The second time was the charm.
After UCLA track and field’s first meet in Drake Stadium this year resulted in a loss to Washington State University for the men’s and women’s teams on March 22, UCLA took advantage of playing on its home turf the second time around, defeating both the men’s and women’s teams of Texas Christian University and Brigham Young University Saturday in the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational.
The Bruins took care of business this time by winning their first meet on their newly built track.
The Bruins had a multitude of standout performances in their winning effort. Most notable from the women’s team was junior runner and long jumper Kylie Price. The All-American won three events on Saturday that included the long jump, 200 meters and 100m.
“My confidence has gotten higher after today, as all of my marks today were a big improvement than that of the last few weeks,” Price said. “I’m going to take these performances with me, build on them, and get ready for the upcoming weeks.”
Redshirt sophomore thrower Nicholas Scarvelis put on a show for the men’s team as he continued his dominant season performance with another first-place victory this Saturday. Scarvelis currently leads the Pac-12 in the men’s shot put.
Scarvelis also contributed in the men’s discus, placing third and allowing the Bruins to sweep the event behind redshirt senior throwers Julian Wruck and Matthew Kosecki.
“I did well in the shot put and I did very well on the day, but I expect bigger things in the future,” Scarvelis said.
The Bruins dominated other events, showcasing the potential of the team when it is on its best game.
In the women’s javelin, the Bruins crushed the competition by taking the top five spots in the event. Freshman javelin thrower Zaybree Haury led the way for the Bruins in the event, and is currently No. 6 in the javelin in the Pac-12.
In the 100m hurdles, the women took first and second with strong performances from sophomore runner Trinity Wilson and junior runner Brea Buchanan. Both are ranked in the top five in the Pac-12 in the 100m hurdles.
Senior vaulter Mike Woepse and junior vaulter Mark Sakioka placed first and second in the pole vault, showcasing good performances. Woepse is currently No. 2 in the Pac-12 in the pole vault.
However, the biggest surprise of the day came when redshirt junior runner Nohe Lema won his steeplechase debut with a time of 9:02.37, almost a full eight seconds ahead of the second-place runner from BYU.
The Bruins appear to be finding their true potential and it can come at no better time, as some athletes will head to the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays next weekend.
“We took a couple steps forward this week and the team did a great job,” said director of track and field Mike Maynard. “The team is very positive right now and although there’s a lot more to go, if we keep going like this, we should be in good position heading to the Pac-12 championships.”