This weekend, the No. 12 UCLA men’s track and field team will send five athletes to compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championships at the University of Washington in Seattle.
With a total of eight Bruins already qualified to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships, UCLA will use the MPSF Indoor Championships to try to improve their qualifying marks.
Since the Pac-10 does not sponsor the indoor track and field season, UCLA competes as a member of the MPSF before switching to the Pac-10 for outdoor competition. After winning the MPSF conference title four years in a row from 2002-2005, UCLA finished third last season. This year it is not sending a full squad and therefore will not vie for the team title.
“We don’t want to overrun the men and tire them,” sprints and hurdles coach Tony Veney said. “We are not attempting to win the team title but MPSF has become a last chance to push to qualify for the (indoor) championships.”
The Bruins will send sophomore distance runner Laef Barnes, freshman hurdler Darius Reed, junior jumper Michael Johnson and senior pole vaulters David Murphy and Mike Landers to Seattle.
Last season, Landers finished third at the MPSF Indoor Championships by reaching a height of 17 feet, 1 inch. This season he is tied as the ninth-ranked pole vaulter in the nation and has already qualified provisionally for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships. He has already cleared 17-5 and said he is looking increase his height.
“This weekend I really want to jump at least 17-8 and a half. I feel I have been jumping that high this past month, it’s just the bar doesn’t want to stay on for me,” Landers said.
Landers also noted that while his 17-5 clearance is likely to earn him a spot in the NCAA Indoor Championships, it is not guaranteed. If he reaches his goal this weekend, he will secure a spot at nationals.
CRADDOCK TO COMPETE AMONG BEST: Indoor hurdler Kevin Craddock will not be joining his teammates at the MPSF Indoor Championships as he heads off to Boston to participate in the AT&T USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Running with a best time of 7.73 in the 60m hurdles, Craddock is currently ranked fourth in the NCAA. He will gain more experience as he is set to compete against the top 60m hurdlers in the nation.
“We wanted to give him an opportunity to compete against a high level of competition before the championships,” Veney said.
His opponents include Joel Brown, the 2005 60m indoor champion and a member of the U.S. track and field team. According to Veney, this race will allow Craddock to figure out any of his weaknesses in the 60m and fix them before the indoor championships in March.