In the championship meet of a stacked conference, every point is important, and each team needs clutch performances from each athlete.
The No. 7 UCLA men’s track and field team will send 28 athletes to Tempe, Ariz., to compete in the Pac-10 Championships hoping to get those performances. The team comes in with 26 top-10 marks in the conference in various events.
“The conference is extremely competitive across the board,” coach Art Venegas said. “All the years I’ve been here, there have been one or two teams, and then a real drop-off after that, and the bad teams were really bad. Now it’s unbelievably tight.”
Last year, the Bruins came in fourth with 92 points. They’ll look to improve on that position by jumping into the top three and giving themselves a possibility of taking home the Pac-10 title.
Oregon won last year’s title with 114 points, beating Arizona State by just three points. USC finished one point behind the Sun Devils.
This year, the same four teams are again at the top of the conference. But after scouting the loaded field, Venegas does not doubt his team’s ability to put up good results.
“We’re strong,” Venegas said. “We aren’t a weak team at these levels, probably a better nationals team than Pac-10. If we don’t hit something right, we end up fourth or fifth. If we do hit something right, we can end up at first.”
The Bruins will turn to their field events and distance team to lead the way.
“I feel that the jumpers (and) throwers have to score the bulk of the points,” Venegas said. “That’s where we have the depth and maturity.”
All-American senior and two-time defending Pac-10 discus champion Greg Garza will head into the desert looking for a three-peat. Last weekend at the Modesto Relays, Garza earned the nation’s No. 2 mark at 204 feet, 9 inches.
“There is some pressure on me, being a top-ranked collegiate athlete,” Garza said. “I just have to look past the pressure and do what I do best. It will be nice to get three in a row.”
Boldizsar Kocsor, ranked No. 1 in the Pac-10 in the hammer throw at 222-6, will look to reclaim the title he won two years ago as a freshman.
The jumpers are another talented group ready to score points. Jonathan Clark has had a very successful freshman season and is in the top 10 in the high jump (6-10.75) and the triple jump (51-5.50).
Outside of those events, the Bruins hope to gain the points needed to finish at the top of the conference.
“The other points are very important,” Venegas said. “We do have room for a little error but not a lot.”
Hurdler Kevin Craddock will take his No. 2 national time of 13.46 seconds into in the 110-meter hurdles to attempt to defend his Pac-10 title.
“When he is healthy, there’s nobody better,” Venegas said.
The well-rounded Bruins hope they will heat up the track in Arizona as a team.
“You put everyone together and we have the real team aspect going into this meet,” distance runner Laef Barnes said. “We know we can win it. We just have to do what we’ve been doing all year long. If we do what we can do, which is more than anybody knows out there, I think we’ll just destroy the competition.”