Track and field crosses country to face off against top athletes

The UCLA track and field team will be put on the big stage this weekend.

The men and women, ranked 42nd and 65th in the nation, respectively, will travel across the country to the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas this weekend. Five of the 12 participating teams – Florida, Oregon, LSU, Georgia and Arkansas – are ranked in the top 18 for both genders.

With that level of competition, these next two days will be an opportunity for Bruin track and field stars to face off against fellow powerhouses on collegiate teams who are solid across the board.

LAST WEEK: UCLA’s three athletes at the DeLoss Dodds Invitational.

Senior distance runner Austin O’Neil has the 32nd fastest indoor mile time in the country and will race against Iowa’s Michael Melchert (14th) and Texas A&M’s Cameron Villarreal (16th) among others.

Freshman sprinter Rai Benjamin, whose impressive 21.28 seconds in the 200-meter leads the Bruins’ sprinters, will race against the top 200-meter runner in the country: LSU’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, who has a best time of 20.57.

In the field events, senior jumper Faith Anumba will see Georgia sophomore Keturah Orji in the triple jump. Orji leads the nation with a 13.55 meter mark, 22 centimeters better than the next closest competitor.

The UCLA women’s shot putting trio of redshirt junior Torie Owers and redshirt freshmen Ashlie Blake and Stamatia Scarvelis, have top-10, top-30 and top-40 scores, respectively.

The three could go toe-to-toe with Oregon’s Itohan Aikhionbare (eigth), Oklahoma State’s Chase Ealey (18th) and Florida’s Lloydricia Cameron (26th).

ART & ATHLETICS: Sophomore hurdler Kimani Austin-Reese on and off the track.

The invitational will be an early preview of this year’s national championship meet, but a new year means a new field and a new set of talent.

The question remains where UCLA will finish in their company.

Compiled by Michael Hull, Bruin Sports contributor.