Men’s track and field coach Art Venegas to leave UCLA

UCLA men’s track and field coach Art Venegas, the team’s head coach of the last 10 years, will end his tenure with the program, Glenn Toth, senior associate athletic director and sport supervisor for the track and field program, announced on Thursday.

Until the university announced plans to drop Venegas, he had spent nearly his entire career with the Bruins. Aside from his head coaching duties of the past 10 years, Venegas coached the throwers for 18 years.

With the men’s track and field team not having scored a single point at the NCAA Championships in June, the university decided not to pursue a contract extension with Venegas.

Venegas and a number of his players have been unavailable for comment, but Toth said in a press release that Venegas declined an offer to stay on staff as the throws coach.

“We appreciate everything Art has done for the program during his 28 years as both an assistant and head coach,” Toth said in a press release. “But we felt a change in leadership was necessary for the program at this time.”

During his tenure as head coach, the Bruins won one Pac-10 Championship and two West Region team titles. Venegas, known as one of the nation’s top throws coaches, has led Bruin throwers to 11 NCAA individual championships as well as 78 All-America honors. Venegas himself was a Division II All-American in 1974.

No replacement has been announced yet.

Compiled by Farzad Mashhood, Bruin senior staff.

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