UCLA gains competitive edge as track and field championship approaches
Redshirt junior Nicholas Scarvelis said his goal is to improve his shot put distance to a mark that’s over 20 meters. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By David Wong
April 21, 2015 12:49 a.m.
On the UCLA track and field website, there is a banner that rests atop the page. It reads: “2015 Pac-12 track and field championships, May 9-10 (multis) and May 16-17 – UCLA’s Drake Stadium.”
Just as the title and location of this event have assumed an elevated spot on the team’s website, it has also occupied a place in the forefront of the Bruins’ minds throughout the year.
“I think we are all looking forward to Pac-12s as our last meet and doing very well for the sake of the home crowd and our pride,” said senior sprinter and hurdler Brea Buchanan following UCLA’s most-recent home meet on April 11.
The 2015 installment of the Pac-12 outdoor track and field championship has a new connection to UCLA. For the first time in 10 years, the meet will be hosted at Drake Stadium, adding a fourth home meet to UCLA’s 2015 schedule. From listening to Bruin track and field athletes throughout the season, the additional home meet makes a difference.
“Jumping my PR (against USC) last year at Drake was special,” said former pole vaulter Mike Woepse, who has since moved on to be an assistant pole vault coach during the 2015 outdoor season. “My family was there, all my teammates were there and the fans were there. To do it at home, that was just great.”
This past weekend, UCLA got one step closer to its fourth and final home meet of the season, as it competed at the historic Mt. SAC Relays meet in Walnut, which has observed 20 world records and has played host to thousands of athletes from all levels of competition over the course of 57 years.
The Mt. SAC Relays meet provided a competitive environment for the Bruins. The men’s team finished seventh out of 18 colleges while the women’s team finished ninth out of 16.
A handful of Bruins managed to set personal bests at the meet, including Buchanan, who built off of her success from the previous meet on April 11 by setting a season-best time of 13.49 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles.
With the Mt. SAC Relays behind them, the Bruins are now better acclimated to competitive environments, which should come in handy as they prepare for the Pac-12 championship in the coming weeks.
The Pac-12s should prove to be the biggest test for the Bruins all season. Five of the men’s teams are currently ranked in the top 25 in the country and four teams on the women’s side are ranked in the top 25.
Despite the buildup of anticipation for the upcoming Pac-12 championship meet at Drake Stadium, the Bruins also appear poised and ready for the other challenges that lay ahead for the remainder of the track season.
Redshirt junior thrower Nick Scarvelis currently ranks No. 12 in the nation in shot put, but has been progressively building and improving throughout the year. He recorded his first personal best of the season, 19.54 meters, at February’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championships, and he one-upped that throw with a 19.82-meter launch at Drake stadium on April 4.
“But (my) distance goal would be: I’d like to go over 20 meters – that’s the next big goal,” Scarvelis said. “That’s a mark where it’s starting to mean something, not just on the collegiate circuit but actually internationally – that’s kind of like a big step towards the right direction of throwing post-collegiately and that’s hopefully what I’d like to keep doing.”
The Bruins will continue to work towards a strong finish over the next two weeks as they prepare for the Triton Invitational this week and a head-to-head matchup with their crosstown rival the following week. In the meantime, Drake Stadium awaits the arrival of the Pac-12s with the heavy weight that it carries for the Bruins.
