Friday, January 18
Albuquerque, NM
All Day
UCLA
vs
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invitational
Last season, Joe Herrera qualified for NCAA West Regionals in the 400m.
Photo by: Don Liebig, UCLA Photography
UCLA Track & Field Set for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invite
January 16, 2019 | Track & Field
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LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA track & field team will be back in action this weekend, as the Bruins travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invitational.
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Meet Information
Meet: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invitational
Date: Jan. 18-19
Venue: Albuquerque Convention Center
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Meet Schedule
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Last Meet
The UCLA throwers opened the 2019 indoor season at the NAU Friday Night Duals on Jan. 11.
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Alyssa Wilson scored life-time best marks in the shot put (17.73m; 58-2) and weight throw (20.51m; 67-3.5) en route to taking first in both events, while Justin Stafford won the weight throw with a heave of 19.98m (65-6.75).
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Preseason Rankings
The UCLA women are ranked 30th in the USTFCCCA preseason rankings with 27.42 points, the sixth highest rated team out of the MPSF. The Bruin men, who finished at No. 65 last year, earned a No. 43 ranking with 22.59 points.
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2018 Indoor Recap
Last season's indoor campaign saw the UCLA men and women take fourth and fifth, respectively, at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Indoor Championships. The Bruins collected one individual title at the meet, with Jessie Maduka (13.26m; 43-6) winning the triple jump. Meanwhile, nine other Bruins earned top-five finishes at the indoor meet. UCLA notched four indoor All-Americans in Ashlie Blake (first team, shot put), Nate Esparza (second team, shot put), Dotun Ogundeji (second team, shot put) and Alyssa Wilson (second team, shot put). Led by Maduka's third-place finish in the triple jump, the UCLA women earned a 27th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.ย
ย
2019 Outlook
Sprinters โ Women
Headlining a young group of sprinters on the women's side are three seniors in Suzie Acolatse, Meleni Rodney and Schuyler Moore. In 2018, Acolatse helped the 4x100mย relay team earn a 17th-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals, while Rodney posted season-best times in the 400m (53.80; fourth place) and 200m (23.92; eighth place) at the MPSFย Championships. Moore took 21st in the 200m (24.82) and 24th in the 60m (7.66; season-best time) at the MPSFs.
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Seven of the Bruins' 10 sprinters are freshmen. Esther Ekeanyanwu, a native of Allen, Texas, qualified for the Texas UIL 6A State Championships three years in a row, while Maliyah Medley finished second in the 400m (53.08) and fourth in the 200m (24.15) at the CIF State Championship Finals.
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Sprinters โ Men
Leon Powell is back after redshirting the 2018 campaign. The recipient of the Bruin Leadership Award, Powell was a stud in 2017, collecting USTFCCCA All-America Honorable Mention honors in the 4x100m relay. He won the 100m against rival USC with a lifetime-best mark of 10.26, which also ranks ninth in program history. In that same year he propelled the 4x100m relay squad to a season-best time of 39.32 and a bid to the NCAA Championships.
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Joe Herrera, another veteran, qualified for the NCAA West Regionals in the 400m, finishing in 22nd place (47.02). To earn that spot at regionals, Herrera had to muster a collegiate-best time of 46.64 against USC.
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The Bruins added a pair of Oregon transfers in Cameron Stone and Myles Webb. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Stone was named a First Team All-American after helping the distance medley relay team finish third (9:31.45), while Webb scored two points at the Pac-12 Championships with a seventh-place finish in the 100m finals (10.76).
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Throwers โ Women
Alyssa Wilson returns for her sophomore campaign after an unprecedented freshman season in which she collected three All-America honors. She was the only student-athlete in the country to qualify for three individual events at the 2108 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and at that event she mustered a personal best of 66.99m (219-9) in the hammer throw to earn fourth place and book the second-best mark in UCLA history. Wilson posted eight event wins during the 2018 outdoor season and became the first junior woman ever to qualify for the World Junior Championships in three throwing events (hammer, shot put, discus).
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Ashlie Blake, another strong returning thrower for the Bruin women, qualified for the 2018 NCAA West Regionals in both the shot put and discus and was a USTFCCCA Indoor All-American after she finished seventh in the shot put with a heave of 17.07m (56-0). She currently owns the fifth-best mark (outdoor) in the shot put (17.73m; 58-2) and recorded collegiate-best marks last season in the discus, hammer and shot put.
