W. track: Injury grounds top pole vaulter for several weeks

Jeff Eisenberg
Published: Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Chelsea Johnson, the defending outdoor national champion in the pole vault, strained a hamstring in practice this past week and will not compete for the next several weeks. The junior hopes to return on Feb. 25 for the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seattle. It is UCLA’s final indoor meet before the NCAA Indoor Championships, so Johnson will need to post a qualifying mark to be eligible. “That shouldn’t be a problem for her,” UCLA pole vault coach Anthony Curran said. Johnson, who broke the NCAA record with a 15-foot vault this past April, would be one of the favorites to win the indoor championship in March if she is able to compete.

SITTING OUT: Monique Henderson, a member of the U.S. Olympic 4x400m relay team this past August, will not participate in the indoor season for the second consecutive year. The senior sprinter enjoyed the best outdoor season of her career last spring, finishing second in the 400m at the NCAA Championships and fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials. “I had such a good season last year after not running indoors,” Henderson said. “I want to try to duplicate that success.”

NCAA QUALIFIERS: Junior Briona Reynolds led a trio of NCAA provisional qualifiers for UCLA at Saturday’s Husky Invitational in Seattle. Reynolds posted a 50-foot, 9-inch mark in the shot put to take first place in the event. Juniors Dawn Harper and Jackie Nguyen also earned provisional marks in the 60-meter hurdles and pole vault, respectively.