Over the past weekend the men’s track and field team got its postseason ““ and hunt for a national championship ““ off to a strong start.
The Bruins scored 108 points en route to a third-place finish behind Oregon (144.5 points) and Arizona State (134 points) at the Pac-10 Championships in Tempe, Ariz.
“We came in and weren’t as deep as some other teams,” junior Kevin Craddock said. “We fought till the end. All the guys performed well, and we had good showings from everyone.”
Craddock had one of the highlights of the weekend with his inspirational run in the 110-meter high hurdles.
Craddock’s grandfather died earlier in the week, and Craddock wasn’t able to attend the funeral because of the meet. He was urged to compete by his family, and took home the Pac-10 title in the hurdles for the second straight year with a time of 13.58 seconds.
“I wanted to get the win for him,” Craddock said. “The race felt smooth. There was no pressure at all, and it was comfortable. I just prayed and ran.”
The other headlines for the weekend came from the throwing and pole vault squads, as they scored the bulk of the team’s points.
All-American senior Greg Garza became only the third man to win three straight Pac-10 titles in the discus. With a final throw of 195 feet, Garza moved into first place and captured the conference crown.
“I’m glad to end my career with a Pac-10 title and to do it on my last throw,” Garza said.
“It’s nice to go out with a bang. I was hoping to get (the title), and it’s kind of crazy it was on the last throw (two years in a row).”
Redshirt junior Boldizsar Kocsor reclaimed his hammer title from two years ago by setting a new UCLA record of 224-10.
“I was just happy to get the title out of the way, and it was nice to accomplish,” Kocsor said. “It’s a great feeling. Anytime a title is in line, your name goes in the book and (coach Venegas) takes it to heart. It means a lot for throwing program.”
In the pole vault, UCLA’s squad showed why it has been so consistent during the year and scored 17.50 points.
Junior Bobby Talley led the way with a personal record and first-place finish at 17-1, while redshirt freshman Greg Woepse (17-1, lifetime best) placed third and redshirt junior Dustin DeLeo (16-6.75) tied for seventh.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet (that I won the title),” said Talley, who walked onto the team this season. “It’s been a humbling experience and surreal. Everyone welcomed me, and we pushed each other all season.”
In other notable performances, sophomore Darius Savage earned a lifetime best in shot put at 61-6.75 and placed third, and senior John Caulfield earned points with a fifth-place finish (60-10.50).
Senior Henry Hagenbuch finished second in the steeplechase with a new personal record of 8:45.91, and freshman Cory Primm also had a personal record in the 800m at 1:47.75, to get third place.
After putting up these good results, the Bruins will look to carry the momentum to regionals in two weeks and hope for another top-three finish at nationals.
“We are all exited for nationals, and there’s a lot more in the tank,” said Kocsor. “There’s a lot of potential for the team.”