A far distance ahead of the pack, four teams head into this
weekend’s Pac-10 track and field championships with a clear
advantage over the rest.
USC, Stanford, UCLA and Oregon make up the diamond of
competition ““ with the host Trojans spearheading the pack
““ while the Cardinal and Bruins follow closely behind.
“This is the closest competition I’ve seen since
I’ve been at USC,” Trojan head coach Ron Allice said.
“Every team is very balanced and every event is a swing
event.”
Stanford will be looking to capture its third straight title
with strong representation in the long and middle distances. But
USC’s nation-leading jumping tandem of Allen Simms and Julien
Kapek, along with the All-American hurdler Ryan Wilson, give the
No. 3 Trojans an edge over the other teams. Oregon already has a
head start, securing 19 points in the decathlon competition, which
was held this past weekend.
The Bruins, however, will also make a push for the win after a
season of dominance in the throws, led by junior Dan Ames and
senior Scott Wiegand, and big contributions from the distance
runners.
“We’re focusing on our throwers and our middle
distance runners,” UCLA men’s head coach Art Venegas
said. “But you don’t win at this on paper, you win it
by perseverance, paying attention, and keeping healthy.”
Several matchups will be of high importance for the Bruins:
“¢bull; Long jump: After an upset win over Pac-10 leader Simms
at the USC/UCLA duel meet, Bruin junior Juane Armon will also have
to fend off both Simms and Kapek in the triple jump.
Stanford’s second seeded Milton Little will also be a
contender.
“¢bull; High jump: Freshman Ryan Hollins and senior Kevin Weaver
will go against Trojan Daweid Jawaorski. Both Bruin jumpers have
season bests of 7 feet, 0.25 inches while Jawaorski leads the
Pac-10 at 7-3.5.
“¢bull; Pole vault: After breaking the 18 foot barrier two weeks
ago, UCLA sophomore Yoo Kim will battle against his mentor/friend,
Washington senior Brad Walker, who is looking for his second
straight individual title.
“¢bull; 400-meter hurdles: The Trojans’ Wilson will
continue his season-long rivalry with Bruin senior Kyle Erickson.
Wilson won the event at the annual dual meet, but Erickson, who has
been recovering from injury all season, is looking to challenge the
three-time All American.
“¢bull; 800-meter run: Led by sophomore Ben Aragon, the distance
runners have been major contributors for the Bruins all season.
Aragon is currently the leading 800m runner in the conference,
followed by junior teammate Nick Thornton.
“¢bull; Mile: The distance team will face its biggest challenge
in the mile against Stanford’s Grant Robinson, who leads the
Pac-10.
“¢bull; 3,000-meter steeplechase: Oregon’s Brett Holts,
seeded first, will go against second seed Bruin sophomore Erik
Emilsson. The two distance runners hold a clear-cut advantage over
the rest of the field, with a nine second difference between them
and the rest of the pack.