Ross Blackman
Photos by Linnet Myers
Albert Hearvey
It’s Oregon distance stars
against UCLA overall depth
Steve Prefontaine officially scratched from the
mile and six-mile events yesterday evening.
Rumors had circulated all week that Pre would
run only his specialty, the three-mile, but with the
official confirmation, Oregon’s slim chances of
upsetting UCLA for the Pac-8 championship were
stretched even slimmer.
Now the team chase is mainly up to UCLA to
either win or blow.
Last year the Bruins, then one of the best dual
meet track and field teams ever, relaxed in the
Pacific-8 championships and USC went streaking by
for the title. The shocked Bruins woke up however in
time to easily sweep the NCAA title for the second
straight year.
“We learned a valuable lesson last year,” said
UCLA coach Jim Bush yesterday. “I thought there
was no way we could lose, but we did.”
But then last year USC was much stronger and
the Bruins weren’t as deep in talent as this year.
“Yes, we’re much stronger this year,” Bush
went on. “But then USC has a strong team, and
Oregon has a strong team and the other teams can
cut you up a bit. We can’t take anything for gran
ted.”
Naturally after last year’s slip-up, Bush can’t
afford to be overconfident this time around.
But the decision to hold Prefontaine to one event
certainly will help bolster Bush’s confidence. Pre
had once mentioned he would triple if necessary to
beat the Bruins.
And Bush knows as well as anyone Pie could
run a very effective triple if he was healthy. It was
against Bush’s Bruins at Hayward Field April 14,
that Pre ran the best double in history, according to
the Portuguese Tables.
Pre won’t run anywhere other than in the three
mile because an ailing back kept him from training
for the last week or more. Three other Ducks,
however, will double.
Todd Lathers, Bob Grubbs and Knut Kvalheim
will all attempt to score in two events. Kvalheim
will have a particularly tough double, running the
mile and the three-mile, both Saturday within 70
minutes of each other.
Kvalheim could score in both races. His mile
time of 3:58.2 has been bettered only by Oregon
State’s Hailu Ebba (3:58.1). Although he hasn’t run
the three-mile this year, he has a good 8:47.2 two
mile to his credit.
Lathers, who has run the nation’s fastest
steeple-chase time this year, will start in his
specialty this afternoon at 2:45. He’ll then double
back in the mile Saturday at 2:15.
Grubbs will double in the two longest races of
the meet. He and Mike Long are favored to score
heavily in the six-mile today, then Grubbs will
return in the three-mile Saturday.
In Oregon’s strongest events, the Ducks have
entered four in the mile and five in the three-mile.
Needless to say, Oregon must score heavily in the
distances to stay close to the Bruins.
Oregon’s real title hopes rely on unlikely heroes
such as Ross Blackman who could score third place
points in the long jump, and Vince Buford who is
trying to return from an untimely injury that has
plagued him until last weekend.
Triple jumpers Ed Bilusak and Marc Hadenfeld
could also supply key points.
Mac Wilkins will score. Probably first in the
discus and possibly third in the shot. Albert
Hearvey and John Mays should score in the sprints,
and freshman Craig Brigham should capture the
two-day decathlon. Dave Hagmeier should get
points in the 440.
The mile relay and 440 relay teams should score
behind UCLA and USC. And Steve Bence should get
anywhere from first to fifth place points in the tough
880 lineup.
These are probable points.
What Oregon needs to upset the UCLA clan is
improbable points.
Such as Jeff Carter in the javelin, where he may
need a personal best to break into the scoring. Paul
Wilkinson will need to overcome a sore, recently
healed cut foot to score in the intermediate hurdles.
Most discouraging to Oregon is the fact, even if
the Ducks come through with unexpected points
here and there, along with the expected points,
UCLA still has to blow it before Oregon can win the
conference title.
The UCLA 440 yard relay team has to drop the
baton, which it has somehow managed to do in the
big meets over the last couple years. The mile relay
team would have to run out of its lane.
All-purpose field event man Rory Kotinek
would have to break a leg; Benny Brown, Gordon
Peppars and Anthony Veney would have to call in
sick.
If all this happened, only then might the meet be
close.
The Bruins have that much depth.
Pac-8 1972 place winners returning
SHORT RACES:
100
3. Albert Hearvey (Oregon) 9.5; 5. John Mays
(Oregon) 9.7; 6. Ken Curl (Stanford), 9.7.
