The UCLA men’s track and field team heads to Arizona this Saturday for the Northern Arizona Classic in Flagstaff.
The focus for this meet will be getting more athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships and narrowing the list of potential entries for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championships in two weeks.
“You have to keep improving and they’re guys that just might get to Nationals from this particular meet,” coach Art Venegas said.
The team’s three big-name members will be held out, however, and train through this weekend.
Senior Boldizsar Kocsor picked up an automatic qualifier last weekend in Nebraska. Senior Kevin Craddock and sophomore Johnny Quinn already have provisional qualifiers in the 60-meter hurdles and pole vault, respectively.
The distance squad will also be given the weekend off of competition due to the altitude in Flagstaff and how that results in slower times and harder breathing conditions. Seniors Drew and Kyle Shackleton will make a special trip to Seattle instead to improve their times in the 5,000m.
Hoping to earn qualifiers this weekend will be sophomore jumpers Jonathan Clark and Taylor Hobson and thrower Bo Taylor, who is looking for an automatic mark.
“People that have potential to move up in the national marks are Jonathan Clark in the triple jump, Hobson in the high jump, and Taylor in the shot put,” Venegas said.
A couple meets ago, Clark was just four centimeters shy of a qualifying distance (15.40m). Hobson is only a few inches short of reaching the 7-foot-1/4-inch mark. Last week Taylor threw 59-8.50 but has a season best of 59-9.50.
The Bruins will run a pair of 4x400m relay teams for the first time this year. The A squad has been working hard to shave off a few seconds.
“We have to run faster than what we have been running,” junior sprinter Elijah Wells said. “This meet we plan to make a breakthrough for faster times.”
Wells, an essential part of the foursome, will also run in the 400m for a sprint squad that is expected to have an impact this week.
“What we are also trying to do is to get some sprinters at the conference level and step up their competitive level,” Venegas said.
So far the 2009 indoor season has fared well for UCLA: Six athletes are NCAA Championship qualified, along with a distance medley relay team. With only one meet before the MPSF Championships, this is one of a few chances left for Bruins to have a breakout performance.
“They have the potential to get it done,” Venegas said. “We are in a lot better shape than where we were last year. We are trying to identify who will be the guys going to the Mountain Pacific.”