San Diego College Review : UC San Diego Will Be Part of New Conference

UC San Diego and seven other California colleges and universities have tentatively agreed to set up a new NCAA Division III conference. The California Athletic Conference would possibly include Cal State San Bernardino, UC Santa Cruz, Menlo College, Dominican College, College of Notre Dame (Belmont) and Mills College.

UCSD currently is not a member of any conference.

The CAC is awaiting NCAA sanctioning and final agreement from the member schools’ athletic departments. The schools, however, have agreed to play a conference schedule next season in men’s and women’s basketball, cross-country, tennis, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

The NCAA requires a conference have six active members to be sanctioned. Once sanctioned, the conference must wait two years before it can receive automatic berths to NCAA championship tournaments.

The only other Division III conference in the West is the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which includes schools from the Los Angeles area. UCSD has attempted to join that conference several times but has been denied because of its location.

The San Diego State women’s volleyball team will have to beat the nation’s top-ranked team, the University of the Pacific, to reach the NCAA Final Four for the third time.

The fifth-ranked Aztecs (37-8) are 0-3 against UOP (35-3). SDSU lost in five games at Stockton and in four games at home and at the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. tournament. SDSU also lost both its meetings with No. 3 Hawaii (30-6).

SDSU plays UOP Friday in a Northwest Region semifinal match at San Jose State. The Spartans (28-6) play Hawaii in the other semifinal. The winners meet Saturday, with the champion advancing to the Final Four at Stockton.

The teams that reach the NCAA women’s volleyball Final Four won’t be the best in the nation. The Northwest Region semifinals include four of the country’s top five ranked teams, but only one can advance.

Other regions don’t have the same depth of quality teams. The South has only two ranked teams in the semifinals--No. 8 Texas and No. 16 Louisiana State. In previous years, the NCAA seeded the top four teams in the four regions. Since 1981, all Final Four teams have been from California or Hawaii. But this year, the NCAA has kept teams in their regions regardless of ranking. So the days of an all West Coast Final Four may be over.

Shelda Arceneaux, who was academically ineligible the first four games of the season, will play tonight for San Diego State’s women’s basketball team in a nonconference game at USC. Arceneaux, a 6-1 senior forward, averaged 14.9 points and a team-leading 10.1 rebounds last season. The Aztecs were ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press preseason poll but have dropped out after a 1-3 start. If the Aztecs lose to USC it will be their worst start since they began sanctioned conference play in 1976.

When Southwestern College defensive lineman Mark Nawrocki sacked Mesa College quarterback Jeff Sturch for a safety in the community college National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Bowl Saturday, he probably had to take a second look to see if he was in the right place. The reason? Last year Nawrocki played at Mesa College. Southwestern won, 23-0.

Southwestern receiver Robert Claiborne and Mesa receiver DeAngelo Mitchell have received plenty of attention from four-year schools. Claiborne, who played at Mount Miguel High, caught 62 passes for 1,111 yards during the season and is being recruited by San Diego State, Michigan, Illinois, Oregon, Pittsburgh and Cal State Fullerton. Mitchell, who played at San Diego High, caught 70 passes for 1,033 yards and a state-leading 14 touchdowns. He is being recruited by San Diego State, Illinois, Fresno State and Oregon State.

Sophomore Claudia Johnson and junior Nancy Dome of United States International University have been named to the West Coast Athletic Conference women’s volleyball all-star team. The Gulls finished third in the WCAC but made their first appearance in the NCAA tournament, losing to third-ranked Hawaii in the first round. Sophomore setter Erin Tomblin was an honorable mention selection.

A number of collegiate volleyball players who attended high school in San Diego County have received recognition this year. Ann Boyer, who played at Poway, was a first-team Pac-10 selection as a setter at UCLA. Suzanne Eagye, who played at Point Loma High, was a first-team PCAA selection from Hawaii. Sophomore Jeri Wigley, who played at La Jolla Country Day School, was a starter for Idaho State, which won the Mountain West Conference title and played in the NCAA tournament.