NCAA Track and Field Championships : UCLA Men Are Expected to Run Away With Another Title

EUGENE, Ore. — Some track coaches don’t like to depend on sprinters and hurdlers in championship meets because they’re more susceptible to injuries and mishaps.

However, the speed factor is UCLA’s edge in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. track and field meet that begins today at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.

UCLA’s men’s team is favored to repeat as NCAA champion with its stable of sprinters and hurdlers, namely Danny Everett, Henry Thomas, Kevin Young, Mike Marsh, and Steve Lewis.

The Bruin women’s team is mainly relying on multi-talented Gail Devers to win a team title to complement the men.

Last year, Bob Larsen’s men’s team ran away with the championship in Baton Rouge, La., compiling 81 points to 28 for runner-up Texas--the largest winning margin in the history of the NCAA meet.

Even though the Bruins still have athletes who contributed 48 points in 1987, they’re not expected to be as dominant. Texas and Arkansas are UCLA’s primary challengers.

“Some people think it will be easy for us because our sprinters were so visible last year and they’re all back,” Larsen said. “But people forget the guys we lost who gave us an all-around type of team. We’re dependent on sprinters and, if they’re not ready, that would put us back in the pack quickly.”

It isn’t likely based on recent performances. Consider:

--Everett, a junior, and Lewis, a freshman, recorded the two best times in the world this year in the 400, 44.34 and 44.65 seconds, respectively, in a 1-2 finish in the recent Pacific 10 Conference meet.

Lewis wasn’t even projected for any meaningful points in the 400 a month ago, and now there’s a possibility that UCLA could realize 18 points out of the 400 alone.

--Kevin Young is the defending NCAA champion in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles and he’s a solid favorite to retain his title based on his time of 48.71 in the Pac-10 meet, another world best.

--It may be more difficult for Marsh to finish third in the 100 as he did last year considering the quality of sprinters in college ranks, but he’s a reliable athlete.

It’s a similar situation for Thomas, who finished third in the 200 in 1987. He was also third in the Pac-10 meet May 22 behind California’s Atlee Mahorn and Everett and his opposition is imposing--Mississippi State’s Lorenzo Daniel (19.93), Houston’s Joe DeLoach (19.98), Baylor’s Michael Johnson (20.07) and Mahorn (20.21). Thomas best time is a school record 20.18.

--However, UCLA should collect a bundle of points in the relays. The 1,600-meter team set a collegiate record of 3:00.55 in last year’s meet--without Lewis. The Bruins have a best time of 3:00.81 this season and are capable of being the first college team to go under three minutes.

The 400-meter team set a school record of 38.59 in the Pac-10 meet, fourth fastest ever by a college team.

On a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring basis, the Bruins should pick up some more points, however modest, from weightmen Dave Wilson, Peter Thompson and Brian Blutreich and Joe Duarte in the decathlon. Blutreich became a late qualifier in the shotput Sunday in a meet at Mt. San Antonio College.

Larsen said he’s not going to overwork his blue-chip athletes, meaning that Everett, Thomas, Marsh, Lewis and Kevin Young will participate in only one individual event in addition to the two relays.

Bob Kersee, UCLA’s women’s coach, doesn’t have the option, though, of restricting Devers if the Bruins expect to win the team championship in what appears to be close competition with Texas, and possibly LSU, or Alabama. Devers is entered in the 100, 100-meter hurdles and long jump and will run on both relay teams, although Kersee is considering keeping her off the teams in the qualifying rounds.

Devers is the co-holder of the American record with Jackie Joyner-Kersee in the 100-meter hurdles at 12.61 seconds. Her 100 time of 11.14 and long jump mark of 22 feet 2 1/2 inches leads the collegiate women’s list.

“If everything goes right for us, we have a good chance of winning,” Kersee said, adding that he anticipates three victories from Devers.

A highlight of the meet will be Devers’ competition with Carlette Guidry, Texas’ outstanding freshman, in the 100 and long jump.

Devers, a senior, has yet to win an individual title in the NCAA meet. Untimely injuries have frustrated her previously.

Devers’ supporting cast includes 400-meter hurdler-quartermiler Janeene Vickers, discus throwers-shotputters Kris Larson and Tracie Millett and 1,500-meter runner Laura Chapel.

USC will be represented by only a token men’s team of high hurdler Robert Reading, intermediate hurdler George Porter and half-miler Ibrahim Okash.

The Trojan women finished third last year, but don’t have the depth to contend for the team title.

However, Wendy Brown is favored to win the heptathlon and score high in the triple jump along with Yvette Bates. Lesley Noll will be in contention to win the 800.

Track Notes

Heptathlon competition begins today and will conclude Thursday. The women’s 10,000 meters tonight is the only other final the first two days with qualifying in the other events. . . . Arkansas could threaten the UCLA men for the team title along with Texas, but Joe Falcon, the defending NCAA 10,000 meter champion, isn’t expected to double, but concentrate only on the 1,500. . . . Texas has a balanced men’s team featuring distance runner Harry Green, long jumper Eric Metcalf, intermediate hurdler Winthrop Graham, high jumper Jon Shelton, triple jumper Johnny Washington, javelin thrower Stefan Petersson and decathlete Rusty Hunter. . . . UCLA has qualified 12 athletes for 15 men’s events compared to 18 qualifiers last year . . . NCAA defending champions competing in the men’s division: TCU’s Raymond Stewart, 100 meters; UCLA’s Kevin Young, 400-meter hurdles; Illinois State’s Tom Smith, high jump; Washington State’s Stefan Jonsson, hammer thrower and Kansas State’s Kenny Harrison, triple jump. Defending women’s champions: Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor, 1,500; Villanova’s Vicki Huber, 3,000; Tennessee’s LaVonna Martin, 100-meter hurdles; Nebraska’s Linetta Wilson, 400 hurdles; Cal’s Sheila Hudson, triple jump; Washington State’s Laura Lavine, discus and Abilene Christian’s Mazel Thomas, high jump.