UCLA, Arkansas take titles

AUSTIN, Texas — The UCLA women ended their long string of near misses with their first NCAA outdoor track and field title since 1983 Saturday night, and Arkansas repeated as men’s champion while two area athletes earned All-American honors.

Washington State senior Curt Borland placed sixth in the men’s javelin with a lifetime-best effort of 238 feet, 11 inches, earning his first All-American honor.

Borland’s top distance came on his first of six attempts. The mark ranks No. 6 in school history.

Borland (Cowiche, Wash.) was the lone Pacific-10 Conference athlete in the top eight.

Idaho junior Jereme Richardson earned All-American status by placing ninth with a personal-best 7,548 points in the decathlon.

Richardson began the day in 11th place, but he climbed two spots while setting personal records of 15-1 in the pole vault and 176-2 in the javelin.

Richardson finished eighth in the 1,500 meters (4 minutes, 37.18 seconds) and 110 hurdles (14.67); tied for eighth in the pole vault; took 11th in the javelin; and settled for 20th in the discus (122-0).

The top eight Americans in the event were awarded All-American honors.

Ryan Harlan of Rice won the decathlon with 8,171 points, a personal best and highest winning score at the NCAAs since 1999.

Robert Chesaret of Arizona, second in the 10,000, won the 5,000 in 13:49.85. Boise State sophomore Forest Braden (Bonners Ferry) did not finish in the event.

In the team race, the Bruins edged defending champion LSU by one point in a controversial final night of competition at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

A disqualification of LSU’s Stephanie Durst in the 200-meter run ended up costing the Tigers the title. LSU won the final event, the 1,600 relay, with UCLA finishing fourth. That left the Bruins with 69 points to LSU’s 68. Nebraska was third with 58 and Texas fourth with 42.

In an odd twist, UCLA can thank LSU for the title. The Tigers’ protest led to the disqualification of Texas in the 400 relay preliminaries, which allowed UCLA to make it to the finals. The Bruins went on to finish second to LSU in Friday’s 400 relay finals.

UCLA had finished second in the NCAA meet eight times since 1989, five times in coach Jeanette Bolden’s 11 seasons as head coach. The Bruins, led by Sheena Johnson’s impressive triumph in the 400 hurdles, won their fourth national championship of 2004, adding the track title to championships in women’s gymnastics, women’s golf and softball.

The Arkansas men scored 65 points to win their 11th outdoor title and 39th national championship in either indoor track, outdoor track or cross country under coach John McDonnell.

The Razorbacks picked up a win from freshman Wallace Spearman in the 200 and from senior Chris Mulvaney in the 1,500 Saturday.

Spearman became the first Arkansas runner to win the 200 in NCAA meet history, one day after teammate Tyson Gay became the first to win the 100 for a school long known for its distance-running prowess, not its sprints.

Johnson gave the UCLA women their lone individual victory of the day’s competition, winning the 400 hurdles in 53.54, fastest in the world this year and No. 2 in collegiate history.

She said she was motivated by all the attention placed on teams such as Texas, LSU and others from the track-conscious Southeastern Conference.

“A lot of people talk about Texas, South Carolina, the SEC,” Johnson said. “They don’t know we can run out on the West Coast, too.”

Durst was second to LaShaunte Moore of Arkansas in the women’s 200, but was disqualified for running inside her lane. LSU appealed the ruling but was denied. That moved LSU’s Muna Lee up to second, but cost the Tigers six points in the team race. LSU trailed UCLA by six points going into the 1,600 relay.

The Englishman Mulvaney, a three-time runner-up in the event outdoors, was the 2002 NCAA indoor champion at 1,500 but finished ninth at the indoors this year.

“After finishing second the last three years, if I was ever going to get it this was my last chance, my last race in an Arkansas jersey,” he said. “I let the team down a lot indoors, cost us the national championship. Here I had to try and make amends.”

Dee Dee Trotter of Tennessee came from behind in the final 50 meters to upset the reigning U.S. champion Richards of Texas in the women’s 400.

Trotter, a junior, won in 50.32. Monique Henderson of UCLA also ran down Richards at the finish to take second at 50.62. Richards, the defending NCAA champion, was third in 50.68.

The 19-year-old Richards, considered one of the rising young stars of the sport and a safe bet to make the U.S. Olympic team, led through most of the race but couldn’t keep up the pace down the stretch in a stunning loss on her home track.

“I thought I was out of the race,” Trotter said. “I made my move at 200 meters, kept moving and finished with all I had.”

Neisha Bernard-Thomas kept LSU in the team race by winning the 800 in 2:02.86.

Three freshmen won titles — Florida’s Kerron Clement in the 400 hurdles at 49.05, Tommy Skipper of Oregon in the pole vault at 18-8 1/4 and Andra Manson of Texas in men’s high jump at 7-7 1/4 .

Candice Scott of Florida repeated as women’s hammer champion with a throw of 225-10. She already had clinched the victory when she unleashed her best throw on her sixth and final attempt.

Jessica Cosby of UCLA finished second at 219-5. Teammate Cari Soong was fifth at 211-3.