In order to have a fighting chance for a conference title in
this weekend’s Pac-10 championship meet, everything must go
pretty close to perfect for the UCLA men’s track and field
team.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, they’ve already suffered a
setback, even before the trip started.
Last weekend’s injury to middle-distance runner Nick
Thorton leaves UCLA without the conference’s top-ranked
800-meter runner.
Now, the Bruins are forced to head into this weekend’s
championship meet at Arizona with even more pressure placed on the
backs of their team leaders.
“The team knows what this is like,” coach Art
Venegas said, referring to last season’s improbable win
against the heavily favored Trojans during the UCLA-USC dual meet.
“We really needed all the breaks at USC then, and we got the
win. This is similar. We have to perform.”
Each of the “Big Three” ““ thrower Dan Ames,
long jumper Juaune Armon and pole vaulter Yoo Kim ““ have
emerged at the forefront of the Bruin squad in the past year,
leading the team by example in their respective events. But in this
weekend’s meet, the co-captains will have to be at their peak
performance to lead UCLA to its first conference title in seven
years.
While Ames ““ a favorite in the shot put, discus and a
definite challenger in the hammer ““ has continued to dominate
other Pac-10 throwers, both Armon and Kim will be faced with
tougher competition.
Armon, who is attempting to defend his title, has been plagued
this outdoor season with injuries that have prevented him from
reaching the potential he showcased during the indoor
championships.
It wasn’t until the UCLA-USC dual meet two weeks ago that
he had his longest jump of the outdoor season (24 feet, 1 inch),
but he pulled out halfway through with an injury.
If Armon stays healthy this weekend, he easily could bring home
another individual win for the Bruins.
Meanwhile, Kim has shown semblances of last season’s
record-breaking performances but most likely will have to break the
18-foot mark again in order to challenge Oregon’s Tommy
Skipper.
So far this season he’s broken the 18-foot mark just once,
but pole vault coach Anthony Curran thinks that’s enough for
him.
“He’s had some really good jumps,” Curran
said. “I think he’s already ahead of where he was last
year because he’s been consistently hitting the 17-10 mark
and just starting to get to his peak now.”
Curran is expecting a lot from his vaulting crew, having entered
five athletes into the meet. Besides Kim, Pat Luke could also score
well with Mike Landers, Dave Murphy and Shane Hackett each looking
to contribute.
The Bruins will also be looking to score serious points in the
middle distances, even without Thorton. Ben Aragon and Jon Rankin,
who will each compete in the mile and the 800 meter, with Rankin
also coming into the 1500 meter with the third-best time in the
conference.
Plus, the newly improved sprinting core will have standout Craig
Everhart contending in the 200 meter and the 400 meter and freshman
Brandon Johnson in the 400 meter hurdles. Both Everhart and Johnson
have the potential for winning their respective events and should
be major contributors to the team score.
Still, even at their best the Bruins come in as underdogs.
Oregon already has a 25-point edge after last weekend’s
decathlon events, where UCLA’s Chris Staton managed a
seventh-place finish for two points. USC’s dominant sprinting
core always poses a challenge along with Stanford’s heralded
distance squad.
“But that’s why sports are exciting,” Venegas
said. “No guarantee on what’s going to
happen.”