The decision to forgo the upcoming Olympic trials and concentrate on the U.S. Junior Track and Field Championships seems to have paid off for UCLA hurdler Brandon Johnson. On June 26, Johnson, a sophomore, easily won the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 49.59 seconds, beating second-place finisher and former high school rival Kerron Clement of Florida by over one second. At the NCAA Championships earlier this month, Johnson showed the roller coaster of ups and downs for a true freshman after failing to qualify for the finals when he ran 51.24. After that event, he decided he was not ready to compete in the Olympic trials, even though he qualified with his Pac-10 championship-winning time of 48.85. Johnson came to UCLA with experience mainly as a sprinter in high school, but then began training in the hurdles. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury during the indoor season that caused him to sit out a majority of the outdoor season. Upon his return, Johnson did not come close to breaking 51 seconds until he shocked everyone with his blistering performance at the Pac-10 Championships. He then went on to run 49.64 at the Regional Championships, but fell flat at nationals in front of his hometown crowd. Should he continue to steadily reach the 49-second mark as he did this weekend, Johnson will prove his Pac-10 time was not a fluke, and he will be able to legitimately compete with rival Clement - the national title holder. Should Johnson get back to that 48.85 time, he could instead be a challenger in the Olympic trials in 2008. Sophomore MacKenzie Hill finished fourth in the women’s 400m hurdles with a 1:00.32 at the same event.
RECRUITING ROUNDUP: Dane Endly, a transfer from UC Riverside, and prep thrower Boldiszar Kocsor highlight the list of UCLA men’s track and field signees announced by coach Art Venegas earlier this month. Endly, who owns a personal best 21.44 seconds in the 200 meters, will join a Bruin sprints corps that returns everyone from this past season. He will likely focus on the 200m, an event in which UCLA had no qualifiers even during the Pac-10 meet this past season, in addition to running on at least one of the Bruin relay teams. The nation’s No. 2 prep hammer thrower, Kocsor, who may redshirt next season, has a personal best of 199 feet, 11 inches. He also has the nation’s third-best mark in the shot put. Among UCLA’s other signees are distance runners Drew and Kyle Shackleton, jumpers Joel Tuosto and Michael Johnson, and pole vaulter Dustin DeLeo.
REBUFFED: The NCAA turned down UCLA’s bid to host the 2005 NCAA West Regional Championships, instead selecting Oregon’s Hayward Field as the venue of choice. The UCLA coaching staff, in conjunction with associate athletic director Bob Field, had hoped to bring the meet to Drake Stadium next year as part of its plan to upgrade the Bruins’ home schedule. UCLA will still host the Pac-10 Championships next May.
PAC-10 HONORS: Senior hurdler Sheena Johnson was named the Pac-10 Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year earlier this month after capturing the 100- and 400-meter hurdles championships at the conference meet. Johnson, the NCAA champion in the 400m hurdles for the second time in a row, helped the Bruins capture their eighth straight Pac-10 title. UCLA women’s coach Jeanette Bolden received the Pac-10 Women’s Coach of the Year Award, while Bruin coach Art Venegas received the same distinction on the men’s side.
With reports from Jeff Eisenberg, Bruin sports senior staff.