If someone had told thrower Greg Garza that he was going to be a
Pac-10 champion, he might have laughed in disbelief. In fact, on
Sunday the sophomore still couldn’t fathom what he had
accomplished. Garza highlighted a banner weekend for Bruin throwers
at the Pac-10 Championships. On Sunday the redshirt sophomore
pulled off an improbable upset, defeating three of the
nation’s top six discus throwers to take home the title.
“I was really surprised ““ I did not expect to
win,” Garza said. “I was actually hoping that I could
score really high, maybe second or third. But to get first was a
total shocker.” The Bruins finished fifth overall at the
meet, scoring 97.50 points, many of which were scored by the
team’s throwers. Garza’s toss of 194 feet, 1 inch was a
seven-foot improvement over his previous best and was four feet
better than Arizona’s Adam Kuehl, who owns the nation’s
top mark in the event. Garza’s performance puts him among the
top discus throwers in the nation. “Once you start raising
the bar, there’s always some pressure,” Garza said.
“But now I know I can do it. I just have to train
consistently and relax.” On Saturday freshman thrower
Boldizsar Kocsor pulled off an upset of his own as he took home an
individual Pac-10 title. Kocsor threw yet another lifetime best of
219-1 in the hammer to win the competition over a talented field.
“I knew anything could happen,” Kocsor said. “I
don’t see myself as younger or inexperienced. I know
I’m in for a war every time I step on the field.” The
Bruins were well-represented in the shot put as well, taking three
of the seven top spots, led by Jeremy Silverman with a mark of
60-5.25.
SPRINTERS EXCEL: Freshman Kevin Craddock turned
some heads this weekend, taking second in the 110-meter hurdles to
Oregon star Eric Mitchum. “I had a solid race,”
Craddock said. “I was able to get it well and finish pretty
good.” Craddock’s time of 13.73 seconds set a new U.S.
under-18 national record and puts him as one of the nation’s
elite high hurdlers in only his first year. And Craddock has
accomplished all this while dealing with a slight leg injury.
“People are astounded when I tell them that Kevin isn’t
100 percent yet,” sprints coach Tony Veney said. “He
has done a good job of staying focused and dealing with the
pain.” Senior Craig Everhart took second in the 400m, tying
his season-best of 45.78.
NOTES: Redshirt junior Mike Landers tied his
all-time best of 17-8.50 to take second in the pole vault. …
Sophomore Dominque Easterling finished second in the triple jump
with a personal best of 52-1.25 and was followed closely by fellow
sophomore Michael Johnson in third, who jumped 51-7.75.