Track and field finishes strong at NCAA Indoor Championships

When senior Nick Hartle handed off the baton to fellow senior Austin O’Neil, the Bruins were in first place in the distance medley relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships – but that wouldn’t last long.

The same relay that broke the school record at the Alex Wilson Invitational just three weeks ago, finished seventh Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama, with a time of 9:34.39. The mark was just under five seconds slower than the record-breaking mark.

UCLA fans who were able to watch the nationally televised event will likely remember the last leg – the mile – but the Bruin DMR team made its moves early.

Senior Ferdinand Edman opened up the event as he has done all season, methodically staying with the front of the pack in order to give the next leg a fighting chance. Not only did he split 2:56.97 in his 1200 meter leg, but he was also in third place when he handed off the baton to sophomore Joe Herrera.

“The plan was to get out well,” Edman said. “I didn’t want to be in the bunch so I sat on the leader for a couple laps. I got a little boxed in but I kind of just fought my way back up and finished pretty strong.”

Herrera, still easing his way back from an injury, only competed in the event twice this year. What was important, the sophomore said, was what he did in the race rather than how fast he did it.

“Going into this meet, I knew my role in the relay was to get us in front,” Herrera said. “So when I got the baton, that’s all I was thinking about. I didn’t run that fast, but I was able to move us up one spot.”

In the last 200 meters of his race, Herrera outkicked the third-place runner to give Hartle a second-place start going into the 800 meter segment of the race. A two-time NCAA national qualifier in the 800 meter, Hartle ran perhaps his best race of the season – even if it was a relay.

For the entirety of the two laps, Hartle stayed in the top three, before pushing and extending his arm out to O’Neil.

The senior would open the last 1600 meters of his collegiate indoor career with a first-place lead at the championships, but the field was too much to overcome. Five of the other runners broke the four-minute barrier this season, including Oregon’s Edward Cheserek – a 10-time NCAA champion.

The Ducks’ star runner finished with a split of 3:52.84, easily beating Washington’s Izaic Yorks, who placed second. O’Neil, following Cheserek’s pace, completed with a time of 4:00.74, just .55 seconds slower than his personal best.

Throwers get high marks

On the second day of action in Birmingham, UCLA had three representatives – all part of the men’s shot put crew. While only senior Nick Scarvelis received All-American honors with his sixth-place finish, sophomore Braheme Days and redshirt freshman Dotun Ogundeji placed 10th and 12th, respectively.

“All I wanted these four years was to get a trophy,” Scarvelis said. “So I’m so happy to have done that. But at the same time, there is a winner’s trophy, and nobody even notices the difference, but I do.”

Scarvelis will take the week off before beginning a new strength routine in preparation for the outdoor season. He has already qualified for the European Athletics Championships in July and will continue to represent Greece.

He said his goal for the outdoor season remains to hit the Olympic qualifying mark of 67 feet, 3 inches in order to compete in this year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Wasik hurt

Sophomore Steele Wasik did not compete in the heptathlon as scheduled because of an injury. He broke UCLA’s all-time record in the event earlier in the season.

The Bruins will resume competition with the outdoor season March 22 at Drake Stadium for the Jim Bush Collegiate Invitational.