UCLA season boils down to string of tough meets

By Moin Salahuddin

Daily Bruin Staff

The real season is finally in full swing for the UCLA
men’s track and field program after their impressive defeat
of rival USC last weekend.

After a tedious schedule of invitationals, the Bruins are in the
thick of what the coaching staff says are the meets of
“importance”: the dual meet against rival Southern Cal,
the upcoming Pac-10 Championships and the NCAA Championships in
Durham, N.C.

“Our season is down to two meets,” UCLA sprint coach
John Smith said of the Pac-10 and NCAA Championships. “This
is what we’ve been training for all season long.”

Next weekend will see the important conference championships
held in Eugene, Ore., but before UCLA can start focusing on that
meet, it will send a contingency of athletes to the Modesto and
Occidental Invitationals this weekend.

“This is the last time before Pac-10s that our athletes
can go for qualifying marks for the conference or NCAAs,”
UCLA head coach Art Venegas said.

Heading the list of Bruin athletes looking for qualifying marks
is NCAA Indoor champion Jess Strutzel in the 800 meters. His
1:46.57 indoor clocking would easily make him an automatic
qualifier for the outdoor 800, but the NCAA stipulates that indoor
marks can not be used for outdoor track.

“Strutzel will get the automatic mark (1:47.20) either
this weekend or at the Pac-10 Championships,” distance coach
Bob Larsen said.

Joining Strutzel at the Occidental meet in the 800 meters will
be junior Paul Muite and redshirt freshman Phil Young.

Five Bruin distance runners will compete in the 1,500 meters.
Senior Jonathan Lee, junior Scott Abbott, and sophomores Martin
Brix, Bryan Green and Andrew Wulf are slated for the metric
mile.

Redshirt freshman Justin Patananan, who competed in his first
3,000 meter steeplechase event last weekend against USC, will try
the event for only the second time. Patananan has a personal best
of 9:45, which he clocked last weekend against the Trojans.

A trio of 400-meter intermediate hurdlers will compete, led by
junior John Hall. Hall finished second to Trojan Felix Sanchez last
weekend in 50.78 seconds, which is a provisional qualifier for the
NCAA Championships.

“Hall is going to surprise some people,” Venegas
said. “He’s one of our most improved
athletes.”

True freshmen John Barbieri and Kyle Erickson will also
participate in the 400 hurdles.

Senior All-American Michael Granville brings a best of 46.31
into the 400 meters while teammate Tom Jonsson has sprinted the
distance in 47.80.

The Modesto Invitational is also traditionally a thrower’s
heaven due to the favorable wind conditions, which should
considerably help UCLA’s throwers.

“We always have great marks there,” said Venegas,
who doubles as the Bruins’ throwing coach.

Sophomore Scott Moser and redshirt freshman Scott Wiegand lead
the UCLA throwing corps headed to Modesto.

“We’re just gearing up for Pac-10’s,”
Smith said. “Everything else is just filler.”

The Pac-10 decathlon and heptathlon championships will be held
this weekend in Eugene, Ore. No Bruins are expected to compete in
either event.