1971 Placers returning: 4. A1 Hearvey (Oregon) 9.7.
x 220
4. Benny Brown (UCLA) 21.4; 6. Don Quarrie
(USC) 29.0. 1971 Placers returning: None.
440
3. Benny Brown (UCLA) 45.9; 4. Vincent Buford
(Oregon) 46.6. 1971 Placers returning: 6. Doug
Chapman (Oregon) 47.5.
MIDDLE DISTANCES:
880
1. Rick Brown (California) 1:47.7; 2. Steve Bence
(Oregon) 1:48.6; 4. Nathan Burks (USC) 1:50.8; 6.
Ricco Sanchez (UCLA) 1:51.4. 1971 Placers
returning: 1. Rick Brown (California) 1:49.1.
MILE
1. Hailu Ebba (OSU) 4:03.2; 3. Brian Mittelstaedt
(Stanford) 4:05.3; 4. Rick Albright (Washington)
4:05.7. 1971 Placers returning: 1. Steve Prefontaine
(Oregon) 4:01.5; 3. KnutKvalheim (Oregon) 4:02.4.
DISTANCES:
3 MILE
1. Steve Prefontaine (Oregon) 12:32.2; 3. Pat Tyson
(Oregon) 13:38.2; 5. Phil Burkwist (WSU) 13:43.8.
1971 Placers returning: 1. Steve Prefontaine
(Oregon) 13:17.9; 5. Dan Murphy, (WSU) 13:47.5;
6. Knut Kvalheim (Oregon) 14:01.2.
STEEPLECHASE
3. Leonard Hill (OSU) 8:55.6; 4. Mike Long
(Oregon) 8:59.2; 6. Dean Clark (WSU) 9:07.2. 1971
Placers returning: 2. Todd Lathers (Oregon)
8:40.4; 5. Mike Long (Oregon) 9:04.1; 6. Knut
Kvalheim (Oregon) 9:12.3.
HURDLES:
120H
1. Charles Rich (UCLA) 13.7; 2. Jerry Wilson (USC)
14.0; 3. Bob Coffman (USC) 14.0; 6. Dave Bagshaw
(Stanford) 14.2.
440H
3. Jeff Oveson (OSU) 52.6; 4. Paul Wilkinson
(Oregon) 52.7; 6. Terry Lavery (Washington) 53.1.
THROWING EVENTS:
SHOT PUT
3. Spike Walker (OSU) 60-9%; 6. Mae''Wilkins
(Oregon) 57-10%.
DISCUS
2. Mac Wilkins (Oregon) 185-4; 3. Dale Gordon
(UCLA) 177-10; 4. Roger Freberg (UCLA) 172-8.
1971 Placers returning; 4. Chris Adams (Califor
nia) 173-10; 5. Roger Freberg (UCLA) 170-8; 6.
Dale Gordon (UCLA) 170-5.
JAVELIN
1. Bruce Kennedy (California) 249-5; 3. Gary
Quitslund (Washington) 248-7 ; 6. Jim Judd (OSU)
231-11. 1971 Placers returning: 2. Bruce Kennedy
(California) 233-2.
JUMPING EVENTS:
LONG JUMP
1. Randy Williams (USC) 25-8; 2. Finn Bendixen
(UCLA) 25-5; 4. John Delamere (WSU) 24-10%w; 6.
Rory Kotinek (UCLA) 24-4%. 1971 Placers retur
ning: 3. Finn Bendixen (UCLA) 25-4V4; 6. Tom
Anderson (Stanford) 25-2%w.
TRIPLE JUMP
4. Milan Tiff (UCLA) 50-101/4; 5. Randy Williams
(USC) 49-4%; 6. Rod Utley (Stanford) 49-1.
HIGH JUMP
2. Rick Fletcher (UCLA) 7-1; 3. Dean Owens (USC)
7-0; 6. Bob Niehl (WSU) 6-10. 1971 Placers retur
ning: 3. Rich Fletcher (UCLA) 6-10.
POLE VAULT
2. Robert Pullard (USC) 16-3; 5. Brad Skvobo
(OSU) 15-9; 6. Mike Weidig (California) 15-9. 1971
Placers returning: 3. Francois Tracanelli (UCLA)
17-0.