John Godina

John Godina and Dawn Dumble each won the shotput and discus events as the UCLA track teams won quadrangular meets over Houston, Colorado and Cal State Northridge. The UCLA men totaled 84 1/2 points to 54 for Houston, 27 1/2 for Colorado and 27 for Northridge. The Bruin women had 70 points to 42 for Houston, 33 for Northridge and 29 for Colorado.

* Days until opening ceremony: 3. * Olympic update: An Uzbekistan track and field coach stopped at the airport last week with 15 vials of human growth hormone claims he was using the drug for a skin disorder. Customs officials are continuing their investigation. * March to the medals: C.J. Hunter's injured knee will keep the gold medal favorite from competing in the shot put at Sydney, giving John Godina--who won the silver medal at the Atlanta Olympics--another chance.

Marion Jones, who was undefeated in the sprints this year, and John Godina, unbeaten in the shot put, are the winners of the Jesse Owens Memorial Awards for 1998. Jones, a 1993 graduate of Thousand Oaks High, was 36-0 for the year in the 60, 100, 200 and 400 meters and long jump before finishing second to Heike Drechsler of Germany in the long jump at the World Cup--her final competition. Indoors, Jones equaled the U.S. 60-meter record of 6.95 seconds.

Appearances by world champion hurdler Felix Sanchez, world-class thrower John Godina and top sprinters Maurice Greene, Ato Boldon and Inger Miller highlight the second annual Rafer Johnson-Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational track meet this weekend at UCLA's Drake Stadium. The meet begins at 1:30 p.m. today with the women's hammer throw competition, followed by the men's competition at 3:30 p.m.

For the first time in 27 years, promoter Al Franken had no oranges to distribute to news conference participants. But he had something more important for the future of his annual indoor track meet at the Sports Arena. Athletes. The meet was in jeopardy after Sunkist withdrew as the title sponsor after its 26th year in 1995, but Franken, with assistance from the L.A. Sports & Entertainment Commission and the Sports Arena, was able to announce Wednesday that it will be held as scheduled Feb. 24.

UCLA placed four shotputters from the men's team in the top six and got a women's 3,000-meter victory from Karen Hecox on Friday to hold second place for men and women after the first day of the Pacific 10 Conference track and field championships at Pullman, Wash. Washington State led the men with 54 points, after Josephat Kapkory won the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 10,000-meter run.

Arkansas track Coach John McDonnell is not fussy. "Titles are titles," he said. "We'll take them anywhere we can get them." Under McDonnell, the Razorbacks have won 18 NCAA championships--an NCAA record by a collegiate coach in any sport--and are favored to win No. 19 under in the NCAA Outdoor Championships that begin today at Tad Gormley Stadium, site of last year's U.S. Olympic trials.

The UCLA men's and women's track and field teams beat USC in quadrangular and dual-meet competition Saturday at UCLA's Drake Stadium. The Bruin men won, 97-61. It was their 16th consecutive dual-meet victory over the Trojans, dating to 1978. Marcus Reed (100- and 200-meter dash) and John Godina (shotput and discus) each won two events for UCLA. The Bruin women's streak against USC is now at two, after winning, 94-42.

For USC senior Bryan Krill, Saturday's first dual meet against UCLA on the USC campus was a dream come true. Before a capacity crowd of 3,115 at Cromwell Field, Krill had a career day in anchoring USC's winning 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams, won the 400 meters in a personal-best time of 45.69 seconds and finished second in the 200 in 20.5. "To have fans out like this supporting track like this is what it's all about," said Krill, a Thousand Oaks native whose parents attended USC.

Stepping out today alongside Marion Jones and Maurice Greene in front of an anticipated crowd of 10,000 at the Home Depot Center will be a masked shotputter and a helmeted pole vaulter. No, they are not hiding from federal investigators in the BALCO case. The extra gear is part of the show for Reese Hoffa, a.k.a. "The Still Unknown Shotputter," and Toby Stevenson, a.k.a. "Dark Helmet," both competing in the second annual Home Depot Track and Field Invitational, which begins today at noon.