Trojan Men End Skid to the Bruins

One streak died and another lived Saturday in the UCLA-USC track and field meet before 3,127 at Cromwell Field at Loker Stadium.

The USC men defeated UCLA, 82-81, to end a 22-meet losing streak to the Bruins.

The UCLA women defeated USC, 85-78, by winning the 1,600-meter relay, the final event of the meet, for their ninth consecutive victory in the series.

“It’s really a great feeling,” USC Coach Ron Allice said of the Trojans’ victory in the men’s meet. “Because these guys will forever be known as the jinx busters and remember this for the rest of their lives.”

USC, the two-time defending Pacific 10 Conference champion, was favored to defeat UCLA last year, but self-destructed in several events in an 88-75 loss.

The Trojans did just about everything right Saturday.

They got an unexpected victory from Ryan Wilson in the 400 intermediate hurdles, a surprising second from William O’Grady in the javelin and thirds from Andrew Knutsen in the 3,000 steeplechase and Justin Neems in the 5,000.

Neems’ finish gave USC an insurmountable 82-76 lead with the 1,600 relay remaining and let teammate Devon Ward off the hook.

Ward was leading the men’s 200, but was passed by UCLA’s Mike Lipscomb in the final meters of the race after he raised his right arm skyward and looked left to see where his fellow competitors were.

Wilson, defending Pac-10 champion in the 110 high hurdles, led a 1-2-3 Trojan sweep in that event with a 13.97-second clocking and won the intermediate hurdles in 51.29 after Kyle Erickson of UCLA crashed to the track after hitting the final hurdle while leading.

Djeke Mambo scored a meet-high 13 points for USC by winning the long jump at 25 feet 1/2 inch, the triple jump at 53-11 3/4 and finishing second in the high hurdles in the same time as Wilson.

Dan Ames and Scott Moser led UCLA to sweeps of the shotput and discus, respectively, but USC outscored the Bruins, 37-18, in the sprint and hurdle events.

UCLA, which is expected to battle USC for the women’s title in the NCAA championship in Eugene, Ore., from May 30-June 2, clinched its victory when Michelle Perry held off Brigita Langerholc on the anchor leg of the 1,600 relay to give the Bruins a 3:32.76 to 3:33.17 victory.

Perry, who won the 100 high hurdles in 13.18 and the 400 lows in a career-best 56.23, had a 15-meter lead after a strong third leg by teammate Ysanne Williams. But 800 winner Langerholc pulled to within four meters of her in the final straightaway.

Christina Tolson of UCLA won the shotput with a career-best 58-2 1/2 after placing first in the hammer at 207-3 on Friday.