By Moin Salahuddin
Daily Bruin Staff
The streak of eight straight wins over USC in football is
gone.
Ten consecutive victories over the Trojans in basketball was
snapped.
Now, the UCLA men’s track and field squad will try to curb
the current trend of Trojan up-endings in the new millennium and
hopes to extend its own winning streak over its crosstown rival to
22 at Drake Stadium Saturday.
“Welcome to a real serious, knockdown track meet,”
UCLA sprinting coach John Smith said. “It’s a meet
where Olympians are made. This is a meet where dreams are made,
where stars are born.”
“This meet is vitally important to track and field,”
USC head coach Ron Allice added.
In one of the greatest meets in series history last year at
USC’s Cromwell Field, the heavily favored Trojans could not
stop a furious rally by the Bruins to edge USC, 82-81.
“It’s only fun when it’s really close,”
UCLA distance coach and former head coach Bob Larsen said of the
dual meet history.
Now the Trojans are favored once again, but have the unenviable
task of trying to break “the streak.”
“We’ve had this streak going since I’ve been
born,” NCAA 800 meter champion Jess Strutzel said.
With the departure of UCLA All-Americans Brian Fell, Travis
Haynes, Wade Tift and Luke Sullivan, the Bruins are considerably
thinner than in years past.
But as UCLA head coach Art Venegas added, one has to
“throw everything out the window” when these two fabled
squads match up in dual-meet format.
While the Trojans still lead the all-time series 38-28, UCLA
hopes to extend the streak, led by Strutzel and the defending NCAA
champion 1,600 meter relay team.
Strutzel will double up and compete in the 800 and 1,500 meters.
The senior captured both of those events last year against the
Trojans.
“I understand USC is going to give 110 percent,”
said a smiling Strutzel. “Well, we’re gonna give 111
percent.”
All-American Michael Granville is coming off a leg injury but
will still compete in the 800 meters, and open up the 1,600 meter
relay.
Seniors Terrence Williams and Malachi Davis will race in the
open 400 meters and team up in the relay as well.
“We plan on coming out, representing, and show that we are
the national champs,” Williams said.
While UCLA should be able to dominate the distance events,
comprising the 800, 1,500, 3,000 meter steeplechase and the 5,000
meters, USC will counter in the sprints.
Led by Pac-10 champions Sultan McCullough and Felix Sanchez, the
Trojans possess one of the most powerful sprinting squads in the
nation.
Bruin Bryan Harrison has the best shot of breaking up sweeps in
the 100 and 200 meters. Harrison has run 10.28 and 20.78
respectively.
“This is one of the few meets where you can run a personal
record and still be upset,” Harrison said.
Sanchez could win the 400 intermediate hurdles but UCLA’s
John Hall is gunning for a personal-best in the event.
“I’m hoping that (Sanchez) will bring me through
with a personal record,” said Hall, who will also compete in
the 110 meter high hurdles.
Coupled with a strong jumping and throwing contingent, USC is
heavily favored on paper ““ if the meet went according to
personal bests.
But collegiate competition, especially between these two
schools, never goes quite according to plan.
“We don’t like each other,” Smith said
jokingly. “We’re going to fight to the death. And
hopefully, we’re going to fight in the stands.”
“We’re bringing it,” he added.
The Trojans, however, will not be happy without a victory.
“If we don’t win, I’m not gonna graduate a
happy man,” senior Trojan hammer thrower David Spitz
said.
UCLA lost earlier this season to Cal and Washington in dual
meets and appears to be stumbling in to its “first real meet
of the season,” as judged by Smith.
“It’s like bringing two families together,”
Hall added.
Smith agreed.
“When a kid comes through the ranks in Southern
California, they dream about going to UCLA and USC,” he
said.
But Smith emphasized that in front of an expected crowd of
10,000, the Bruins will not wilt under the intense pressure.
“We’re taking no hostages,” he said.