Wednesday, May 15, 1996
Boldon leads list of 10 athletes bidding farewell to UCLABy
Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
With June comes graduation, and with graduation comes the loss
of many great athletes for the UCLA men’s track team.
This weekend at the Pacific 10 championships will mark the last
time that 10 Bruins will compete in a collegiate meet at Drake
Stadium.
Members of the class of 1996 include Erik Allen, Avery Anderson,
Ato Boldon, Gentry Bradley, Dan Niednagel, Jonathan Ogden, Mark
Parlin, Chad Reddy, Juan Sotelo and Mike Terry.
The Bruins will lose their best sprinter in Boldon and three
members of each relay team. Allen, Boldon and Bradley are key
components to the nation’s fastest 400-meter relay team, while
Boldon, Bradley and Terry run the last three legs of the
1,600-meter relay.
The only remaining member of the relay squad is sophomore
Ibrahim Hassan.
UCLA will also lose two of its best field athletes  shot
putters Ogden and Parlin.
"It is a very good senior class," UCLA head coach Bob Larsen
said. "There are real key people in there, you just have to hope
the young people can step up."
Helping to detract from the losses is the addition of new
recruits.
Michael Granville, a local from Bell Gardens High School, has
officially committed to UCLA.
Track and Field News named Granville, who has yet to lose a race
this year, the high school male athlete of the year. Granville’s
best time this year in the 800-meters is 1:48.80, but he has run as
fast as the high 1:47s during his high school career.
Although Granville’s specialty is the 800-meters, he has also
shown strength in the 400 and 200-meters and should be a versatile
runner for the Bruins.
"He is very talented," Larsen said. "He will be a great addition
to the team."
***
400-meter high hurdler Brian Fell injured his hamstring, and the
injury may be serious enough to keep Fell out of the conference
championships this weekend  a loss of a possible scorer for
UCLA.
Fell has been a solid performer for the Bruins this year and has
the fourth best time in the conference.
***
Larsen will be inducted into the California Community College
Cross Country and Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame on
Saturday, May 18.
Larsen, who has been the head coach of the men’s track team for
the past 12 seasons, has compiled a 92-2-1 dual meet record for
UCLA, has never lost to USC and has led the Bruins to two NCAA
titles and seven Pac-10 Championships.
But Larsen is not being commended for his accomplishments in
Westwood. Before coming to UCLA in 1979 as an assistant coach,
Larsen was a coach at Grossmont Community College in El Cajon.
Larsen’s cross-country teams won seven consecutive state
titles.
UCLA Sports Info
Bob Larsen