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The Bruins also return sophomore Ilaria Casarotto, who qualified for the NCAA West Regionals in the javelin and holds the fourth-best mark (48.17m; 158-0) in program history in that event.
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The sole newcomer for the throwers is Lauren McFall, a native of Tigard, Ore., who was a three-time USATF Junior Olympics All-American and, during her final prep season, finished third in the javelin with a PR of 43.46m (142-7) at the OSAA 6A State Championships.
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Throwers โ Men
The Bruins are loaded in the throwing department, having returned six from last season, including junior Nate Esparza and senior Dotun Ogundeji, who were both indoor USTFCCCA Indoor Second Team All-Americans in 2018.
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An All-American in shot put, Esparza is one of the top returning throwers on the men's side. He competed in five meets as a sophomore, all indoors, and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships where he took 12th with a throw of 18.79m (61-7.75).
ย
Another strong returner is Ogundeji, who was also a Second Team All-American in the shot put. He finished 13th at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a mark of 18.54m (60-10). The Bruins bring back two additional senior throwers in Kai Wong and Justin Stafford, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw and ultimately took 17th with a mark of 64.25m (210-9).
ย
Simon Litzell, another returner, took home the Pac-12 championship last season in the javelin, posting a collegiate-best mark of 74.46m (244-3). He earned USFTCCCA Second-Team All-American honors in the event for the second straight season, as he finished 14th at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 66.72m (218-11).
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Jacob Wilson, who redshirted last season, competed at the USATF Junior Championships, where he recorded a pair of top-five finishes in the shot put (fourth) and hammer throw (fifth). ย
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Pole Vaulters โ Women
UCLA's pole vaulters are led by a pair of seniors in Elleyse Garrett and Melissa Maneatis. In 2018, Garrett eclipsed four meters in all four meets she competed in and finished fourth at the MPSF Indoor Championships, while Maneatis finished 14th at the Pac-12 Championships with a mark of 3.67m (12-0.5).
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Pole Vaulters โ Men
The Bruins' lone returner is Michael Fancey, who cleared a season-best 4.75m (15-7) at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational. UCLA notched two strong newcomers in Kyle Brown, a transfer out of Yale, and freshman phenom Sondre Guttormsen. Brown posted a season-best effort of 4.65m (15-3) as a freshman at the Yale Season Opener, while Guttormsen, a graduate of Davis Senior High School, won the state championship in the pole vault when he cleared 17 feet, 10 inches โ a state-meet record. Guttormsen was also just the second athlete ever to break 18 feet in the pole vault indoors at the National Pole Vault Summit.
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Distance โ Women
During the 2018 cross country season, Erika Adler was the lone qualifier for the NCAA Championships. She was a NCAA All-West-Region honoree, finishing 14th at the West Regionals, as well as a Second-Team All-Pac-12 selection.
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Christina Rice, a top returner, qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries in the 10K and finished 14th in the 10K at the Pac-12 Championships with a time of 34:31.06. During the 2018 outdoor season, Rice posted the fourth-best mark in Bruin history in the 10K, tallying 34:14.42. Jackie Garner has also enjoyed success in the 10K. In 2017, she clocked a mark of 34:58.47 at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival, the ninth-best outdoor time in program history.
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Junior Cassandra Durgy holds the fifth-best indoor mile time (4:45.15) in program history, which she achieved at the MPSF Championships to take 22nd place.
ย
Distance โ Men
Headlining the male distance runners is Robert Brandt, who holds the sixth-best outdoor mark (29:02.14) in the 10K in school history. His Westwood debut also included an eighth-place finish in the 10K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as he finished in 29:13.12 to earn USTFCCCA All-America honors. Brandt also registered the third-best time in UCLA history in the 5000mย with a mark of 13:41.23 at the Mt. SAC Relays. UCLA's distance team is young, featuring five freshmen and four sophomores.
ย
Carter Blunt clocked the sixth-fastest mile time (4:02.89) in program history last season at the Husky Classic, while Arturo Sotomayor holds the 10th-fastest mile time (4:04.56) and eighth-fastest 800m time (1:49.60), both of which were achieved in 2017.
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Jumpers โ Women
Despite losing All-American triple jumper Jessie Maduka to graduation, the Bruins bring back Lillianna Hebert. At last season's Pac-12 Championships, Hebert finished fifth in the high jump (1.73m, 5-8) and 15th in the triple jump (11.57m, 37-11.5). During the indoor season, she took eighth at the MPSF Championships in the high jump, clearing 1.71m (5-7.25). UCLA is young in this department, as the Bruins welcome four freshmen and two transfers in Isa Videler (Missouri State) and Jazmin Moss (UC Santa Barbara).
