For the No. 3 UCLA men’s track and field team, the West Regional Championships is just another step to complete on the way to nationals.
With 31 qualifiers, the most of any team in the country, and 19 ranked in the top eight regionally, UCLA has high hopes that at the end of the meet there will be a large contingency of national qualifiers.
“We want to advance people, more so than scoring,” head coach Art Venegas said. “I want to see performances that get us to nationals. It’s going to be tough, though. We are a strong region.”
Even with so many participants, there is no guarantee on making it to nationals. First, an athlete must compete in regionals, with the top five in each event automatically qualifying. There are then at-large bids that an athlete could possibly be awarded if they finish in sixth through eighth place, depending on their spot on the national descending list.
Two groups that the coaches are highly optimistic about are the pole vaulters and the steeplechasers. Both have six athletes qualified for regionals, the most in any single event by any team in the country.
“I’m extremely impressed with the steeplechasers,” distance coach Eric Peterson said. “Having six guys qualify for the regional meet; our expectations are high, our hopes are high.”
Highlighting the steeplechasers will be senior Henry Hagenbuch, who comes into the meet ranked second in the region, as well as freshmen Dylan and Spencer Knight who, according to Peterson, “are some of the top freshmen steeplechasers in the country.”
In the pole vault, there are six Bruins ranked in the top eight, including redshirt junior Dustin DeLeo, ranked first, and redshirt freshman Johnny Quinn, tied for third.
“I would really like to see Dustin DeLeo and Johnny Quinn come back and get what they deserve,” pole vault coach Anthony Curran said. “Those guys aren’t seventh and twelfth in the Pac-10; those guys should come out on top. I’m looking forward to them making their comeback.”
As always, the men’s throw group will look to put up big marks. With two Pac-10 champions and six men qualified in the top eight in the three events, they are set to do just that. Pac-10 champions, redshirt senior Greg Garza and redshirt junior Boldizsar Kocsor, come into the meet ranked second in the discus and first in the hammer, respectively.
Also in the throws, redshirt senior John Caulfield, ranked fifth in the shot put and sixth in the discus, and sophomore Darius Savage, ranked sixth in the shot put and seventh in the discus, will both look to put up big numbers to ensure their spot at nationals.
More Bruins poised to do well are Pac-10 champion, junior Kevin Craddock, who comes into the meet ranked first in the 110 meters high hurdles; freshman Cory Primm, third in the 800m; junior Laef Barnes, fifth in the 1500m; freshman Taylor Hobson, tied for fifth in the high jump and freshman Jonathan Clark, second in the triple jump.
With so many Bruins on the cusp of making it to nationals, Venegas is pleased with the team but knows there is still one more, and the biggest, meet to come.
“Those numbers (of qualifiers) are wonderful. It indicates dedication by the staff and the athletes,” Venegas said. “At this meet, I want people to stay healthy. I just want them going to nationals and having their best performance possible.”