Like passing a baton, life can close chapters while opening new ones.
And after nine weeks, the Bruins are transitioning from the conclusion of one campaign to the start of another.

This post was updated March 3 at 2:55 p.m.
Midterms in the classroom test one’s ability to understand content up to that point.
Yet the Bruins faced a different type of test that may allow them to see what improvements must be made moving forward.

Every technical tweak and off-season training block has pointed toward this moment.
And the Bruins may showcase how months of refinement have solidified themselves as conference contenders.

UCLA track and field athletes typically spend the first quarter of their final collegiate season training at Drake Stadium.
But senior Shawn Toney spent it almost 6,000 miles away.

When the starting gun fired at the Tyson Invitational and Husky Classic, the line between collegiate and professional ranks all but disappeared.
UCLA track and field shared the track with world-class athletes and Olympic gold medalists over the weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Seattle, Washington, offering a benchmark to assess where the Bruins stand against elite competition before returning to the collegiate stage.

Every second matters in track and field.
A sharper lean at the finish line, a quicker reaction out of the starting blocks or a stronger drive off the curve – it all comes down to shaving time.

This post was updated Feb. 11 at 12:12 a.m.
Time is rarely an ally in life.
Moments pass – whether they are seized or not – and opportunities are often defined by how quickly they are met.