ONLINE EXTRA: Men’s track team readies for Pac-10 championship this weekend

By J.P. Hoornstra
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
[email protected]

To win the Pac-10 championships this weekend for the first time
since 1998, the UCLA men’s track and field team will have to
surprise a few people.

They will have to surprise Stanford, the defending conference
champion and the favorite heading in to Washington State. Although
the Cardinal is ranked No. 11 in the country by Trackwire Online,
just below the No. 10 Bruins, their depth in the distance events is
unmatched in the conference.

Stanford has four athletes ““ senior Gabriel Jennings
(seventh), sophomore Donald Sage (eighth), sophomore Grant Robison
(13th), and senior Jonathon Riley (18th) ““ ranked among the
top 20 nationally in the 1500 meters.

In the 5000 meter run, Riley (fifth), Robison (ninth), and
sophomores Louis Luchini (11th) and Seth Hejny (17th), are also
among the best in the nation.

“They can do so much with those distance runners,”
UCLA head coach Art Venegas said. “If their coach (Vin
Lananna) decides to run those guys to death, they cannot be beaten.
But he probably won’t; he’ll try to pick his spots and
still try and win the meet.”

The Bruins will have to surprise themselves, too.

Senior C.J. Bell, who has made amazing progress in the pole
vault this year, will try to upset the field in the long jump,
where he is competing for the first time since his freshman
year.

Although he came to UCLA as a long jumper, a hamstring injury
his first year converted him to the pole vault, where he has
competed ever since.

What can we expect this weekend?

“I don’t know “¦ if I can pick up a couple of
points, that would be great,” he said. “I haven’t
trained for the long jump, but it’s all good “¦ the
approach is somewhat similar, the only difference is that I
don’t have a pole in my hand.”

A bruised heel has kept the Bruins’ leading high jumper,
Kevin Weaver, from clearing the bar in practices this week, and he
may not jump again until just before the meet.

“I’ve been getting my technique ready,” he
said, explaining his limited regimen. Not even he knows for sure
how he will jump on Saturday.

“I’m gonna take a couple warm-ups, and I’ll be
ready to go,” the junior said confidently.

In comparison to the other Pac-10 schools, UCLA is a deep,
balanced team; the 4×100 relay is the only event that UCLA will not
enter this weekend.

And while they may not have the depth of UCLA or Stanford, the
other Pac-10 schools will try to surprise the two at the top.
Washington State, USC, Arizona State, and Oregon are all in
contention for the title, according to Venegas.

So come Sunday, don’t be surprised if a new Pac-10
champion is crowned.