By Christina Teller Daily Bruin Contributor
While UCLA students were on spring break, the Bruin track and
field squads were still competing, garnering valuable experience at
the Stanford Invitational and the UC San Diego Open on March 25 and
26 before holding their second home meet of the season on April 1.
With the outdoor track and field season underway, the Bruins appear
in good form on both sides.
In a span of seven days, the UCLA men’s and women’s track and
field teams also competed at the NCAA National Indoor Championships
in Fayetteville, Ark.
The women won the meet at home, christening the newly renovated
Drake Stadium. The Bruins defeated Wyoming, Iowa and Cal State
Northridge in the meet, while setting two new stadium records in
spite of the Santa Ana winds blowing through Drake Stadium.
Sophomore vaulter Tracy O’Hara, the indoor national champion,
broke both the Drake Stadium and the Pac-10 outdoor record with her
14-1 1/4 leap.
Sophomore Heather Sickler and junior Erica Hoernig notched
impressive marks with their 12-9 1/2 vaults, earning them a tie for
second place and provisional qualifying marks.
"To get that done on a day where really the atmosphere was kind
of low, in terms of the small crowd and the challenging weather
conditions, is outstanding," UCLA assistant coach Eric Peterson
said.
Junior Michelle Perry was a double winner in the hurdle events.
Perry finished first in the 100-meter hurdles in 13.61 seconds to
earn a provisional qualification, and ran 1:01.38 to win the
400-meter hurdles.
Junior Christina Tollson continued her strong performances from
the early season, launching a 204-5 hammer throw to win the meet.
Senior Seilala Sua placed third with her 198- 10 throw, and
freshman Carrie Soong earned third with her 185-1 mark.
Sua, the indoor national champion in the shot put, earned
another first place finish and an automatic qualification with her
55-5 1/2-inch throw, while Tolson earned second and a provisional
qualification with a toss of 54-9 1/4.
The UCLA men’s team has continued to gain momentum through each
meet. As more athletes return to eligibility, the Bruins continue
to increase in depth and strength. Though the team has fallen to an
early 1-2 record, it is the upcoming conference and national meets
that carry the greatest weight for the UCLA men.
Junior vaulter Brian McLaughlin, who placed fourth in the indoor
national championships, cleared 17-9 in San Diego to earn himself
both a provisional qualifier and a lifetime- best outdoor mark.
On the track, junior hurdler John Hall and junior sprinter Bryan
Harrison led the Bruins with two wins apiece at the April 1 meet.
Hall clinched first in both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdle
events, clocking 14.62 seconds and 51 seconds, respectively, his
best this season. Harrison swept both of the sprinting events with
times of 10.59 in the 100 meters and 21.05, a season best, in the
200 meters.
The Bruin men have been affected by injuries from key players in
the early part of their season. The return of senior Michael
Granville for the home meet, in which he placed first in the 400
meters with a time of 46.31 seconds, made a noticeable
difference.
"If we had had this team two weeks ago, we would have won the
meets we lost," UCLA men’s head coach Art Venegas said. "With
Granville returning, it added tremendous talent."
In the field events, sophomore Scott Moser made his mark for the
Bruins in the discus, as did freshman Nate Marum in the javelin.
Moser placed second in the discus with his 194- 7 throw, though
that distance was possibly affected by the Santa Ana winds gusting
onto the field from left to right, which posed a challenge for the
right-handed Moser. Marum placed first in the javelin with a throw
of 212-8.
Senior Jess Strutzel, meanwhile, has not competed in his primary
event, the 800 meters, since the opening of outdoor competition,
but he placed second in the 400 meters in 46.9 seconds. Strutzel
won the individual national title in the 800 in Fayetteville.
"After winning a national championship in an event, you need to
lay low for a while," Venegas said, adding that Strutzel may
compete in the 800 in the upcoming Mt. Sac Invitational.
With a weekend off, the Bruin track teams will rest in
preparation for a tough following weekend. Three days of
competition at host Pomona-Pitzer and Mt. Sac College will give the
UCLA athletes opportunities to attain the coveted outdoor
qualifying marks for the national meet.