All year, the motto of the men’s track team has been to
improve its play so that it peaks during the outdoor season. After
finishing first at the Cal/Nevada Championships this past week, it
certainly looks like the Bruins are heading in that direction.
Today, UCLA looks to continue that momentum when it hosts the
fourth annual Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational.
After weeks of competition away from school, the team looks forward
to competing on its home track. “It certainly is nice to be
home,” men’s track coach Art Venegas said. Although
this invitational allows Division II as well as Division III
schools and junior colleges to compete, a heavy number of elite
athletes will still be present from various Division I schools. The
invitational is set up over a span of three days, starting Thursday
and finishing Saturday. The higher-tier athletes, including UCLA
athletes, will be set for competition on Saturday. Division II and
III schools will mainly race on Friday. Today’s events will
be set aside for throwing events, in which many UCLA athletes will
compete. Venegas feels this is a meet during which many of the
younger Bruins can compete on a bigger stage. “The higher
level of competition will test our team to see how prepared we
truly are,” Venegas said. “The team’s overall
health is pretty good, with only a couple of kids dinged up.”
With the amount of rain the UCLA campus has received this week, the
men’s team has been unable to practice, leaving one to wonder
if the weather has had any impact on the team’s preparation.
Venegas, however, firmly believes it plays no role. “We
practiced a lot prior to the rain, so it shouldn’t affect
us,” Venegas said. Despite the rain, the team still worked
out in the weight room and was only recently running again on the
track. Two athletes who will benefit from outdoor practices are
freshman Kevin Craddock and junior Brandon Johnson, both set to run
the 400-meter hurdles. Craddock will also compete in the 110-meter
hurdles and possibly the 4x400m relay, and the freshman looks to
have big marks this week after just recording a personal best last
week. “I feel real good,” Craddock said. “I have
had three weeks of consistency, and I’m putting everything
together”.
COACH RECOVERS: Jumps coach Mike Powell is
recovering well after a scare last weekend. The first-year coach
was hospitalized on Saturday in Fresno during the Cal/Nevada
Championships due to severe stomach pains and was kept overnight as
a precaution. Tests taken the next day revealed no serious health
problems. The coach will return to action soon, fellow Bruin
coaches said.