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Friday, May 31, 1996

Boldon out of 200m, relay out of whack without sprinterBy Emmanuelle Ejercito

Daily Bruin Staff

Just how much did Ibrahim Hassan's strained hamstring, suffered two weeks ago at the Pacific 10 Conference meet, hurt the UCLA men's track team's attempt to wrench the NCAA title away from four-time defending champion Arkansas this week in Eugene, Ore.?

Ask UCLA head coach Bob Larsen.

"(Hassan's) a big factor," Larsen said. "Without him, it eliminated our options and, of course, took points away that we would have had. We thought that Hassan was going to be in the top three in the 400 (meters)."

"Without Hassan we are more of a mid-40 (team). But anything is possible."

The Razorbacks derive their strength from the jumps and the distances. Arkansas has the top collegiate athletes in the long jump, triple jump, 10,000 and 5,000 meters. The Bruins countered Arkansas's prowess with their own potency in the sprints. But with the absence of Hassan the possibility of points for UCLA diminishes.

The loss of Hassan not only translates into a loss of points in the 400m race, but a possible 10 point loss in the 400m relay as well.

With Hassan, the relay team had the fastest time in the country (39.10). Without him the fastest time UCLA recorded was a half-second slower. Slowed by passing problems between Ato Boldon and Erik Allen during the semifinal race Wednesday night, the Bruins clocked in at 39.68. Hopefully for UCLA, the same problems won't arise today during the relay final at 5:20 p.m.

Hassan's absence also factors into why Boldon will not defend his national title in the 200m. With a vital leg already missing on its relay team, UCLA needs Boldon to run the 400m relay. Having to run in two qualifying rounds plus the final, Boldon is being limited to the 100m and the relay by the coaches to limit risk of injury in the cool temperatures. Boldon, the odds-on favorite in the 100m, would surely have been favored in the 200m as well, as his 20.00 is the nation's fastest time.

"If he is running in the qualifying rounds in real cold weather, it could be easy for him to get injured and it's an Olympic year," Larsen said. "It's better to be safe than sorry. (Boldon) would have liked to do both, but (UCLA sprints coach) John Smith felt that it was better to go with one race this year."

But the sprints team is not the only point source for UCLA.

The Bruins are well represented in the shot put and have a chance to earn quite a few points in the event with its three entrants.

As the national leader with a throw of 64-feet-8-inches in the shot put, Mark Parlin is a favorite to win the event. Fellow Bruin Jonathan Ogden, the national indoor champion is also considered a threat with the fifth-best throw in the country. A surprising participant for UCLA in the shot is Wade Tift. Tift had been ranked 19th in the nation and the NCAA invited the top 16. But shifts in the standings, such as withdrawals due to injury, allowed Tift to creep into the championships.

Another possible scorer for the Bruins is distance runner Mebrahtom Keflezighi in the 5,000m.

"I think that Keflezighi is on most people's dope chart at about fifth," Larsen said. "But he could do better. He is capable of winning it or being in the top three."

Meanwhile, David Dumble will throw the discus for UCLA in today's final.

The finals scheduled for Saturday, the last day of competition, include the shot put, the 100m, 200m and 5,000m races.