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NORTHRIDGE — Craig Everhart knew it was simply a matter of time before he broke 45 seconds in the 400 meters. But perhaps it took his winning time of 44.89 for the competition to realize he was not only capable, but a viable NCAA threat. During this weekend’s NCAA West Regionals, the Bruin beat Arizona State’s nationally ranked duo, Lewis Banda and Jason Barton, to take home the individual title. “I knew they were mad,” Everhart said of his Sun Devil rivals. “Some people have said they thought they were invincible. But I guess not. Everyone has their time.” Until this weekend, Banda had the top mark in the nation, with Barton a close fourth. Though Everhart acknowledges both he and ASU’s two sprinters have a mutual respect for each other, he also hinted that there was no love lost between them. Now, with Everhart’s sub-45-second performance, the stage has been set for a great duel between the three (along with Baylor’s Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson) at Nationals next week. This weekend was the third meet in a row that Everhart has set a new personal record, after his Pac-10 Championship time of 45.19 and the UCLA-USC dual meet’s 45.39. But leading up to Saturday, both he and his coach knew it was time. “We both thought he could run under 45 today,” sprints coach Tony Veney said. “His race at Pac-10 was outside the plan. He needed to back off the pace and run well today.” After his race in the 400m, Everhart went even faster in the 4x400m relay. As the anchor leg, he ran a 44.5-second split to take the Bruins from seventh to third, behind ASU and Oregon. Everhart’s new time in the 400m earned him an invitation to this summer’s Olympic Trials in Sacramento. Any time under 45 seconds is an automatic qualifier. There, he’ll likely face both Banda and Barton again. “I know (Banda and Barton) are going to be good competition,” Everhart said. “But I still have bigger fish to fry.”

PROVING HIMSELF: After his record-setting performance in the 400m hurdles at the Pac-10 Championships, Brandon Johnson knew he had to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Saturday he got one step closer, running 49.64 to win the event. “I need this step,” he said. “It was a good, solid performance.” Until Pac-10s, Johnson had only run 51.15, after injuring his leg early in the outdoor season. After the blistering 48.85 at the conference championships, Johnson was looking for some consistency at the faster speeds. “At Pac-10s, he was on an emotional high,” Veney said. “To run today was more difficult because the expectations were high.” “I really believe he could run what he did at Pac-10 again,” Veney added. So does Johnson, who said he was aiming at a sub-48 time in the near future.

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