UCLA track and field strengthens mentality for upcoming competition
Junior Emily Scharmann is UCLA’s only distance runner in the top 100, a list that features zero Texas A&M female distance runners. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Michael Hull
April 14, 2016 1:00 a.m.
The UCLA track and field team hasn’t had to travel outside of Westwood in four weeks – the longest competitive home stretch for the Bruins in 17 years.
But a daunting dual meet with one of the best teams in the country and a three-day distance festival will mark an end to the home stand.
This weekend, the distance teams will travel to Norwalk, California, to compete in the Mt. SAC Relays before regrouping with the rest of the team Saturday to match up against the No. 1 Texas A&M men and No. 5 Texas A&M women at Drake Stadium.
Sophomore distance runner Myles Smith will run another 10K after resting during the rainy Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational. Smith dropped almost a minute off of his personal best in the half-hour-long race two weeks ago, taking first place in front of redshirt senior Sergey Sushchikh, who will also run the 10K Thursday night.
“I’d like to take 20 seconds off,” Smith said. “Hopefully get into the UCLA top 10 and solidify a regional mark and just compete again and get used to the 10K distance.”
It will take just under a 25-second improvement for Smith to get in the top 10. He’ll have to do it without the rest of the UCLA team cheering him on from the stands, something he and junior distance runner Emily Scharmann have had over the home stand.
“There’s going to be a lot less of the team there on Thursday night, and then Friday, too, so the atmosphere is a lot different,” Scharmann said. “But there’s definitely still the mentality that the rest of the team is behind us. We want to inspire them for the next day (against A&M).”
Even without the rest of the team, Mt. SAC is self-advertised as “where the world’s best athletes compete,” and as such, draws a sizable crowd and hundreds of high school, collegiate and professional teams every year. With that atmosphere there will be plenty of spectator energy for the Bruins to feed off of.
As an extra boost, the No. 1 and No. 5 Aggies will be there. Like the Bruins, they will send their own distance runners to Mt. SAC, so both teams have agreed to limit the track events to 1500 meters and shorter for Saturday’s dual meet.
The lack of long-distance events will hurt UCLA since Texas A&M only has two male runners in the top 100 nationally for events longer than 1500 meters, compared to the Bruin men’s seven. The Bruin women have one – Scharmann is 69th in the 3000 steeplechase – to A&M’s none.
And in a meet with nearly all the distance events scratched, sprinting points will be more valuable than ever.
Over the sprints events – 100, 200 and 400 meter dashes, 110 and 400 meter hurdles – the Texas A&M women have 19 times in the 100 fastest times in the nation, the men have 15. The UCLA women and men? Five and three.
Nevertheless, UCLA has a history of performing above their potential in dual meets, and spirits are high.
“I’m not scared,” said freshman sprinter Angie Annelus. “It’s good competition. And I feel like if we come and we show up, we’ll be just as good if not better.”
Email Hull at [email protected] or tweet @michaelchull.
