The men’s and women’s track teams finished solidly at the Pac-10 Championships in Tempe, Ariz., this weekend.
The men used excellent performances from Kevin Craddock, Greg Garza and Boldizsar Kocsor to claim a third-place overall finish. The Bruins finished 36.5 points behind champion Oregon.
Coach Jeanette Bolden rested some of the women’s team’s top athletes, including Nicole Leach and Rhonda Watkins, but the women’s team was still able to finish in fifth place.
Senior pole vaulter Ingrid Kantola starred for the women’s team, clearing a career-best mark of 14 feet, 1.75 inches to win the Pac-10 title.
“I am extremely proud of my team,” Bolden told UCLABruins.com. “They performed above my expectations this weekend. … It sets us up very well for regionals and nationals.”
Sophomore distance runner Krishna Curry had a stellar weekend, too: She set a personal-record mark of 2:05.46 and finished fourth in the 800 meters.
The Arizona State women’s team dominated on its own track, finishing first with a score of 186.5 points.
Garza, Craddock and Kocsor all won Pac-10 titles for the UCLA men’s team.
Garza beat out California’s Martin Maric on his very last attempt to win a third straight Pac-10 title in the discus. That final throw of 195-0 made Garza one of only three throwers to ever win three straight conference titles.
“All I can say is that was awesome,” Garza told UCLABruins.com. “Last year I won it on my last throw, and this year I had to do it again. I had a great throw, and it just blows my mind that I had to do it on the last throw for two straight years.”
Kocsor set a UCLA record with his hammer throw of 224-10. Craddock won the hurdles title with a time of 13.58.
“They were ready and knew what it took to be champions because all three of them have been on the top spot before,” men’s coach Art Venegas told UCLABruins.com. “They dug in when they needed to and took care of business.”
With the conference season over, both teams will now turn their attention to the NCAA regionals, which take place May 30 in Northridge.