CdM’s star runner Buckley commits to UCLA Bruins

Corona del Mar High senior Shelby Buckley, a standout distance runner, has committed to compete in cross country and track and field at UCLA, she said Wednesday.

Buckley, who said she will receive 75% of a scholarship, had narrowed down her choices to Michigan, Washington, USC and UCLA before the fall season began. She then was deciding between the Bruins and USC for over the past month.

She committed to UCLA on Tuesday, saying, “UCLA just felt more like me.”

Buckley, who transferred from Rosary as a sophomore, will leave CdM having achieved great success. She was a part of two state titles in cross country, as well as three CIF Southern Section Division III championship teams and two CIF section crowns in track and field.

In cross country, she won the CIF Southern Section Division III individual title back in November in 17 minutes, 51 seconds. She finished third at the state meet in 18:25.

In track and field, Buckley captured CIF Southern Section Division III and Masters titles in the 1,600 meters as a junior. She set a record in the Division III 1,600 with a time of 4:48.69, nearly four seconds (4:52.38) quicker than the previous record that had stood for 17 years. She also won the 800.

— From staff reports