Nebraska and CSUN to run against UCLA on Saturday

By Glen Worthington
Daily Bruin Contributor

Home sweet home; at least that’s what the Bruins are
hoping will be the case Saturday.

No. 23 UCLA men’s track team will compete Saturday in
their final meet for the 2001 season at Drake Stadium against
Nebraska and Cal State Northridge.

The meet begins at 9:30 a.m. with the hammer throw, followed by
running events starting at noon. The Bruins will conclude their
home season at approximately 3:30 p.m. with the 4×400-meter
relay.

“Nebraska has one of the premier programs in the
country,” said Head Coach Art Venegas. “But I’m
pretty optimistic that we’ll put on a good show.”

The Bruin sprinters will have to face Nebraska senior Chris
Chandler who holds the nation’s seventh fastest time (20.83
seconds) in the 200-meter dash. Nebraska’s 4×100-meter relay
team, thanks in part to Chandler, has a season-best time of 39.62.
The Bruins have yet to break 40. With sophomore Joe Hunter’s
lingering hamstring injury, UCLA’s 4x100m team might not have
what it takes to defeat Nebraska this weekend.

Sprint Coach John Smith understandably did not want to make too
many predictions about this meet. He reiterated his focus on
learning during this early stage of the season, yet he hopes the
team will come together with a big performance.

“I expect them to build on what we’ve done and to
keep improving (this weekend),” he said. “You want to
make sure people are learning and constantly growing. When we
compete like we’re supposed to compete, basically nobody can
beat us.”

The pole vaulters will also have to contend with elite
competition. Nebraska sophomore Eric Eshbach placed fourth in the
pole vault at the Texas Relays on April 7, with a mark of 17 feet,
10.5 inches. He is currently the fifth-ranked pole vaulter
nationally.

“I think coming off the last meet at Texas, we’re
going to be fired up for a big meet this week,” said Bruin
Pole Vault Coach Anthony Curran.

The Bruins will need that fire against Nebraska’s Eshbach.
Curran is looking for junior Joe Snee and sophomore Jared Drake to
both clear 17 feet tomorrow. Senior leader Steve Michels will not
compete this weekend because of an injury.

Distance Coach Eric Peterson is confident in the matchup against
Cal State Northridge, but his team will also have to compete
against tough Nebraska competition.

Peterson said that senior Will Bernardo and junior Bryan Green
will compete in the 1500, which is outside their specialties of the
5000 and 10,000 races, in order to rest for the Mt. SAC relays on
April 20-22, a huge competition for distance runners. According to
Peterson, the 1500 will be “like a sprint for
them.”

Peterson also is looking for a great 800-meter race from senior
Paul Muite that, according to Peterson, should be close to a
lifetime best for Muite.

Coming off a learning experience at the Texas Relays last
weekend, the Bruins are hoping to improve their times as they
continue to build towards the USC meet on May 5 and the Pac-10
Championships on May 19-20.