Though nine teams will be at Drake Stadium competing at the
Pac-10 Men’s Track and Field Championships, UCLA coach Art
Venegas believes that only four can truly call themselves
contenders.
“It’s between four quality programs,” Venegas
said. “USC, Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA.”
Indeed the defending-champion Bruins are confident they will be
in the hunt for the title again this year, but they know that
winning will take an improved performance from a sprint squad that
was exposed by USC two weeks ago. Arizona State and USC both
feature a host of dominant short sprinters, so UCLA sprints coach
Tony Veney is hoping for a big day from his athletes to help offset
some of those points.
“We’re going to have to be top three in the 4×400
and get the stick around in the 4×100 in order to win,” Veney
said. “If the other events take care of their business and we
take care of ours, anywhere from 30 to 40 points from the sprinters
and hurdlers should do it.”
A year ago, the Bruins ended a seven-year conference title
drought, edging out Oregon thanks to a balanced effort.
This year, it may even be harder to defend.
Craig Everhart, an NCAA semifinalist in the 400m last year, has
been hampered by a hamstring injury. Anthony Golston, one of the
conference’s top short hurdlers last year, has not matched
that success this year. UCLA’s 400-meter relay team, already
lacking any national-caliber talent, was disqualified for running
outside of the designated handoff zone against the Trojans. And the
4x400m relay team is still licking its wounds after Everhart was
passed by USC’s Marvin Anderson in the final 200 meters of
the race.
Despite an injured hamstring, Everhart is confident that he is
able to run close to 100 percent this weekend after having to pace
himself at USC to avoid aggravating his injury.
“I feel very confident,” said Everhart, who is
looking to break 46 seconds in the 400m for the first time this
season. “I’ve been training all out recently, but I
haven’t gone all out in a race since I’ve been back.
I’ll be able to do that now.”
Brandon Johnson, who burst onto the track and field scene last
year after a breakout race at the Pac-10 Championships that left
him with the best time in the nation, will also be looking to come
up big again this year.
If he and the rest of the Bruin sprinters come through, it could
be a special afternoon for the team. Jon Rankin boasts the top time
in the conference in the 800 and 1500m. Yoo Kim has the second-best
mark in the pole vault. And Jeremy Silverman leads a group of UCLA
throwers who could score big points in all four of their
events.
But it’s Everhart who seems to be the most excited about
the meet.
“Nobody has any clue of what I am going to be capable of
this weekend,” he said. “Whatever I do, it’s
going to be faster than anything I’ve run this year.
I’m bad to the bone. I’m not just going to beat them,
I’m going to beat myself.”