With the Pac-10 Championships and Western Regionals coming up in the next couple weeks, the No. 5 women’s and No. 7 men’s track and field teams are looking to send a few more athletes with competition in two meets this weekend.
The women have already qualified 27 for regionals and the men are sending 31 so far. This weekend could be the last chance to increase those numbers.
The groups will be heading north, with pole vaulters from both teams and men’s throwers and jumpers going to the Modesto Relays. Women’s distance runners and some jumpers will join men’s distance runners and hurdlers at the Occidental Invitational in Eagle Rock.
“It’s just to get the rhythm up for the big postseason meets,” men’s coach Art Venegas said. “Away from the tension of scoring at the dual, they can just relax and see what hits.”
One athlete who had a strong showing last week against USC in the dual-meet win was redshirt freshman pole vaulter Johnny Quinn, who is hoping to keep his momentum rolling.
“I’m going to use this (meet) as a good opportunity to make myself better,” Quinn said. “If you jump high enough, it makes it easier to qualify for nationals. I’m going to try to get a good feel for what it’s like to jump at bars that will help me contend.”
Last week, Quinn cleared a lifetime best of 17 feet, 5 inches to win the event. The mark ties him for fifth best in the nation.
Quinn will lead the highly-touted pole vault squad into Modesto where the winds will be favorable for some throwers and vaulters. Given probable conditions, big marks are expected.
“It’s a good tailwind, which is really important,” Quinn said. “You’re not fighting wind with pole so we can go on bigger poles and get those marks.”
But no matter what the weather is in Modesto, Venegas is looking for everyone to perform well.
“We are hoping we can get a break and get some good conditions,” he said. “But we are also throwing shot there and other things like that that don’t depend on the wind. It depends on how ready you are, and we hope to attack.”
Besides trying to get people qualified for the postseason, another important goal for the weekend is to ensure everyone is healthy.
“Just stay healthy ““ that’s the main thing now,” Venegas said. “We can’t afford to lose people. We are just trying to keep people going in the right direction for the big meets.”
This last-second tune-up will not be an easy weekend, however.
For the athletes competing in Modesto, the competition appears to be stiff. The field will include some professional athletes who will be preparing for this summer’s Olympic Games. The Bruins will get a glimpse of what to expect down the road in the postseason.
“It really does create a critical kind of pressure in terms of learning to compete with better people,” Venegas said. “If you make any mistakes, you won’t be in the final. That’s the way the Pac-10s are, that’s the way regionals are. You don’t get second chances.”