TRACK PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS : UCLA Women Are Favored to Win Title

UCLA’s women’s track team will take the first step in its quest for the NCAA title when the Great Western-Pacific 10 Conference meet begins today at Arizona State University in Tempe.

The Bruins will start the two-day meet with 10 points, earned when heptathlete Tonya Sedwick won the competition earlier in the week. UCLA, which has won four consecutive Pac-10 titles, probably will be challenged by Oregon.

UCLA has finished second in the NCAA meet for three years in a row, and Coach Bob Kersee expects this meet to serve as both warmup and last-chance qualifying venue for the national championships, beginning May 29 at Oregon.

The Bruin men would do well to finish third in the conference meet, behind Washington--also the favorite to win the national title--and Oregon. UCLA expects to score well in the field events and is hopeful of qualifying both its sprint relay teams.

USC’s teams are not expected to be in the thick of the competition. The men’s team hasn’t won a conference title since 1977 and the women never have won it. Trojan Coach Jim Bush said he would be happy if the men finish seventh and the women fifth.