Friday, March 13, 1998
Team looks for a good run at indoor tourney
M-TRACK: Bruins send possibly the best squad ever to
championships
By Donald Morrison
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA men’s track and field team will send a little bit of
everything to the NCAA Indoor Championships at Indianapolis,
Ind.
The Bruins are sending arguably their best team ever to the
indoor nationals – and their most balanced.
"In general, I like the team," UCLA assistant coach Art Venegas
said. "I like the fact that we have sprinters, jumpers, throwers,
distance runners and a distance medley relay team. I think it’s
wonderful."
Leading the 11-member squad will be Mebrahtom Keflezighi.
Keflezighi is the defending 5,000-meter indoor champion and is
looking to repeat and garner his fifth NCAA individual
championship.
Keflezighi will have to battle Brad and Brent Hauser from
Stanford, as well as a sore tendon in his lower left leg. UCLA head
coach Bob Larsen said Keflezighi could still pull off a
victory.
"He’s running stronger now than he did a few weeks ago but his
speed isn’t where it should be because we had to cut back on his
workouts lately," Larsen said.
Scott Slover looks poised to claim a national title in the pole
vault. Slover is currently tied with Texas’ Jacob Davis for the
best vault in the nation at 18 feet, 2 1/2 inches.
The distance-medley-relay team comes into the meet with the
second best time in the country, but has to shift its lineup
because of Keflezighi’s minor injury.
Jess Strutzel will run the 1,200-meters, Damian Allen will run
the 400-meters, Michael Granville will run the 800-meters and
anchor, and Mark Hauser will do the 1,600-meters.
Hauser will also compete in the 3,000 meters and could place,
Larsen believes, in the top eight.
Sprinters Jim McElroy and Damian Allen will try to do some
damage to a tough sprinting field. McElroy will run the 55-meter
dash , holding the 17th best mark in the country with a time of
6.17 seconds.
Allen will run the 200-meters and his time of 21.16 seconds is
the 13th best time in the nation.
Senior Mel Moultry will make his first appearance at the indoor
nationals, competing in the triple jump .
Travis Haynes and Wade Tift will both compete in the shot put.
Haynes, a two-time All-American in the event, has the 10th best
mark in the nation. Tift’s mark of 61-0 1/4 is good enough for
13th.
Luke Sullivan will be the other thrower competing at nationals.
Sullivan owns a mark of 66-9 3/4 in the 35-pound weight throw and
hopes to improve on that this weekend.