ย
Jai Gruenwald, a native of Chandler, Ariz., was a four-time state champion in the long jump and is the Arizona state record holder in that event (20-6.75). In her final prep season, she was named the American Family Insurance All-USA Arizona High School Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year and Gatorade Arizona Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
ย
Jumpers โ Men
Junior standout Isaiah Holmes is one of the top-returning jumpers for the Bruins. As a freshman in 2017, Holmes mustered the seventh-best long jump in UCLA outdoor history, recording 7.90m (25-11) to take second at the Pac-12 Championships. In that same meet, he won the high jump with a mark of 2.12m (6-11.50). Last season, Holmes competed in in four indoor meets and won the high jump at the Don Kirby Elite meet with a tally of 2.12m (6-11.5).
ย
Idrees Bernard, a redshirt senior, finished fifth in the triple jump (14.82m; 48-7.5) at the MPSF Championships, while CJ Alumbres snagged second place in the triple jump at the Pac-12 Championships with a collegiate-best mark of 15.67m (51-5), which qualified him for regionals, where he took 19th place.
ย
Multi-Event โ Women
Redshirt junior Christina Chenault is UCLA's top returner as a multi-event athlete. Last season, she competed at the Pac-12 multis and took eighth place. Her effort included three top-five finishes (shot put, high jump, and 800m). She also competed in the high jump at the Pac-12 Championships, finishing ninth with a leap of 1.63m (5-4.25).
ย
Multi-Event โ Men
UCLA brings back Zack Bornstein, a senior out of Westlake Village, Calif. In 2016, he finished fifth in the decathlon at the Pac-12 Championships with a personal best of 7,289 points.
ย
Sean Lee, a 6-foot-7 freshman out of Trabuco Hills High School, won the state title in the high jump, flying 2.18m (7-7). He also set a meet record at the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Finals when he jumped 2.20m (7-2.5).
ย
Next Meet
UCLA will head to New York on Jan. 25-26 for the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge.
ย
ย
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA track & field team will be back in action this weekend, as the Bruins travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invitational.
ย
Meet Information
Meet: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collegiate Invitational
Date: Jan. 18-19
Venue: Albuquerque Convention Center
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Meet Schedule
ย
Last Meet
The UCLA throwers opened the 2019 indoor season at the NAU Friday Night Duals on Jan. 11.
ย
Alyssa Wilson scored life-time best marks in the shot put (17.73m; 58-2) and weight throw (20.51m; 67-3.5) en route to taking first in both events, while Justin Stafford won the weight throw with a heave of 19.98m (65-6.75).
ย
Preseason Rankings
The UCLA women are ranked 30th in the USTFCCCA preseason rankings with 27.42 points, the sixth highest rated team out of the MPSF. The Bruin men, who finished at No. 65 last year, earned a No. 43 ranking with 22.59 points.
ย
2018 Indoor Recap
Last season's indoor campaign saw the UCLA men and women take fourth and fifth, respectively, at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Indoor Championships. The Bruins collected one individual title at the meet, with Jessie Maduka (13.26m; 43-6) winning the triple jump. Meanwhile, nine other Bruins earned top-five finishes at the indoor meet. UCLA notched four indoor All-Americans in Ashlie Blake (first team, shot put), Nate Esparza (second team, shot put), Dotun Ogundeji (second team, shot put) and Alyssa Wilson (second team, shot put). Led by Maduka's third-place finish in the triple jump, the UCLA women earned a 27th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.ย
ย
2019 Outlook
Sprinters โ Women
Headlining a young group of sprinters on the women's side are three seniors in Suzie Acolatse, Meleni Rodney and Schuyler Moore. In 2018, Acolatse helped the 4x100mย relay team earn a 17th-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals, while Rodney posted season-best times in the 400m (53.80; fourth place) and 200m (23.92; eighth place) at the MPSFย Championships. Moore took 21st in the 200m (24.82) and 24th in the 60m (7.66; season-best time) at the MPSFs.
ย
Seven of the Bruins' 10 sprinters are freshmen. Esther Ekeanyanwu, a native of Allen, Texas, qualified for the Texas UIL 6A State Championships three years in a row, while Maliyah Medley finished second in the 400m (53.08) and fourth in the 200m (24.15) at the CIF State Championship Finals.
