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NORTHRIDGE — Isn’t it great when a plan comes together?

For the UCLA men’s track and field team, the answer is an unequivocal yes.

This weekend everything at the NCAA West Regionals went as planned for the Bruins, who qualified almost every athlete they hoped to for the upcoming NCAA Championships en route to a convincing victory in the team competition.

Fifteen Bruins earned berths for Nationals as UCLA amassed 141 points, almost 60 more than second-place USC (82).

More importantly, though, the team qualified at least one athlete in every event it competed in and will be sending the largest delegation of Bruins to Nationals in the program’s history.

“I’m thrilled that so many of our kids have the opportunity to go to Austin for the NCAA Championships,” coach Art Venegas said. “It’s good to see our athletes be a team and have each other’s backs.

“People say that track is such an individual sport. I’ve tried to get away from that way of thinking with this team. Our success is due to coming together as a team.”

The Bruin athletes showcased a well-rounded performance throughout both the field and track events this weekend, helping them win the team title. They will be well-represented in nearly every unit, save the 200-meter sprint, long distances, high jump and triple jump, for which they had no athletes competing. By having so many athletes qualify, UCLA appears to be in contention for a top-10 spot at Nationals. The team’s national standing marks a definite progression for the program.

“I feel the rankings are fairly accurate,” Venegas said of his No. 7 team. “We have some upside and we have some downside. But that seventh ranking is fairly accurate.”

“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t get a top-10 finish,” he added.

Leading the team as expected was senior thrower Dan Ames. For the second meet in a row, Ames won the trifecta of throwing events with a mark of 64 feet, 3.25 inches in the shot put, 189-4 in the discus, and 206-5 in the hammer. His teammate Jeremy Silverman also qualified in the shot put, finishing second with a personal best 64-0.50.

On the track, sprinter Craig Everhart and hurdler Brandon Johnson continued to impress with their individual wins. Everhart’s winning time of 44.89 seconds in the 400-meter dash was not only a new personal best but also an automatic Olympic trial qualifying standard.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s 49.64 time in 400m hurdles proved his electrifying 48.85 performance at the Pac-10 Championship was no fluke. At the Pac-10s, Johnson had beaten his previous personal best by almost two and one-half seconds.

Both Johnson and Everhart also helped the 4x400m relay team get an invitation to Austin. The team finished third in 3:06.15, behind Arizona State and Oregon. The 4x100m relay team also qualified with a season-best 39.69 seconds.

“We haven’t decided yet if we will run both,” sprints coach Tony Veney said of his two relay teams. “If you try to do both, you may lose both and you make injury a factor. It’s better to take the sure bet and not get greedy.”

On the field, Juaune Armon only needed two successful long jumps to be satisfied with a qualifying mark. His 25-foot jump was second to USC’s Allen Simms.

Pole vaulters Yoo Kim and Pat Luke also qualified, with Kim finishing second (17-7) behind Oregon’s Tommy Skipper. Skipper set a new NCAA Outdoor record at 18-10.50, while Luke slipped to fifth (17-3).

With solid performances from the entire UCLA men’s team, Austin, it seems, will be flooded with blue and gold.