Coach Art Venegas has witnessed an up-and-down season up to this
point.
While the men’s track team has been saddled with untimely
injuries, those who have been healthy have shined during
competition, putting up national-ranking marks as well as winning a
thrilling meet against USC just two weeks ago. Despite these
setbacks, this team looks primed for a postseason run.
This weekend, the Bruins will travel north to the Pac-10
Championships in Eugene, Ore., in hopes of starting their
postseason with a bang. While USC and host school Oregon are the
favorites, Venegas sees this year’s conference meet as the
most balanced it has been in years.
“There is so much talent with each team this year,”
Venegas said. “The top teams might only score in the 110s and
the very worst teams are probably still going to score around 60 or
70. If we do everything we need to, we will be right up there
competing for a top three or four spot.”
Though the sprinting squad takes a big step backward with the
absence of junior hurdler Brandon Johnson, the Bruins’
strengths this weekend will lie in the jumps and throws.
“We know that we have a lot of upside,” senior
Jeremy Silverman said of the throwers. “We can score a lot of
points and do a lot of damage. We’ve got four good guys who
can all score in different throws.”
UCLA will rely heavily on the field events as Venegas has opted
to have no entries in the 100m, 200m or 4x100m relay and only one
entrant in each hurdle race. Nevertheless, senior Craig Everhart
will look to carry the load on the track as he seeks his first 400m
Pac-10 title.
“Craig is sharp and feeling pretty good,” sprints
coach Tony Veney said. “He has had good practices and has not
had any nicks or dings, so he looks good to go.”
And while the Bruins will be looking to finish in the thick of
the conference standings, Venegas comes into this weekend’s
meet with the mind-set that the Pac-10 Championships are not the
end of the season.
“We’re not going to go all-out for this meet,”
Venegas said. “If we pull out all the stops, then we
won’t be able to compete at a high level at regionals and
NCAAs. We want to do well, but not at the expense of the rest of
the postseason.”
However, those who will be competing know that this meet will
serve as a spring board for the rest of their season.
“You always try and get up for Pac-10s,” Silverman
said. “After the USC meet, we have definitely come together
and we’re going to use that momentum this weekend and for the
rest of the year.”