Men backed by 30 years of home wins

Last year the UCLA men’s track and field team failed to contribute points in the annual Lexus Gauntlet contest against crosstown rival USC.

Falling 84-79 to the Trojans was difficult for the Bruins to absorb, and this year they plan to turn things around.

“You overlook things in your life and get used to repetition and don’t pay attention to the details, and that’s where you fall short,” redshirt senior Austin Ramos said. “We made the mistake last year, and we will pay attention to the details this year and give it all we have. If we lose I’ll be shocked.”

Last year Ramos won the 1500 meters and the Bruins swept the 5000m, steeplechase, and discus, but were unable to get enough points in the sprints to make up the difference.

This Friday and Saturday at the annual UCLA-USC dual meet, the No. 7 Bruins will look to defend their 30-year home winning streak at Drake Stadium as they host the visiting No. 10 Trojans. UCLA has not lost to USC at home since 1977.

The meet begins Friday at 3 p.m. with only the hammer throw. Saturday’s action will start at 11 a.m. and will be televised on FSN Prime Ticket.

The meet has always been great for the sport, and with the added rivalry things are bound to heat up on the track.

During a luncheon on campus Wednesday afternoon, there were things said between teams to fire up each team, showing that both sides is already pumped up for the weekend.

“It is definitely a pressure-filled week,” coach Art Venegas said. “One of the things that impresses me about the meet has been the fact that for the last few years it has gone down to the last couple of events.”

One of those events, and the one that Venegas has referred to as “the great matchup of the meet” will be the 110m high hurdles, featuring junior Kevin Craddock facing USC senior Kai Kelley.

“Getting a P.R. is always great,” said Craddock, referring to a personal record. “But at this meet it’s all about getting to that (finish) line first.”

In terms of throwing teams, the Bruins have one of the strongest groups in the nation. Led by All-American redshirt seniors John Caulfield and Greg Garza, the squad will look to gain as many points as they can in these events and will be joined by redshirt junior Boldizsar Kocsor. All three throwers rank in the top 10 nationally.

Garza is feeling confident about success this weekend.

“It’s a good chance to P.R. and have a good time and compete against people one-on-one for bragging rights,” Garza said. “For the discus, we basically have each other to compete against.”

In the pole vault, junior Dustin DeLeo, the No. 2 vaulter in the nation at 18 feet, 1 inch, will head a group of talented vaulters into the meet.

Highlighting the distance squad will be Ramos and junior Laef Barnes. Ramos will run in the 5000m and Barnes will run in the 1500m.

Like everyone associated with both programs, Barnes is very excited about this chance to compete and bring home a victory for the Bruins.

“This is my first season where I have made an impact on the team and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Barnes said. “I know I can expect (the best) from every single one of my teammates. I’ll look forward to it, and let’s do it.”

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