Even though it was not in the cards for sophomore Kevin Craddock to win the 110-meter hurdles on Saturday in the USC-UCLA dual meet, he viewed the results in a positive light.
Craddock finished third behind the Trojans’ Logan Taylor and Kai Kelley. From first glance, Craddock and Kelley seemed to finish tied, but after a closer look, it was confirmed that Kelley crossed the line at 13.751 and Craddock finished at 13.758, setting a season-best record.
“I probably needed to lose so that I don’t lose further down in the road,” Craddock said. “Lose now so you don’t lose later.”
If last season is any indication of what Craddock is capable of further down the road, then he has much faster finishes ahead of him. Last year, Craddock finished second at the USC-UCLA dual meet and also set a season best. Two weeks later, he went on to set a lifetime best at the Pac-10 Championships.
“Last year, I came back at Pac-10s and the ‘SC dude was way behind me,” Craddock said. “Just looking at it this year, I just have to keep on that same track and get two more weeks of hard training in and we will see where (that) leaves me.”
Perhaps the most important thing for Craddock is that he made it through the race without any health concerns. Earlier this season, he missed about a month of training because of illness and food poisoning.
“I thank God that I made it through the race with no issues,” he said. “I just see everything looking up for me. I’m going to use this loss to my advantage.”
Craddock was not the only hurdler to set a personal best in the 110-meter hurdles. Right behind Craddock, finishing fourth, was Bruin freshman Darius Reed. Reed set a lifetime best of 13.97 seconds. He described his first dual meet against USC as bittersweet because his lifetime best was not enough to earn points for the Bruins. Reed said he knows where he needs to improve before he races again at the Pac-10 Championships.
“I would say that the middle of my race kind of hurt me,” Reed said. “My start was good and the last three or four hurdles ““ it was just the middle two.”
SMITH SURPRISES: Freshman sprinter Brandon Smith had a breakout weekend at the dual meet. Before racing in the 100 meters, Smith had the fourth fastest time of the competition, so when he set a season-best time of 10.69, en route to second place, he earned a few unexpected points for the Bruins.
“I think I surprised a lot of people and I think I surprised myself,” Smith said. “I knew I was going to run better than what I had been running. When I look at my race now and actually go through it, I think I could have run faster.”
Smith also finished third in the 200 meters while freshman Stan Griffin finished second for the Bruins. According to Smith, his season is shaping up well after his big weekend. He cannot wait for the Pac-10 Championships, as he always has an extra incentive to run faster when competing against the Trojans.
“Something about ‘SC fires me up and I had to do something about it,” Smith said. “I just have a pure hatred against ‘SC, so it motivates me.”