Junior shot putter John Caulfield is already in Fayetteville, Ark., getting ready to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships for the No. 20 UCLA men’s track and field team.
Even though he will not compete until Saturday afternoon, he left early Wednesday morning so he could fully prepare to participate in the conclusion of the indoor track season.
Caulfield is currently the No. 11 shot putter in the nation but has been predicted to finish eighth by Trackwire’s Dandy Dozen.
His best mark this season is 62 feet, 5 inches, which he threw last month in Flagstaff, Ariz. That mark was good enough to earn him a spot in the nationals.
Caulfield has already faced several of his indoor championship opponents this season. According to coach Art Venegas, the Pac-10 and the West Coast in general have some of the strongest shot putters at the moment.
Caulfield will face competition from Arizona State, USC and Arizona. Because of his familiarity of his opponents, he is confident in his ability to finish higher than eighth.
“I’ve had two meets against some of the top five guys so far and know I can beat these guys,” Caulfield said. “For me, it’s not really competing against them. If I do what I know that I’m capable of, I know that I will come away winning it.”
This is the second year in a row that Caulfield will compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships. Last year he finished solidly in 11th place, but this season he plans on raising his expectations.
“I learned a lot from last year,” Caulfield said. “(I learned) how to train for it and how to prepare for it. I think it was a good experience, but I definitely didn’t do as well as I wanted last year. Now I know what to expect.”
If Caulfield places in one of the top nine spots among American competitors, he has the chance to garner an All-American honor for the first time in his career.
Kevin Craddock, a redshirt freshman in indoor competition, was originally scheduled to join Caulfield in the indoor championships and participate in the 60m hurdles, but he opted out of the event due to illness.
Craddock is ranked fourth in the nation in the 60m hurdles with his best time coming in at 7.73 seconds. He was projected to finish second at nationals, but fell ill last week and has not fully recovered.
Craddock, the coaching staff and the trainers decided that he should not make the trip to Arkansas.
However, Venegas did note that Craddock’s illness should not stop him from competing in the outdoor season.
“We always pay attention to the professionals and their evaluation, but it’s too bad because (Craddock) is in such great shape,” Venegas said.