Walking off the track in Fayetteville, Ark., last March after a
disappointing 12th place finish in the distance medley relay,
UCLA’s Craig Everhart, Ben Aragon and Jon Rankin vowed to
make amends this season. One year later, the trio did exactly that.
Everhart, Aragon and Rankin, along with Martel Munguia, exorcised
their demons from a year ago, capturing second place in the
distance medley relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday
night. “Rarely do you get a second chance at anything and
this weekend these four men showed how it should be done,”
distance coach Eric Peterson said. “They got that shot again
this year and went out there and proved a very different
outcome.” At first, it looked like it might have been more
disappointment for the Bruins after Aragon slipped to fifth place
in the 800-meter portion by the time he made the handoff to
Everhart. But a blistering 45-second split in the 400-meter leg by
Everhart propelled the Bruins from fifth to first place. UCLA
finished third with an overall time of 9:33.60, the second fastest
time in the school’s history, but because the original winner
Arkansas was disqualified, the Bruins moved up a spot behind
Michigan. “Most people would have probably picked us to
finish fifth or sixth, but we felt we were stronger than
that,” Peterson said. “You don’t go in thinking
you’re the favorite. But at the same time, I didn’t
think there was one team that should absolutely beat us.” The
Bruin medley team entered the weekend ranked No. 7, although for
the first three weeks of the season its 9:35.45 time was the best
in the nation. But by holding strong with the elite indoor teams
and improving their time by almost two seconds, the four gained
more than an All-American title. “Second place can really
change a lot in a young athlete,” Peterson said. “They
go from wondering if they are good enough, hoping they are good
enough, to now knowing they are good enough. That is the
progression of any athlete.”
EVERHART EXCELS: After falling short of making the finals in the
400 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last June, Everhart
got a measure of redemption this weekend. Upon advancing out of the
prelims, the junior sprinter earned his second All-American honor
of the weekend, finishing eighth in 46.68 seconds. “It was a
good run for Craig,” UCLA sprints coach Tony Veney said.
“It was his first ever NCAA Championship final and he is now
a double All-American. It’s so hard to score in this meet
because there are some of the finest runners in the world
competing.” Florida’s Kerron Clement won the race,
setting a new indoor world record of 44.57 seconds. By finishing
eighth, Everhart was able to earn one point for the Bruins,
bringing the team’s weekend total count to nine. “Last
year I didn’t make any NCAA final and it felt great to have a
spot on that podium today,” he said. “I’m excited
for the outdoor season and know I will be training incredibly hard
to make it back to more NCAA finals.”
SUBPAR DAY: The Bruins’ success on the track did not
translate onto the field this weekend, with one of the
nation’s best pole vaulters falling decisively short. Senior
Yoo Kim finished in a disappointing tenth-place tie, only clearing
17-feet-4.5, a foot shorter than his personal best. Kim entered the
meet ranked No. 2 in the nation behind the eventual winner Tommy
Skipper from Oregon, but failed to clear his second height at
17-8.5. “It just wasn’t his day,” pole vault
coach Anthony Curran said.