In his first public statement since he was robbed at gunpoint in
his Saxon suite early Sunday morning, freshman sprinter Matt Bruno
seemed ready to put the incident behind him.
“If anything it’s been a hassle, dealing with all
the stuff this week, moving my stuff, and seeing what has been
taken,” he said. “As far as track goes, it’s not
going to affect the competition at all.”
This seems to be the attitude of the rest of the No. 15 UCLA
men’s track and field team as 35 members of the squad prepare
to compete in the United Heritage Invitational at the Idaho Sports
Center in Nampa, Idaho on Saturday.
Bruno, California’s top high school sprinter last year, and
fellow freshman sprinter Chris Dunbar, were the targets of a
premeditated attack as three suspects stole cash, clothes, shoes,
computers, CDs and DVDs just after 1 a.m. Sunday morning.
The police also considered the sprinters’ roommates
victims because they too had property stolen.
Despite concern for Bruno and Dunbar’s safety, men’s
track and field head coach Art Venegas expects the squad to move
forward without a hitch.
“The team should not be distracted this weekend (by the
incident), but it could affect Bruno,” Venegas said.
“But he’s always a very competitive person and so far
in practice he’s run very well.”
The Bruins will be looking to improve upon their results from
from their season opener last weekend at Washington, where several
athletes qualified for the NCAA national meet.
Junior thrower Dan Ames, a 2002 outdoor All-American, hopes to
continue his early success. He qualified for nationals in the shot
put last weekend and was the highest-placing collegian at the
meet.
“It was nice to get it off my shoulders early in the
season,” Ames said. “Now I just have to put myself
higher in the national rankings.”
Ames also noted Bruno’s focus towards this weekend’s
meet.
“He has been very mature about it around us,” Ames
said.
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The No. 3 women’s track and field team will also compete
this weekend in Idaho at the Boise State Indoor Invitational. The
Bruins are trying to build momentum toward next month’s NCAA
Indoor Championships.