ย
Sprinters โ Men
Leon Powell is back after redshirting the 2018 campaign. The recipient of the Bruin Leadership Award, Powell was a stud in 2017, collecting USTFCCCA All-America Honorable Mention honors in the 4x100m relay. He won the 100m against rival USC with a lifetime-best mark of 10.26, which also ranks ninth in program history. In that same year he propelled the 4x100m relay squad to a season-best time of 39.32 and a bid to the NCAA Championships.
ย
Joe Herrera, another veteran, qualified for the NCAA West Regionals in the 400m, finishing in 22nd place (47.02). To earn that spot at regionals, Herrera had to muster a collegiate-best time of 46.64 against USC.
ย
The Bruins added a pair of Oregon transfers in Cameron Stone and Myles Webb. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Stone was named a First Team All-American after helping the distance medley relay team finish third (9:31.45), while Webb scored two points at the Pac-12 Championships with a seventh-place finish in the 100m finals (10.76).
ย
Throwers โ Women
Alyssa Wilson returns for her sophomore campaign after an unprecedented freshman season in which she collected three All-America honors. She was the only student-athlete in the country to qualify for three individual events at the 2108 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and at that event she mustered a personal best of 66.99m (219-9) in the hammer throw to earn fourth place and book the second-best mark in UCLA history. Wilson posted eight event wins during the 2018 outdoor season and became the first junior woman ever to qualify for the World Junior Championships in three throwing events (hammer, shot put, discus).
ย
Ashlie Blake, another strong returning thrower for the Bruin women, qualified for the 2018 NCAA West Regionals in both the shot put and discus and was a USTFCCCA Indoor All-American after she finished seventh in the shot put with a heave of 17.07m (56-0). She currently owns the fifth-best mark (outdoor) in the shot put (17.73m; 58-2) and recorded collegiate-best marks last season in the discus, hammer and shot put.
ย
The Bruins also return sophomore Ilaria Casarotto, who qualified for the NCAA West Regionals in the javelin and holds the fourth-best mark (48.17m; 158-0) in program history in that event.
ย
The sole newcomer for the throwers is Lauren McFall, a native of Tigard, Ore., who was a three-time USATF Junior Olympics All-American and, during her final prep season, finished third in the javelin with a PR of 43.46m (142-7) at the OSAA 6A State Championships.
ย
Throwers โ Men
The Bruins are loaded in the throwing department, having returned six from last season, including junior Nate Esparza and senior Dotun Ogundeji, who were both indoor USTFCCCA Indoor Second Team All-Americans in 2018.
ย
An All-American in shot put, Esparza is one of the top returning throwers on the men's side. He competed in five meets as a sophomore, all indoors, and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships where he took 12th with a throw of 18.79m (61-7.75).
ย
Another strong returner is Ogundeji, who was also a Second Team All-American in the shot put. He finished 13th at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a mark of 18.54m (60-10). The Bruins bring back two additional senior throwers in Kai Wong and Justin Stafford, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw and ultimately took 17th with a mark of 64.25m (210-9).
ย
Simon Litzell, another returner, took home the Pac-12 championship last season in the javelin, posting a collegiate-best mark of 74.46m (244-3). He earned USFTCCCA Second-Team All-American honors in the event for the second straight season, as he finished 14th at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 66.72m (218-11).
ย
Jacob Wilson, who redshirted last season, competed at the USATF Junior Championships, where he recorded a pair of top-five finishes in the shot put (fourth) and hammer throw (fifth). ย
ย
Pole Vaulters โ Women
UCLA's pole vaulters are led by a pair of seniors in Elleyse Garrett and Melissa Maneatis. In 2018, Garrett eclipsed four meters in all four meets she competed in and finished fourth at the MPSF Indoor Championships, while Maneatis finished 14th at the Pac-12 Championships with a mark of 3.67m (12-0.5).
ย
Pole Vaulters โ Men
The Bruins' lone returner is Michael Fancey, who cleared a season-best 4.75m (15-7) at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational. UCLA notched two strong newcomers in Kyle Brown, a transfer out of Yale, and freshman phenom Sondre Guttormsen. Brown posted a season-best effort of 4.65m (15-3) as a freshman at the Yale Season Opener, while Guttormsen, a graduate of Davis Senior High School, won the state championship in the pole vault when he cleared 17 feet, 10 inches โ a state-meet record. Guttormsen was also just the second athlete ever to break 18 feet in the pole vault indoors at the National Pole Vault Summit.
