Dual meet format will require teamwork to win
By Jill Sager
April 15, 2009 11:17 p.m.
There are not many opportunities to go head-to-head with another school in the collegiate track and field season. Most meets are invitationals where individual performances are stressed over team representation.
This weekend, however, the UCLA men’s track team will compete against Oregon with every event counting.
“The dual meets are kind of the one chance we get to really rally as a team,” redshirt senior Dustin DeLeo said. “This meet is a team event. One guy can have the best day of his career, but if everyone else doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t matter.”
For the second year in a row, the No. 16 Bruins will travel to the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., to battle the No. 1 Ducks on their home turf.
The Bruins are coming off a three-week stint of consecutive home meets. This will be their first road meet in a month.
The Bruins are hoping that the success they have had in the past weeks at home will keep building and that they will be able to carry it to Eugene against the team just recently named the nation’s top-ranked track and field squad for the outdoor season by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
At last weekend’s Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner Kersee Invitational, which capped off the team’s time at home, DeLeo won the pole vault. His mark of 17 feet, 5 inches ranks No. 6 in the NCAA this season and was also a regional qualifier, but he is not ready to take it easy.
“I feel a regional mark isn’t something we aim for, it’s almost something that is mandatory to hit,” DeLeo said. “I think we aren’t looking for regionals this year. We are looking for nationals.”
With goals set high for the year, DeLeo and the rest of the team will be looking to this meet for some big performances.
As the reigning NCAA indoor champions, Oregon will prove to be a very worthy adversary for the Bruins.
“They’re on their way up,” coach Art Venegas said. “They’re doing a great job, and it really helps to meet some of the best programs. We think that’ll toughen us up and make us better.”
Before last year’s meet, the Bruins and the Ducks had not faced off in 23 years.
With the return of the rivalry came a chance for both teams to battle against each other and embrace the dual-meet mentality.
In a dual meet, scoring goes to the top three finishers with five points to first, three to second and one to third.
The relays are all or nothing with five points going to the winner. With points being the most important thing, it can fall to the second and third places to decide the outcome of the meet.
“The big thing is competitiveness,” Venegas said. “Stay locked into the task at hand and never lose sight of the fact that this is a scored, team meet; every little spot can make the difference.”
The Bruins fell to the Ducks last year 94-69 and are looking to return this year and come out on top.
Despite the most recent rankings that put Oregon in the No. 1 spot this year and UCLA in No. 16, the team remains optimistic, excited and is ready to take on the Ducks.
“Its probably one of the best meets of the year for us,” DeLeo said. “Everyone cheers each other on and looks out for each other so it’s like the rallying meet for us. I think we have a good chance of winning overall.”
