The UCLA men’s track and field team took a big hit this
week when it was discovered that hurdler Brandon Johnson would be
held out of competition for anywhere from four to eight weeks with
a hamstring pull. The junior All-American injured himself during
last weekend’s Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Invitational at Drake Stadium during the 4×400-meter relay. The
Bruins were in clear command of the race going into the last leg of
the relay with Johnson. However, nearly 50 meters into his leg,
Johnson pulled up in pain and fell to the track. Though the injury
at first seemed that it could potentially be more serious,
Johnson’s hamstring has responded well to treatment.
“It looked like it could have been much worse,” sprints
coach Tony Veney said. “The emotion from Brandon was more out
of frustration than of pain because at that point, you think that
your season could be coming to an end.” The ramifications
from this injury for Johnson and the men’s team are
substantial. While the Bruins will have no significant competitions
in the next two weeks, the annual dual meet with USC is set for
April 29 and without Johnson, the team will face an uphill battle
when the Trojans come to Westwood. “We were already a slight
underdog when we had Brandon,” coach Art Venegas said.
“We went from potentially winning the 4x400m relay and
definitely winning the 400m hurdles, and now it is much more up in
the air.” Further down the road are the Pac-10 Championships
in Eugene, Ore. The coaches are hopeful that Johnson will not only
be able to compete, but also be in good enough form to defend his
400m hurdle title. “Brandon is a very tough kid. He would
race right now if we told him to, and he would run until the wheels
fell off,” Veney said. “But I have been around long
enough to know that a hamstring injury is not going to allow anyone
to compete at a high level and also to be comfortable in just a few
weeks.” Johnson’s injury leaves a hole in the Bruins
4x400m relay team, which will have to be filled by underclassmen.
This weekend, the Bruins will be sending three sprinters to Tempe,
Ariz., to compete at the Sun Angel Classic where Veney plans to
begin playing with his relay lineup to try and fill the void left
by Johnson as best he can.
RAMOS TO COMPETE: While the Bruins lose Johnson
for an extended period of time, the team will gain an important
member just in time for the USC dual meet. Redshirt sophomore
Austin Ramos, who was set to compete the season this weekend at the
Mt. SAC Relays, will instead open up his season on April 29 against
the Trojans, according to distance coach Eric Peterson. Ramos, an
All-American this past season in cross country, has been suffering
from nagging leg pain and has just recently been able to begin
practicing near full strength.
SPLITTING UP: A number of Bruins will be
competing at three different meets this weekend. Most notably,
senior Craig Everhart and freshman Kevin Craddock will be competing
in Tempe, while redshirt junior Mike Landers will lead the
polevaulters at the Long Beach Invitational. The bulk of the team
will be at the Mt. SAC Relays in Diamond Bar, which will feature
distance runners Martell Munguia and Erik Emilsson as well as
throwers John Caulfield, Jeremy Silverman and Jake Knight.