The UCLA men’s mile relay team knows that it has yet to
peak, which is what makes this weekend’s NCAA Championships
so exciting.
Craig Everhart, Elijah Wells, James Rhoades and Brandon Johnson
will be looking to bring home a National Championship in the 4×400
meter relay this weekend at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field
Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Ranked third in the country,
the squad has sprints coach Tony Veney ecstatic not only about
Saturday’s race, but about the outdoor season as well.
“The Eastern schools take this very seriously. For most of
them, this is their 10th meet, whereas for us, this is only our
fourth,” Veney said. “We just don’t put that much
emphasis on (the indoor season). I don’t change their
training to peak indoors, so if we are good enough to win a
championship at this point, that is just icing on the
cake.”
The Bruins will be running in the last heat of the 4×400 meter
relay on Saturday. The race has the four fastest teams in the
country, including LSU and Baylor, which own the first and second
best times in the country. UCLA’s relay team features two
previous All-Americans, senior Everhart and the junior Johnson.
Both athletes will be pulling double duty, as they’ll each
compete in the 400 meter race .
Everhart, who ranks 10th nationally in the 400 meter, will lead
off the relay with freshman Wells and sophomore Rhoades holding
down the second and third legs respectively. Johnson, whose open
400 meter time of 46.40 puts him fifth in the nation, will anchor
the relay. “They know that they are not as good as they are
going to be,” Veney said. “We are the third fastest
relay in the nation and we’re not nearly as on top of our
game as we will be in June.”
Sophomore shot-putter John Caulfield will be the lone
representative for the Bruins in the field events. Caulfied enters
the Indoor Championships with the 10th best shot put mark in the
nation at 62-5 and will be looking to crack the top eight and earn
his first indoor All-American honor.