Despite being on opposite ends of the country, the results were of a similar nature for the UCLA men’s track and field team.
The Bruins were represented in two different time zones over the weekend and relied on remarkable performances from both new and returning athletes to get some winning results in the midst of a short indoor season that winds down almost as soon as it begins.
The majority of the team spent the weekend in Albuquerque, N.M., at the New Mexico Classic, while redshirt juniors and twin brothers Scott and Casey DiCesare traveled to their home state of New York to compete in the pole vault at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational.
Freshman thrower Alec Faldermeyer stepped up in his first-ever collegiate competition, placing first in the indoor weight throw and achieving the Bruins’ first NCAA Provisional qualifier mark of the season.
“It was an excellent showing for our first meet,” coach Mike Maynard said.
“It was Alec’s first collegiate throw, and to have a top 10 performance his first time out is pretty big.”
The Bruins also got big performances from senior jumper Jonathan Clark, who won the triple jump, and redshirt senior pole vaulter Greg Woepse, who placed second overall in the pole vault. Both earned NCAA provisional qualifying spots on Saturday as well.
“It was a good first meet, but there’s a lot of room for improvement, and a lot of things technically I could touch up,” Woepse said. “It wasn’t my best day jumping, but the result was pretty decent.”
Other highlights for UCLA came from the sprints group, which saw its first action of the season over the weekend. Sophomore Maxwell Dyce and junior Karlton Rolle started the season strong. Both sprinters ran lifetime bests on Friday in the 200 meters, and finished in first and second in the event with times of 21.41 and 21.48 seconds, respectively.
Sophomore sprinter Randall Carroll ran the 200m, but did not complete the race due to a cramp, according to Maynard.
“With Carroll, Dyce and Rolle, I think we’ve got some great depth and potential in the sprints,” Maynard said.
The team returns to the University of Washington for the second time this season next weekend for the Husky Classic.
“It’s a fun place to jump,” Woepse said. “It’s a fast runway, and there’s good competition, so it should be a good meet.”