ย
Distance โ Women
During the 2018 cross country season, Erika Adler was the lone qualifier for the NCAA Championships. She was a NCAA All-West-Region honoree, finishing 14th at the West Regionals, as well as a Second-Team All-Pac-12 selection.
ย
Christina Rice, a top returner, qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries in the 10K and finished 14th in the 10K at the Pac-12 Championships with a time of 34:31.06. During the 2018 outdoor season, Rice posted the fourth-best mark in Bruin history in the 10K, tallying 34:14.42. Jackie Garner has also enjoyed success in the 10K. In 2017, she clocked a mark of 34:58.47 at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival, the ninth-best outdoor time in program history.
ย
Junior Cassandra Durgy holds the fifth-best indoor mile time (4:45.15) in program history, which she achieved at the MPSF Championships to take 22nd place.
ย
Distance โ Men
Headlining the male distance runners is Robert Brandt, who holds the sixth-best outdoor mark (29:02.14) in the 10K in school history. His Westwood debut also included an eighth-place finish in the 10K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as he finished in 29:13.12 to earn USTFCCCA All-America honors. Brandt also registered the third-best time in UCLA history in the 5000mย with a mark of 13:41.23 at the Mt. SAC Relays. UCLA's distance team is young, featuring five freshmen and four sophomores.
ย
Carter Blunt clocked the sixth-fastest mile time (4:02.89) in program history last season at the Husky Classic, while Arturo Sotomayor holds the 10th-fastest mile time (4:04.56) and eighth-fastest 800m time (1:49.60), both of which were achieved in 2017.
ย
Jumpers โ Women
Despite losing All-American triple jumper Jessie Maduka to graduation, the Bruins bring back Lillianna Hebert. At last season's Pac-12 Championships, Hebert finished fifth in the high jump (1.73m, 5-8) and 15th in the triple jump (11.57m, 37-11.5). During the indoor season, she took eighth at the MPSF Championships in the high jump, clearing 1.71m (5-7.25). UCLA is young in this department, as the Bruins welcome four freshmen and two transfers in Isa Videler (Missouri State) and Jazmin Moss (UC Santa Barbara).
ย
Jai Gruenwald, a native of Chandler, Ariz., was a four-time state champion in the long jump and is the Arizona state record holder in that event (20-6.75). In her final prep season, she was named the American Family Insurance All-USA Arizona High School Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year and Gatorade Arizona Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
ย
Jumpers โ Men
Junior standout Isaiah Holmes is one of the top-returning jumpers for the Bruins. As a freshman in 2017, Holmes mustered the seventh-best long jump in UCLA outdoor history, recording 7.90m (25-11) to take second at the Pac-12 Championships. In that same meet, he won the high jump with a mark of 2.12m (6-11.50). Last season, Holmes competed in in four indoor meets and won the high jump at the Don Kirby Elite meet with a tally of 2.12m (6-11.5).
ย
Idrees Bernard, a redshirt senior, finished fifth in the triple jump (14.82m; 48-7.5) at the MPSF Championships, while CJ Alumbres snagged second place in the triple jump at the Pac-12 Championships with a collegiate-best mark of 15.67m (51-5), which qualified him for regionals, where he took 19th place.
ย
Multi-Event โ Women
Redshirt junior Christina Chenault is UCLA's top returner as a multi-event athlete. Last season, she competed at the Pac-12 multis and took eighth place. Her effort included three top-five finishes (shot put, high jump, and 800m). She also competed in the high jump at the Pac-12 Championships, finishing ninth with a leap of 1.63m (5-4.25).
ย
Multi-Event โ Men
UCLA brings back Zack Bornstein, a senior out of Westlake Village, Calif. In 2016, he finished fifth in the decathlon at the Pac-12 Championships with a personal best of 7,289 points.
ย
Sean Lee, a 6-foot-7 freshman out of Trabuco Hills High School, won the state title in the high jump, flying 2.18m (7-7). He also set a meet record at the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Finals when he jumped 2.20m (7-2.5).
ย
Next Meet
UCLA will head to New York on Jan. 25-26 for the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge.
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Players Mentioned
Sprints
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Distance
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Jumps
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Jumps
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Throws
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Distance
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Multi
/ Track & Field
Distance
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Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Throws
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Multi
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Throws
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Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
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Throws
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
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Jumps/Hurdles
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Sprints
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Distance
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Sprints
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Distance
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Throws
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Multi
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Throws
/ Track & Field
Throws
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Throws
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