To win its first Pac-10 title in seven years last May, the UCLA
men’s track and field team had to be close to perfect. The
Bruins needed to be close to perfect again to defend that title on
Sunday at Drake Stadium, but the they couldn’t quite
recapture the magic. On their home track, in front of 4,586
hometown fans, UCLA fell short of its goal of defending its Pac-10
Championship, finishing second behind resurgent Oregon who finished
with 152 total points. Though the Bruins scored 134.50 points and
scored in almost every event in which they were expected to, Oregon
was simply better. “They came loaded with talent,” UCLA
coach Art Venegas said. “Except for (the pole vault) they
didn’t have any bad experiences. That team was not only
hungry, but they also have the depth and the talent. “We
cannot score 150 points with this team. There was no way to win it.
I love where this team is at. We didn’t collapse, we
didn’t have a bad meet, the Ducks were just better.”
The Bruins were indeed successful this weekend with conference
titles in three events ““ the pole vault, 1500 meters and the
intermediate hurdles. Saturday in the pole vault, senior Yoo Kim
was able to take advantage of the plight of defending national
champion Tommy Skipper from Oregon. Skipper, the favorite coming
into the competition, failed to clear his opening height which
allowed Kim to take home his first ever title after finishing
second for the past three years with a season best mark of 17 feet,
9 inches. Then Sunday, senior Jon Rankin continued his tremendous
season with another win 1500m, dominating the field with a
53-second final lap to finish in 3:44.61. But what may be the most
heroic performance came from hurdler Brandon Johnson, who competed
in three events on Sunday, finishing fifth in the 400m and
defending his title in the 400m hurdles. Johnson, whose heart rate
skyrocketed after the 400m and was thought to need an IV, did not
have enough time to receive medical attention before the hurdles.
Then after running 49.34 seconds in the hurdles, Johnson was
immediately taken to the trainer, where he was given a bag and half
of fluids. He then went on to help the Bruins to a season best time
in the relay of 3:04.11. “It was a very rough day,”
Johnson said. “Running the 400m, I knew it was going to take
a lot of me. “(Running the relay) was just more of a pride
thing. If I was going double with the 400 and the hurdles, I should
have finished with the 4×400. Even though my body said no, I had to
do it anyway.” While Johnson, Rankin, and Kim helped UCLA
stay in contention, Oregon was simply the deeper and stronger team.
Eric Mitchum won the high hurdles in a conference-leading 13.59
seconds. Leonidas Watson took second place in the triple jump
behind USC’s Allen Simms. And Kedar Inico gave a surprising
performance, winning the 400m in 45.61 seconds. But it was Oregon
freshman Galen Rupp, who already took second place in the 10,000
meters on Saturday, who clinched the meet for the Ducks. After UCLA
managed just two points in the discus, Rupp took fourth in the
5000m, securing the victory before the last event, the 4×400-meter
relay. “It’s disappointing to lose, especially to get
beat at home, it’s a hard pill to swallow,” said Tony
Veney, UCLA sprints coach. “But Oregon had the meet we had at
last year’s Pac-10 meet when we were hitting it on all
cylinders. They came in here and did exactly what we did last year,
and they have to be commended for it.”
NOTE: Paramedics had to be called to Drake Stadium on Saturday
afternoon when an elderly man began bleeding profusely in the
stands. The man was taken to the UCLA Medical Center and released
later that night.