With the end of the indoor season, the UCLA track and field program can add nine All-America honors to its list of accomplishments.
This past weekend at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., the men’s team finished 14th with 13.50 points. Eight Bruins earned All-America honors, and the only woman competitor for UCLA tied for eighth to become an All-American.
“A lot of people came in unranked,” men’s head coach Art Venegas said. “We came back with a majority of those athletes surpassing those rankings.”
On the first day of competition, all seven athletes made the top eight in their events to make the All-America cut.
Redshirt senior John Caulfield led the way with a fourth-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 62 feet, 2.25 inches. It was his first time as an All-American after failing to qualify last year when he was the only Bruin at nationals.
Sophomore Darius Savage placed sixth after tossing two lifetime bests, one on his first throw and the second coming on his last. Savage ended up with his new best mark of 61-0.25.
“(Savage) trusted himself and his technique,” Venegas said. “He was one of the athletes that made us proud.”
In the pole vault, redshirt junior Dustin DeLeo tied for seventh after reaching a height of 17-4.50.
“It was a phenomenal day, and the Bruins were on fire,” pole vault coach Anthony Curran said. “Our game plan was to get into the top eight and do as well as we could.”
DeLeo did just that on his way to his first All-America honor.
Finishing off the strong first day was the distance medley relay team, which ran a time of 9:35.74 en route to a seventh-place finish. Sophomore Marlon Patterson, junior Elijah Wells, freshman Cory Primm, and senior Laef Barnes earned All-America honors for their performance. Barnes was one of the few athletes who ran a sub-four-minute mile to finish the relay.
After day one of competition the Bruin men were in fifth place.
With only two athletes competing Saturday, the team fell in the standings to 14th, but the individuals fought hard.
Redshirt junior Boldizsar Kocsor was the last man to become an All-American for UCLA by finishing seventh in the weight throw with a lifetime best of 70-1.50.
Redshirt senior Austin Ramos finished 15th in the 3000 meters, but was hampered by a stress reaction in his leg that he has had for the past month and a half. Ramos recently came out of a walking boot and tried to get ready for nationals.
Despite this slight setback, Ramos and the rest of the men look to continue their strong performances in the outdoor season.
“The most important thing (from this weekend) is that I hope it gives the guys motivation for the rest of the season,” Venegas said.
Although she was the only woman wearing UCLA lettering across her chest, freshman Tori Anthony was not feeling out of place in Arkansas.
“It was different being alone, but I am used to competing by myself, like in high school,” Anthony said. “I now know I can jump with the other girls.”
Anthony placed eighth in the pole vault to earn her first All-America honors after only a few months competing at the college level. She cleared a height of 13-5.25, extending UCLA’s streak of placing women All-Americans in the pole vault to three straight years.
“Tori was so mature today,” Curran said. “She was awesome and consistent. It was her best meet of the season.”
NORTHRIDGE RELAYS: A small group of athletes made the short trip to Northridge to participate in the Northridge Relays on Friday and Saturday. Four women won their respective events in the jumps and throws.
Sophomore Danielle Watson won the long jump with a mark of 19 feet, 4.26 inches. Senior Allie Miller reached a height of 5-7 to win the high jump. Freshman Catherine White placed first in the discus and senior Mary Hanley won the weight throw with throws of 42-4.25 and 150-2, respectively.
On the men’s side, freshman Jonathan Clark highlighted the meet with a first-place finish in the triple jump with 47-11.25.