Friday, April 4, 1997
TRACK:
Men and women to compete in Disney Collegiate InvitationalBy
Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
The UCLA men’s and women’s track and field teams will be packing
their mouse ears as they travel to Orlando this weekend to
inaugurate Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in the Disney
Collegiate Track and Field Invitational quadrangular meet.
Joining the women in the land of Disney will be teams from North
Carolina, Florida State and Central Florida. North Carolina took
fifth place in the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year while the
Bruins finished in a tie for ninth.
The competition facing the men’s team will be just as tough. The
Bruins will compete against George Mason, North Carolina and
Florida. George Mason was last year’s NCAA indoor national champion
and was runner-up in the 1996 NCAA outdoor championships, finishing
one spot ahead of the Bruins. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels finished one
place below UCLA, coming in fourth in last year’s NCAA outdoor
meet.
"I think that we will do pretty well," UCLA men’s track head
coach Bob Larsen said. "Our strongest point is balance. We have
scorers in all areas a little more so than other teams."
This meet will not only be the first meet to be held in the new
sports complex, but it will also mark the first time that true
freshman Michael Granville, who was the nation’s top prepster in
the event, will run the outdoor 800-meter run for UCLA. It will
also be the first time that sprinter Jim McElroy will compete in
the 400.
Not all of the events will be competed in during the meet. Both
the 5,000-meter race and the hammer throw are among the events that
will not be contested, which is unfortunate for UCLA, a team that
boasts strengths in both of those areas.
Without the 5,000 to compete in, National Indoor Champion
Mebrahtom Keflezighi will compete in the 1,500. However, Keflezighi
will face a tough challenge in the form of George Mason’s Julius
Achon. In March, the junior ran a 3:59.85 to capture the national
collegiate title in the mile. But Bruins’ coach Bob Larsen feels
good about UCLA’s chances.
"The field event team is strong right now," Larsen said. "If we
do a good job on running, then we will have a good chance of
winning."
The field event team is also very strong for the women and
should help the team fend off the competition.
Two discus throwers for the women are coming off of a great
showing last weekend in San Diego. Junior Suzy Powell became the
first woman collegiate thrower to hurl the disc past 200 feet since
Fresno State’s Lacey Barnes did it in 1988. The mark of 202-1 was a
personal best for Powell.
Meanwhile, freshman Seilala Sua set a new American junior record
with her throw of 199-2.