UCLA aims to protect 22-year streak
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 3, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 MARY CIECEK/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Scott
Moser competes in the hammer throw in a meet earlier this
season. The junior may give the Bruins an edge over the No. 21
Trojans.
By Glen Worthington
Daily Bruin Contributor
This is sports. When the Bruin men’s track and field team
walks into Loker Stadium on Saturday to compete against the
Trojans, spectators will have the privilege of watching some of
America’s best college athletes in a high stakes, all out,
fight-to-the-finish meet.
The meet will be incredibly close. The Bruins own a 22-year
winning streak in the matchup, but UCLA recently dropped out of the
national rankings while USC remains at No. 21. In dual meet power
rankings, however, the Bruins hold the edge, No. 3 to No. 4. If
you’re a fan of close competition ““ where a quarter of
an inch or a hundredth of a second makes the difference in losing
an event and perhaps losing the entire meet ““ then you want
to be there.
“They have a few more of the so-called big meet
points,” said men’s Head Coach Art Venegas. “But
we have people that are very talented and are ready to step up.
When I add it up, it looks good for us and good for them;
they’re good athletes and we’re good athletes.
Let’s get it on.”
On paper, the Bruins should control the distance and throw
events while USC has an advantage in the sprints and jumps. But
paper is only paper. Especially in a meet of this caliber,
it’s performance that counts. The question is not about who
has the fastest time or longest jump, but about who is going to
step up to another level.
One of USC’s biggest threats is junior Kevin Elliot.
Elliot is the Pac-10 leader in the 800-meter (season best 1 minute,
48.71 seconds) and a dangerous 1500m runner (3:55.55). UCLA
men’s Distance Coach Eric Peterson recognizes Elliot’s
ability but hopes his team will rise to meet it.
“In the true sense of competition, what you’re
hoping for is that you’ll show up to the track and your
opponent will bring his best,” he said. “I don’t
want Kevin Elliot to run 1:51 in the 800m and lose; I want Kevin
Elliot to run 1:48 and lose.”
Bruins sophomore Nick Thornton (1:51.46) and senior Paul Muite
(1:53.24) will offer the greatest challenge to Elliot in the 800m.
Muite, freshman Jon Rankin and junior Bryan Green will contend to
sweep the 1500m in what should be a close race (3:49.22, 3:49.77,
3:50.16, respectively).
Besides Elliot, however, the Trojans have little to offer in the
distance department. Sophomore Andrew Knutsen has USC’s best
times in the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m (9:27.20, 14:49.33), but
the Bruins should sweep both these events as well.
Senior Will Bernaldo will lead the 5000m charge (14:23.53) since
he is not running any other events. Junior Andrew Wulf and senior
Mason Moore will duke it out in the steeplechase (9:03.72,
9:05.40).
“What we’re hoping for is with all the energy,
enthusiasm and rivalry that goes on between UCLA and USC that it
will bring out the best in our athletes,” Peterson said.
“They’ll be focused, pay attention and they’ll
run very fast.”
“There are 36 points available in the distances,” he
continued. “We expect to win that battle.”
Junior Scott Moser and redshirt freshman Dan Ames should make
short work of the Trojans in the shot put and discus. What remains
to be seen is whether sophomore Scott Wiegand can complete the
sweep in those events. On paper it’ll happen. Hopefully for
the Bruins that will come true on Saturday ““ they’re
going to need every possible point.
USC has a definite advantage in the hammer throw, but UCLA
should take the javelin. Trojan senior Norbert Horvath is third in
the nation (228-feet-5 inches) at the hammer throw while Bruin
sophomore Nate Marum is third in the Pac-10 in the javelin
(228-11).
USC should take the jumps. Freshman Dawid Jaworski jumps 7-2 in
the high jump, more than three inches better than UCLA’s top
mark. Senior Djeke Mambo is third in the Pac-10 in long jump
(24-10) and first in triple jump (54-4). Senior pole vaulter senior
Dennis Kholev has cleared 18-0, another Pac-10 leading mark, while
the Bruins have yet to vault over 17-6.
Sprints will pose a difficult challenge for UCLA in a very
evenly matched field. USC has a strong sprint duo with junior Devon
Ward in the 100m and 200m (10.26, 21.13) and senior Andre Ammons in
the 200m and 400m (20.85, 45.97). However, UCLA men’s Sprint
Coach John Smith questions the validity of those times since they
have not been matched since March.
Bruin senior Bryan Harrison has the team’s best 100m and
200m times (10.49, 20.88) and freshman Denye Versher has the best
400m time (47.29). These will be close races.
Both hurdle races should also be tight. UCLA freshman Chucky
Ryan (14.08) will run against USC sophomore Ryan Wilson in the 110m
hurdles (13.69). Wilson will later race sophomore Kyle Erickson in
the 400m hurdles, this time with the Bruin holding the paper time
advantage 50.54 to 50.99.
And the relays should be close. USC’s 4 x 100m team ran a
season best 39.39 and the 4 x 400 ran a 3:06 even. UCLA is just
behind with times of 39.96 and 3:09.20, respectfully.
Looking at the meet as a whole, with stats and rankings this
close, the meet could come down to the 4 x 400m relay, the last
event of the day. One thing is for sure ““ both teams will
leave everything they have on the track.
“We’re going to gel together as one unit,”
said Smith. “We do that every year. Every year on paper they
can beat us and every year they end up losing for the last 22
years.”
“This is the meet where I have fun,” he continued.
“This is the meet where I listen to all the talk and the
jargon about how we’re going to lose. I’ve been
listening to that since I’ve been here. The last 17 years,
going on 18, I’ve been hearing the same ol’ song and
we’ve been playing the same ol’ song afterwards.
It’s called vic-to-ry.”
In a meet this close, Smith may be a little overconfident, but
if past experience has anything to say, the Bruins will rise to the
occasion.
Still, this one’s going to be a nail biter.
