Monday, 5/5/97 Bruins continue long winning streak against
Trojans UCLA victorious for 19th-straight year, but USC keeps score
close with effort
By Emmanuelle Ejercito Daily Bruin Staff The UCLA men’s track
and field team won its 19th straight dual meet against USC, but it
wasn’t as easy as the first 18. For the past 18 years, the Bruins
had easily handled the Trojans, winning by large margins. However,
last Saturday at Cromwell Field at Southern Cal, UCLA found itself
five points behind USC in the dual meet competition with three
events to go. Luckily for the Bruins, two of the three events were
the discus and the high jump. UCLA’s Ritch Pitchford and Ed Barnett
took the top two spots in the high jump. Pitchford cleared to 7-1
3/4-inches followed by Barnett at 6-11 3/4, earning the Bruins
eight points. Meanwhile in the discus, UCLA swept the top three
spots behind the throws of David Dumble (188-0), Scott McPherren
(180-10) and Travis Haynes (180-5), giving the Bruins nine points
and putting them ahead of USC, 88-75. In the other dual meet score
UCLA defeated Brigham Young 123-33. Since USC and BYU were the last
dual meet of the year, the Bruins ended the season with an
undefeated dual meet record of 10-0. The key to the Bruins’ victory
came not from their strength in the distances or the throws, but
thanks to the personal best performances by the sprints team. USC’s
strength lay in the sprints; therefore, UCLA needed some points in
those events to keep Southern Cal within reach. "I told the team
that it was capable of being a close meet, but I said also that we
were capable of winning by more," UCLA head coach Bob Larsen said.
"I felt that it was crucial that we score and do well in the
sprints." And score they did. Things did not bode well in the
beginning for the sprints corps. The 400-meter relay did not finish
because of a missed hand-off between the second and third leg. But
things only got better from there. In his first college 400-meter
race freshman Damian Allen finished second with a personal best
time of 46.88 seconds to prevent a sweep by USC in the event. Randy
Brookes, another freshman, also set a personal best of 10.44 to
finish second in the 100m. Jim McElroy set one of his two personal
best times of the day in the 200 with a hand time of 20.8. McElroy
was barely edged out at the finish line by USC’s Jerome Davis who
clocked in at 20.7. McElroy also ran his best 1600 relay leg at
46.5. "I don’t like to lose to these guys in anything," said
McElroy who is also a receiver for the football team. "Just coming
out here (to USC), brings out a little bit more competitive
spirit." Though junior Mebrahtom Keflezighi is the national leader
in the 5000 and 10,000, he showed on Saturday that he’s capable of
running the shorter distances. "I’ve won the 1500 the last two
years (at this meet) and I wanted to win it again this year,"
Keflezighi said. So instead of running in his usual 5000,
Keflezighi competed in the 1500, setting a personal record and a
Cromwell field record of 3:43.95. It was another close race in the
800 between UCLA’s Michael Granville and USC’s Isaac Turner. The
last time they faced off, Granville came away with a one-tenth of a
second victory over Turner. However, this time it was Turner’s
turn. In the last straightaway, Turner overtook Granville to break
the tape at 1:47.15; Granville followed in at 1:47.93. Other top
finishers for UCLA included Travis Haynes in the shot put with a
throw of 59-7 1/2 and pole vaulter Scott Slover who cleared 17-9.
Fellow Bruin David Rynearson placed behind Slover with a clearance
of 16-11 3/4. WYNN RUJIRAVIRIYAPINYO/Daily Bruin David Dumble’s
throw of 188-0 Saturday led all participants in the discus.