Small Colleges : Cal States Are the Best Bets in Swimming

The collegiate swimming season is under way at the Division II level where the Cal States--Bakersfield and Northridge--are leaving the opposition in their wake.

Bakersfield won the Division II title last season, breaking Northridge’s decade-long grip on the championship. Both teams appear to be deep again this season and will get an early look at one another this weekend in the Northridge Invitational at East Los Angeles College before meeting later in a conference meet.

Bakersfield dethroned Northridge two years ago when Ernie Maglischo was brought in to coach the Roadrunners. Maglischo has 14 of 18 All-Americans back as well as 27 newcomers. Eight Bakersfield swimmers have already posted national-meet qualifying times. Bakersfield won its opening meet against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 96-9.

Bakersfield’s top letterman is Bart Frey, who was on three relay teams that won NCAA titles last season. Junior Kennon Heard has already qualified for the national meet in the 50-yard freestyle.

Maglischo also has lured foreign swimmers to Bakersfield. Last season, he brought in recruits from Iceland. This year, he has added Thomas Lovblad of Sweden.

Returning for Northridge is senior Jeff Kubiak, a breaststroke and individual medley specialist who was named the NCAA meet’s outstanding swimmer last spring. Kubiak won the 200 and 400 individual medleys and the 200 breaststroke.

The Matadors have several other returning All-Americans: junior distance freestyler John Carpadakis, junior breaststroker Craig Hampton, sophomore sprinter Ben Davis and senior distance man Scott Warren. Three top recruits give the Matadors depth in the sprint and distance events.

Pete Accardy, the architect of the Northridge men’s program that won nine Division II titles from 1975-85, including five straight, picks Bakersfield as the favorite to repeat, with his team and Oakland University of Michigan as the challengers.

“It’s hard to tell at this time of year,” Accardy said. “We’ve won in the past when I thought we’d be third or fourth or fifth. We have got a good team. We’re not as strong in diving as in the past, which will hurt. But we’ll be in the top three.

“Our program is very consistent. Where we fall in the top three, time will tell. Realistically, we’re probably looking at second or third. From what I’ve heard, Bakersfield would probably be favored.”

Bakersfield won the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. title two years ago but lacked a diver, the decisive factor in Northridge’s winning its ninth NCAA title. Maglischo added a diver last season, and it put Bakersfield over the top in the national meet. John Farrell is his top diver this season.

The teams won’t have far to go to for the national title next spring. The meet will be held in Long Beach.

Accardy is more confident about his women’s team’s chances. The Lady Matadors finished third in the NCAA last season thanks largely to two freshmen. Tina Schnare was the NCAA champion in the 200 breaststroke, and Stacy Mettam won both the 100 and 200 backstroke. They lead a team that, Accardy said, “should be No. 1 or 2, barring problems. At this point, I’d say the women have a better chance of winning the NCAAs (than the men).”

Unlike the men, the women have little competition in the CCAA. Cal State Los Angeles lacks the depth, although it has one of the top individuals in sophomore Jeanne Quintana, who was swimmer of the meet in the NCAA finals as a freshman.

All-Americans: Several volleyball players from NAIA District III teams earned NAIA All-American honors. Biola senior Barb Rozendal was named to the first team. She was a second-team All-American as a junior. Cal Lutheran senior Jill Koscinski was named to this season’s NAIA second team. In all, six District III players earned first-, second- and third-team All-American listing.

On the NCAA Division III level, LaVerne senior Michele Galagar was named a first-team All-American and teammate Julie Jeffers, a junior, was named to the second team. The picks were made by the Collegiate Volleyball Coaches Assn.

Sophomore volleyball player Gayle Deisinger of Cal Poly Pomona was named to the all-district Academic All-American team, making her one of 39 players eligible for All-American honors, which will go to six finalists. Deisinger, a computer systems major, has a 3.73 grade-point average and was the school’s freshman scholar-athlete of the year.

Small College Notes Junior quarterback Tom Bonds of Cal Lutheran set Division II and NAIA records for completions in the season’s final game, connecting on 44 of 59 against St. Mary’s. In his last three starts, Bonds completed 97 of 148 passes for 1,216 yards and 10 touchdowns. . . . UC Riverside center Paul Kapturkiewicz opened the basketball season by making his first 24 free throws, coming within four of the school record. He has made 28 of 29 for the season. . . . Cal Poly Pomona’s Joann Howard finished ninth in the Division II cross-country meet, earning her fourth All-American listing. . . . Occidental sophomore Michele Trimble finished seventh in the Division III cross-country final. Teammate Cresey Stewart also earned All-American honors, finishing 13th. The race was run in several inches of snow outside Buffalo, N.Y. . . . UC Riverside senior Joyce Jackson was named Most Valuable Player in women’s volleyball in the CCAA. Northridge Coach Walt Ker was named Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season. . . . Punter Kevin Emigh of Cal Poly SLO set a Western Football Conference record with an 80-yard kick in his final game. He finished with a 43.1-yard average. . . . Chapman College has named John Burns its men’s volleyball coach. Burns, who played at San Diego State, has coached at Mission Viejo High School since 1981. . . . Gary Loyd, a two-time NAIA All-American punter and defensive end for Cal Lutheran in 1967-68, was inducted into the school’s Football Hall of Fame. Loyd averaged 46.4 yards per punt in 1967.