Hoth, Silva Participate, but SDSU Loses in Track

The San Diego State track team, caught up in controversy over alleged anabolic steroid use by two of its members and the reassignment of assistant coach Kent Pagel this week, was beaten soundly by host USC Saturday in a triangular meet.

One bright spot for the Aztecs was the 1,600-meter women’s relay team, which qualified for the NCAA meet.

Aztec Scott Hoth, a discus and hammer thrower, and Tom Silva, a shotputter, who both refused to meet Athletic Director Fred Miller’s request that they undergo tests for steroid use, competed in Saturday’s meet.

Hoth was third in both the hammer (180-feet 8-inches) and the discus (159-2). Silva took fourth in the shotput with a throw of 52-9 1/2.

According to Ronda Loshonkohl, an SDSU discus thrower, the departure of Pagel and his wife, Ramona, who works with the women’s team, will hurt the performance of the Aztec throwers. When asked about possible steroid use by track team members, Loshonkohl declined comment.

Alden Fulkerson, a lawyer hired by Hoth and Silva, said he plans to talk to the attorneys representing SDSU early next week.

“Obviously the demand for testing is clearly off the wall,” Fulkerson said Saturday. “There is no way we are going to take the tests. I am somewhat leery of anything and everything from San Diego State.”

He added that he is urging Hoth and Silva to undergo tests given by their private doctors.

Miller, who is spending the weekend at his Tempe, Ariz., home, said he will continue the investigation Monday.

At Saturday’s meet, the USC men’s team scored 97 points to SDSU’s 65 and New Mexico’s 38 in a triangular meet. The USC women’s team beat SDSU, 87-49, and New Mexico, 115-19, in a dual-triangular meet. The Aztecs defeated New Mexico, 109-31.

The women’s 1,600 relay of Sonya Smith, Renee Ross, Margaret Hemmans and LaTanya Sheffield won the event with a time of 3:36.95, to beat the qualifying mark by five one-hundreths of a second. The SDSU men’s 400 relay team won with a time of 39.93 but missed the qualifying mark by eight one-hundreths.

Hemmans, Sheffield and Ross also won individual events. Hemmans won the 400 low hurdles with a time of 1:58. Sheffield won the 100 hurdles in 14.09 and Ross won the 800 in 2:06.53.

Laura DeSnoo, who has already qualified for the NCAA meet, won the discus with a throw of 172-feet 8-inches. She also was second in the shot put. Gaylen Ames leaped 39-8 to win the triple jump.

For the men, Jason Twedt won the javelin at 205-4, and Rodney Van jumped a personal-best 24-4 1/2 to win the long jump. Brian Conway jumped 7-0, his best ever, to win the high jump.

Ed Cooper, who already has qualified for the NCAA meet in the 400 intermediate hurdles, won his specialty in 51.22. Andre Freeman, who also competed on the 400 relay team, ran a 20.96 to win the 200.

SDSU decathlete Mark Sanders qualified for the NCAA meet with a total of 7,465 points at The Athletics Congress West Regional at San Francisco State Saturday. Sanders was the top collegian in the meet.