There isn’t much glory for collegiate track athletes in the indoor season. Everybody can picture the Summer Olympics Games of 2008 in Beijing – Usain Bolt breaking the world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, carrying the Jamaican flag on his back as he ran around the track. Read more...

Photo: The outdoor and indoor track and field seasons are two distinct aspects of the overall sport. Many teams consider the indoor portion, like next weekend’s competition at Kansas State, to be a warm-up for the outdoor. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin staff and creative commons photo via Wikipedia)

In the first meet of the NCAA indoor season, the UCLA track and field team had several strong performances in Flagstaff, Arizona. While numerous members of the team repeated as individual winners at this meet, such as sophomore Leon Powell in the 60-meter dash and junior Austin Hazel in the long jump, true freshman Rai Benjamin was the highlight of the competition. Read more...

Photo: UCLA was led by junior Cody Crampton in the high jump. Crampton posted a 6-10.75 in the Bruins’ first competition of the season. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)

The track and field offseason can be a less-than-forgiving set of months with hundreds of hours of training and little else. For the distance team, cross country in the fall provides a welcome relief, but for the others, the thrills of competition are not present to reward their year-round efforts. Read more...

Photo: On top of being a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time Pac-12 conference champion, senior Nicholas Scarvelis also finished 15th in the shot put at the 2015 NCAA championship. (Daily Bruin file photo)

Redshirt senior Derek Eager was right on the bubble. In the 2015 NCAA Division I West Preliminary Championships in Austin, Texas, this past weekend, Eager needed to finish in the top 12 in the javelin competition to qualify for the NCAA championship meet in Eugene, Ore., on June 10. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt senior javelin thrower Derek Eager qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Tournament with his final throw in competition this weekend. (UCLA Athletics)

The field of competitors in Division I outdoor track and field has dwindled from thousands to the top 96 for each individual event. Of those 96 top athletes in each individual event, the top 48 in the East will compete in the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla., starting Thursday, while the top 48 in the West will travel to Austin, Texas, to compete in the NCAA West Regional. Read more...

Photo: Redshirt senior thrower Alec Faldermeyer said he feels a bit of pressure entering the NCAA Regional because he’s never failed to qualify for the NCAA championship meet. For Faldermeyer to qualify for nationals for the fourth straight year, he must finish in the top 12 in the country at regionals. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)