Friday, May 1, 1998
UCLA will try to run streak to 20 vs. USC
TRACK: Cougars, Trojans will make meet with Bruins
‘interesting’
By Donald Morrison
Daily Bruin Staff
Combined, the UCLA football and basketball teams have beaten USC
15 straight times. However, that’s fewer than the 19 straight times
the men’s track and field team has beaten its crosstown rival.
Saturday at Drake Stadium the No. 7 Bruins will try to extend
that winning streak to 20 when the reigning Pac-10 Champion Trojans
and Brigham Young University visit.
UCLA won last year’s duel with USC 88-75 and beat BYU 123-33.
The last time Southern Cal upended the Bruins was in 1977 when they
won 91-63 at Drake. This year’s meet promises to be exciting.
"This could be a very close meet," said UCLA head coach Bob
Larsen, who is 13-0 against USC. "If you look at this season’s best
marks between the two teams, it’s very close. There will be many
interesting events."
The most interesting event could be the 400-meter relay. USC
comes into the meet ranked first in the Pac-10 with a time of 39.79
seconds. The Bruins, who will probably run Jacob Glickman, Bryan
Harrison, Damian Allen and Jim McElroy, enter the race ranked
second in the conference with a mark of 39.80 seconds.
UCLA is also trying to avenge last year’s loss in the relay,
when they were disqualified after a missed pass on a handoff of the
baton.
"Here, it’s whoever is the best on that day – flat out athletic
ability against athletic ability," McElroy said. "It’s personal.
It’s you against them."
McElroy and the rest of the sprinters will be going head-to-head
against a strong USC corps. Allen will face Jerome Davis, the 1997
Pac-10 400-meter champion, in that event. Davis leads the Pac-10
with a time of 45.35 seconds. Allen is fourth at 46.70.
The 200-meter dash could also be very interesting if Allen and
Davis compete. Allen is third in the Pac-10 with a mark of 20.96
seconds and Davis is second with a time of 20.90 seconds.
The 100-meter dash should be competitive with McElroy and
Harrison going against Charles Lee and Marques Holiwell. Holiwell
and Lee are tied for second in the Pac-10 with a mark of 10.39
seconds. Harrison is fourth at 10.53 seconds, and McElroy is
seventh at 10.61.
UCLA should control all the distance events but could receive
some competition from BYU. Michael Granville will run the
800-meters outdoors for the second time this season. He ran 1:50.31
last weekend in Fresno at the Cal-Nevada Championships. Jess
Strutzel is a possibility for the 800-meters but will most likely
run the 1,500-meters.
Mebrahtom Keflezighi is toying with the idea of running the
800-meters but will, in all likelihood, run the 1,500-meters and
the 5,000-meters along with teammate Mark Hauser. Hauser and
Keflezighi both earned automatic qualifying berths to the NCAA
Championships in the 5,000-meters.
The field events will also be competitive. Scott Slover is the
favorite to win the pole vault competition but could get stiff
competition from Dennis Kholev of USC. Kholev has vaulted 17 feet,
6 inches. Slover leads the Pac-10 at 18-6 1/2.
Mel Moultry of UCLA and Djeke and Kedjeloba Mambo will battle
for the triple-jump win, and Rich Pitchford should handle all
competition in the high jump.
UCLA will receive battles in the throwing events. While Travis
Haynes and Wade Tift should finish first and second in the shot
put, the Bruins must watch out for Trojans in the discus and hammer
throws.
Luke Sullivan will have his hands full in the discus with USC’s
Gordon Hovey. Hovey has thrown 193-2 this season. Sullivan set a
personal record last week in the discus with a mark of 193-7.
Bengt Johansson is second in the Pac-10 in the hammer throw for
the Trojans with a mark of 234-4. Tift and Sullivan have thrown
193-4 and 204-2, respectively, this season.
The Bruins will have home field advantage but USC was caught by
some Bruins last Saturday morning working out at Drake Stadium in
preparation for the meet.
USC head coach Ron Allice is 0-3 against UCLA and wants to end
the streak before he leaves USC.
"To really measure a team is how it matches up against another
team one-on-one," Allice said.
"I would just like to get one from UCLA before I leave USC –
whether it’s this weekend or five years from now."
The field events start at 11 a.m. and the running events,
starting at 1 p.m, will conclude at 4 p.m. with the 1,600-meter
relay.