Pacific 10 Track and Field Meet : Everett Romps in 400; UCLA Men and Women Win

Danny Everett had a notion that he would run a 400-meter race Sunday at the Pacific 10 Conference track and field championships at Drake Stadium in a comfortable mid-45 seconds range.

The UCLA sprinter figured that he and teammates Steve Lewis and Anthony Washington could possibly run 1-2-3. Just a nice friendly run.

But Lewis, a freshman from Fremont, Calif., went out faster than Everett expected. It turned out to be a much faster race than anyone anticipated.

Everett caught Lewis at the 300-meter mark, then held him off down the stretch to win in the fast time of 44.34 seconds. Lewis was timed in 44.65, breaking the world junior record of 44.67 set by Darrell Robinson.

In winning, Everett equaled the school record set by his sprint coach, John Smith, in 1971. Only four Americans have ever run faster than Everett, headed by Lee Evans’ venerable world record of 43.86 set a high altitude in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

It was a gratifying day for Everett, a junior, and the Bruins. Everett ran a leg on a 400-meter relay team that was timed in 38.59 seconds, closing in on the collegiate record of 38.46 set by Texas Christian in 1986.

Then, late on a hazy, humid day, Everett came back to almost catch California’s Atlee Mahorn at the finish line of the 200. Mahorn won in 20.21, while Everett ran a personal best time of 20.23.

Everett set the tone for the entire UCLA men’s track team. The Bruins easily defended their Pac-10 championship by scoring 147 points. Washington State nudged Oregon for second, 80 to 76. USC was seventh with 52 points.

UCLA’s women’s team duplicated the men’s performance with a winning total of 143 points to repeat as team champion. Oregon was a distant second with 106 points. USC was fourth with 82 points.

Gail Devers fell a bit short of a sensational encore performance after breaking the American women’s 100-meter hurdle record with a time of 12.61 Saturday in a qualifying heat.

She settled for a time of 12.68, still faster than the previous record of 12.70 set by Jackie Joyner-Kersee on May 7 in Modesto. Devers also won the 100 in 11.05.

As expected, the men’s team’s strength in the sprints, hurdles and relays was overwhelming. The Bruins got 104 points out of the 100, 200, 400, both hurdles races, and the 400 and 1,600-meter relays.

UCLA Coach Bob Larsen said the prospect of his team repeating as National Collegiate Athletic Assn. champions was enhanced by the performance of Lewis.

Lewis, who turned 19 last Monday, strengthens the quality of UCLA’s relay teams in addition to supporting Everett in the 400 for the NCAA meet in Eugene, Ore. June 1-4.

“I was just freaked out,” Lewis said, referring to staying even with Everett down the stretch for a while. “But I lost (the race) in the last 15 meters. His form and technique stood up. I’m still learning.”

Said Everett: “I think Steve was a little nervous and he went out fast. I was at his shoulder at 200 meters, but then he went faster. At 300 meters, I knew we were going fast.”

Everett added that he was bit tired because he didn’t go into the race with his mind set on running in the low 44-second range.

“John Smith can’t give it away too quickly,” Larsen said of the school’s 400-meter record. “Danny has a lot more races in front of him.”

And so does Lewis.

“I think Steve surprised himself and everybody else,” Everett said. “He wanted to run in the mid-44s and he almost got it.”

Lewis added the finishing touch to UCLA’s already secured team victory in the 1,600-meter relay. He got the baton 12 meters behind Arizona State anchor man Gordon Bugg, but quickly made up ground as the Bruins won in 3:05.60. Mind you, Everett, Kevin Young and Henry Thomas didn’t even participate in the relay as they usually do--and the Bruins still won. Lewis took care of that with an unofficial time of 43.8 on his anchor lap.

Devers, who usually runs alone, had some competition in the 100-meter hurdles as Arizona State’s Lynda Tolbert had a time of 12.88 seconds in second place.

“I’m aware of other runners, but I try to block them out if someone is near me,” Devers said.

Devers wasn’t disappointed that she wasn’t able to lower her hurdles record. She added that she doesn’t like to have a set time in her mind because that would put limitations on herself. Other creditable performances:

--UCLA’s Kevin Young won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 48.71 seconds, best time in the world this year. He’s consistent as he was timed in 48.73 in a Saturday qualifying heat.

--Stanford’s Brian Marshall was the high jump winner with a meet record of 7 feet 5 3/4 inches.

--USC’s Lesley Noll was in control of her 800-meter race, winning in 2:04.60.

Track Notes

Bob Kersee, UCLA’s women coach, was grateful that his team won without over extending anyone while looking ahead to the NCAA meet. He was concerned, however, with Monica Phillips, who had a cramp in her abdomen after the 400 meters and was taken to the UCLA medical center. . . . Bob Larsen, UCLA’s men coach, had the same outlook as Kersee, saying, “The big part of the win was that we got through it with everybody healthy.” . . . UCLA is defending NCAA champion and Larsen expects a close team battle with Texas and Arkansas, a spread of about five to seven points. . . . As for Steve Lewis, Larsen said he knew he was a proven talent, but the young sprinter has exceeded his coach’s expectations. . . . Gail Devers scaled down on her usually busy schedule, not running the relays or 200. In fact, the UCLA women scratched from the 1,600-meter relay and still won the meet handily. . . . Robert Reading joined pole vaulter Lance Betson as the only USC winners in the men’s division. Reading won the 110-meter high hurdles in 13.82 seconds with UCLA’s Derek Knight a surprise second in 13.89. . . . USC’s Wendy Brown, who won the heptathlon earlier in the week, added the triple jump title with a jump of 44-7 to upset California’s Sheila Hudson. . . . Sunday’s attendance was 5,238, coupled with a crowd of 3,122 on Saturday.