire 25.
UCLA leads the group with its No. 1 ranking followed by Stanford at No. 10. On their heels is USC at 14th.
After the Cardinal’s 108-55 defeat over California Saturday at the 110th annual Big Meet, the Golden Bears are now 21st in the nation.
And despite a shortened roster and entering a rebuilding phase, Oregon snuck into the rankings at No. 23.