Sports DIGEST : Former Olympians From Kennedy High in Pepsi Meet

The Howard sisters, Denean and Sherri, Olympic gold medalists and former standouts at Kennedy High in Granada Hills, will compete in the Pepsi Invitational track meet May 18 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.

Last summer, Sherri Howard ran the second leg of the Olympic 4 x 400-meters team relay in 48.83 seconds, the fastest time registered in the Olympic relay. She also had the fastest heat (49.93).

Denean Howard, who was fifth in the 400 at the Olympic Trials, ran the 4 x 400 heats in the Olympics as a substitute, but in accordance with new rules, was also awarded a gold medal.

The sisters emerged nationally during their years at Kennedy. Sherri won The Athletics Congress 400 title in 1980 and finished first in the Olympic Trials that year.

Denean qualified for the 400 at the trials in 1980 when she was 15. During the next three years, she took the 400 national title three times and was ranked first in the U.S. in the event in 1981 and 1982.

Denean will run the 400 at the Pepsi meet. Sherri will choose between the 200 and 400 events. In the 200, she would be matched against Valerie Brisco-Hooks, who won three Olympic gold medals. In the 400, Sherri will face Jarmila Kratochvilova, the world record holder and world champion.

Nunn Returns to the Ring

Unbeaten North Hollywood middleweight Michael Nunn, 22, will put his perfect record on the line twice in the next eight weeks--on May 21 against San Jose’s I.W. Johnson (14-7-1, with nine KOs) and on June 27th against Las Vegas’ Larry Davis (8-1, seven KOs).

Nunn, 4-0 after amassing a 168-8 mark as an amateur, has knocked out three of his opponents in the first round, the other in the fourth. An alternate in the 1984 Olympic Games, Nunn moved from his hometown, Davenport, Iowa, to North Hollywood to train in the Ten Goose Boxing organization.

The Johnson fight will be held at Reseda’s Country Club, the Davis fight in Las Vegas.

Kingsmen Earn NAIA District 3 Honors

Four seniors on the Cal Lutheran College baseball team have been chosen to the NAIA District 3 first team.

Third baseman Fred Perez, who hit .407 with 32 RBIs in 33 games, was selected to the first team along with designated hitter Bob Ginther, who hit .406 with 38 RBIs in 37 games. Perez and Ginther struck out only 6 times each in more than 103 at-bats.

Catcher Todd Dewey, another first team selection, hit .358 with a team-leading 44 RBIs and 12 home runs.

Relief pitcher Dave Muhlethaler, who has nine saves for Cal Lutheran, was selected for first team honorable mention honors. Muhlethaler (4-3) has an ERA of 0.87, 54 strikeouts and nine walks in 41 innings.

Cal Lutheran, with senior Bob Richmond on the mound, begins the NAIA District 3 playoffs against Pt. Loma-Nazarene College today at 11 a.m. at Southern California College in Costa Mesa.