ONLINE EXTRA: Track team ready for MPSF Championships
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 21, 2002 9:00 p.m.
By J.P. Hoornstra
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Cari Soong, a junior weight thrower, in the midst of a massage,
let out an annoyed shriek: “This weekend, my goal is to move
up in the ranks … OW!”
The golden hands of shot putter/weight thrower/masseur Scott
Moser had struck a nerve in her right shoulder.
It seems like everyone on the UCLA track squad ““ men and
women ““ is feeling loose going into the Mountain Pacific
Sports Federation Championships. The two-day event, the
Bruins’ biggest test of the indoor season, begins today at
Northern Arizona University’s Walkup Skydome.
The meet pits UCLA against 11 other schools for the men’s
and women’s conference titles.
On the women’s side, UCLA will face three other ranked
teams: No. 2 Arizona, No. 8 Stanford, and No. 21 Washington
State.
“As a group, I don’t think we’re trying to win
the track meet,” women’s head coach Jeanette Bolden
said.
“We’re just trying to go and have a lot of good
individual performances.”
Three individuals ““ Soong, pole vaulter Tracy
O’Hara, and shot putter Jessica Cosby, as well as the
distance medley relay team, enter the meet ranked in the top 10
nationally.
Two ranked men’s squads ““ Stanford (6) and Oregon
(25) ““ only seem like the roadblocks to the Bruins’
chance at a title.
“Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State are the primary
threats,” men’s head coach Art Venegas said.
“Stanford will probably send a partial team, if they send a
full team, they’ll be a major threat as well.”
Sophomore thrower Dan Ames agrees that the toughest competition
will come from the Arizona schools, but that hasn’t deterred
his high ambitions.
“I’d like to take one-two-three in the shot
put,” he said.
Fellow shot putters Scott Wiegand, Moser and Jack Clamon have
finished in the top 10 consistently this indoor season.
Standing in their way is Arizona State’s David Wood, who
holds the second-highest mark in the shot put (63-3 1/4) in the
MPSF.
Because of the altitude at Northern Arizona (6,877 ft), the NCAA
will adjust the times in all distance events over 1,500 meters. As
a result, the minimum qualifying times in these events will be 0.04
seconds higher in the meet.
Regardless, the Bruins’ hopes are clearly sky-high
already.
“We’re excited about the opportunity,” Venegas
said. “We’re ready to roll.”
