Hidden by the long shadow cast by All-American Dan Ames, three
members of UCLA’s heralded throwing squad have quietly
managed to make an impact. Heading into this weekend’s Pac-10
Championships, throwers Brian Ruziecki, Jake Knight and Jeremy
Silverman have made their throwing core one of the deepest units
for the Bruins. “A lot of the meet will be on them,”
coach Art Venegas said of his throwing squad. “With the
discus as wide open as it is, those guys will have a lot of room
for impact.” The Bruins’ field team will be headed by
Ames, a senior who is top-ranked in both the discus and the shot
put, but following in his footsteps is Ruziecki. Both are competing
in all three throwing events, with Ruziecki looking to continue an
impressive sophomore season. Another impact athlete is Silverman,
who ranks fifth in the conference in both the shot and the discus.
As the Bruins second-best thrower, Silverman will go into both
events with a legitimate chance to score points for UCLA. Knight,
on the other hand, is a better competitor in the hammer. In the
conference, he’s tallied the eighth-best throw and could also
score points for the team. Venegas ““ both the team’s
head coach and the throwing coach ““ has high hopes for his
athletes, especially under the tutelage of Ames. Ruziecki sees it
the same way. “I try to model myself after Dan and follow in
his footsteps,” Ruziecki said. “With Art being the head
of both the team and the throwers, I know he wants us to do well,
to help lead the team.”
DISTANCE RUNNER OUT: After straining a
hamstring last weekend, middle distance runner Nick Thornton will
not be able to participate in this weekend’s Pac-10
Championships. Thornton, the top 800-meter runner in the Pac-10,
has shown progressive rehabilitation in the past week after jogging
Wednesday. But he is still not well enough for the coaches to feel
comfortable letting him run. Distance coach Eric Peterson said with
both the NCAA regional and national championships on the horizon,
he would rather keep Thornton sidelined this weekend to heal fully
instead of risking a re-injury. “His national hopes are still
alive and well,” Peterson said.