University of Oregon’s Hayward Field has been home to some of the world’s largest track and field meets for decades – from the 1980 Olympic Trials to the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Even UCLA women’s sprints and hurdles coach Joanna Hayes has competed at Hayward Field, running in the 2012 Olympic Trials before retiring. While many members of the UCLA track and field team concluded their collegiate careers this week, it’s only the beginning for some – such as freshman hurdler Rai Benjamin.
Benjamin missed the entirety of the regular season with a broken foot before debuting at the Pac-12 championships last month. The freshman qualified for the regional meet after running a 52.21 in the 400-meter hurdles.
Fast forward 20 days, and Benjamin was able to drop his time to 50.88 at the NCAA West Regional, but his confidence wavered during those two meets in May. Benjamin constantly worried about injury, taping his foot before every meet and practice.
However, before leaving for Eugene, Oregon, the freshman hurdler received words of encouragement from Hayes, who explained to him that the year she sustained injury was the same year she won her first and only Olympic gold medal.
“I spoke to my mom and the coaches, and they just told me that I need to build my confidence back,” Benjamin said. “So after regionals, I practiced that entire week without taping my foot. I got through that mental block, so going into the race, I wasn’t really worried about it.”
Benjamin’s newfound attitude worked. In only his third collegiate race Wednesday, he clocked in at 49.84 seconds, advancing to the finals the following day. He concluded the season placing sixth, setting a lifetime-best of 49.82 seconds.
The freshman’s performance left a lasting impression on some of his older teammates, including senior distance runner Lane Werley.
“Honestly, when I watched Rai’s race, it really didn’t surprise me at all,” Werley said. “When you look at the guy and meet him, you kind of just have nothing negative to say. I mean he’s kind of a freak. He just looks like one of fastest guys in the NCAA, even in practice.”
Werley ended his career with All-American accolades himself after placing 12th in the 10,000-meter run. Fellow senior Nick Hartle capped off his last year with All-American honors as well, with a 14th-place finish in the 800-meter run. Additionally, junior Austin Hazel placed 21st in the long jump with a mark of 23-7.50 feet.
The men’s shot put trio – senior Nicholas Scarvelis, sophomore Braheme Days and redshirt freshman Dotun Ogundeji – put on an impressive performance in the ring. Fifth on the all-time list for UCLA, Scarvelis captured fourth place in his last collegiate meet ever with a mark of 66-2.25 feet.
Days followed in fifth with a throw of 65-8.75 feet, while Ogundeji placed 20th, throwing 60-10.50 feet.
On the women’s side, redshirt senior Kylie Price placed 18th in the long jump in her final meet as a Bruin. Sophomore Jessie Maduka also competed in the long jump, placing 21st. The 4×100-meter relay team of Price, Maduka, and freshmen Angie Annelus and Suzie Acolatse finished 15th overall with a time of 44.41 seconds.
Annelus also competed in the 200-meter dash and placed 19th in the semifinal.
The men’s team finished 18th overall with 12 points, while the women failed to score. Five of the 10 athletes competing for UCLA received All-American honors.
This year, the University of Florida took the men’s crown with 62 points and the University of Arkansas won the women’s title with 72 points, but Werley is confident the Bruins are headed in such a direction with the emerging crop of young talent on the team.
“I think maybe when Rai is a senior, it’ll be something special like that,” Werley said. “We’re going to have guys that are freshman who come in and contribute immediately the more we perform like this. Because when you’re at UCLA, all you’re working towards is a national championship, and I think we’re definitely headed in that direction.”
Email Sairam at vsairam@dailybruin.com or tweet @VikSairam.
For complete results of the meet, click here.