SportsScope : Lady Bronco Named Player of Year

Forward Debra Larsen, who helped lead the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team to second place in the NCAA Division II national tournament, has been named Champion Products Division II player of the year.

Larsen, a 5-10 senior forward, averaged 16 points and 10.9 rebounds, leading the Broncos in both departments. Despite a serious ankle injury, Larsen scored 13 points and had 9 rebounds in her team’s 77-75 loss to New Haven in the title game last week.

Larsen became the third Pomona player to win player of the year honors. Jackie White won in 1982-83 and Vickie Mitchell won last year.

Larsen and teammate Michelle McCoy, who teamed with Mitchell to lead the Broncos to the 1986 title, have also been named to the 1987 Kodak Women’s All-American team selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Assn. Both had previously been selected to the Kodak All-District 8 team for Division II.

McCoy, a 5-6 senior point guard who was the team’s floor leader, finished her career with averages of 15.2 points and 7.8 assists. McCoy also broke the school’s single-season record for assists with 251.

McCoy was named to the all-tournament team with teammate Niki Bracken. McCoy had 40 points and 15 assists in two games and Bracken, a 6-2 freshman, had 49 points and 22 rebounds.

Two-time Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson of Great Britain and Gabriel Tiacoh of the Ivory Coast, 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the 400-meter dash, head a world-class track field that will compete in the first Meet of Champions on Saturday at Azusa Pacific University’s new track.

Field events start at 9:30 a.m. and running events at noon.

Meet director Terry Franson, who coaches Azusa Pacific, said most of the athletes will be competing in “off” events.

“The time is right for these athletes to compete in off events,” Franson said. “They want to compete in this because of where their training schedule is right now. They are also running in races they don’t usually compete in so they don’t have a lot to lose as far as world rankings.”

Thompson will compete in the 100 meters against former Azusa Pacific star Innocent Egbunike of Nigeria, ranked No. 2 in the world in 400 meters, and Larry Myricks, who recently won the world indoor long jump title.

Thompson is also scheduled to run in the 200 meters, which will include world indoor high hurdles champion Tony Campbell.

The best race could be the 300-meter dash in which Tiacoh will face Chidi Imoh of Nigeria, ranked No. 2 in the world in 100 meters, 800-meter star Billy Konchella of Kenya and Egbunike. “It’s not inconceivable that there could be a world record here,” Franson said.

The meet includes former Azusa Pacific stars Christian Okoye in the discus and Mike Barnett in the javelin. Okoye, an NAIA All-American running back in football last season, will also display his speed in a 60-meter dash exhibition.

Tickets are $3 for adults, $2 for students with identification and free for children 12 and younger.

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s softball team, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division I, will face many of the top teams in the nation in the Pony Invitational Tournament today through Sunday at Cal State Fullerton.

The Broncos, who entered this week with a 20-3 overall record and 5-1 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn., will compete in pool play today against Holland, San Diego State and Texas A&M; and Friday against Michigan.

Top teams in pool play advance to single-elimination games Saturday. The championship game is Sunday.

Pomona, which won the tournament in 1983 and 1984, has strong pitching led by senior Rhonda Wheatley. The All-American entered the week with a 13-2 record and 0.14 earned-run average in 99 innings.

The Broncos have a strong attack led by junior Dana Ramos, a walk-on from Golden West College who is batting .354. Wheatley is next at .340. Pomona is hitting .281 as a team.

Senior forward Regina Juniel, who led Pomona-Pitzer College to its sixth consecutive NCAA Division III playoff berth, has been named Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the year.

The 5-9 Juniel was among the conference leaders in scoring, rebounding and field goal and free throw percentages. She averaged 20.3 points, 10 rebounds, made 56.4% of field goals and 75.4% of free throws.

Pomona-Pitzer, 24-4 overall and 10-0 in its conference, also placed sophomore forward Lara Boyd (5-10) on the all-conference first team and senior guard Melissa Barlow (5-6) and sophomore center Elizabeth Peters (6-0) on the second team. Boyd averaged 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Other first-team selections include former Wilson High standout Julie Curtis of Whittier, a 5-9 senior forward; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps junior guard Diane Lindflott (5-10) and Occidental senior center Krista Staff (6-0).

Among second-team selections are freshman guard Stacey McIlroy (5-7) and sophomore forward Betsy Means (6-0), both of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; sophomore guard Tricia Wright (5-9) of La Verne and freshman guard Sharon Wada (5-5) of Occidental.

Guard Todd Thomas, who helped Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs, has been named conference co-player of the year along with center Dave Weida of Whittier.

Thomas, a 6-0 junior, averaged 17.8 points and 6.4 assists to lead the Stags to a 21-6 record. Claremont also placed senior center Scott Lammers (6-8), who averaged 14 points and 9.6 rebounds, and junior guard Chris Dibble (6-1), who averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds, on the first team and added sophomore forward Mike Dawe (6-6) on the second squad.

Other first-team players include sophomore forward Rick Duque (6-5) of Pomona-Pitzer, senior center Craig Kirkland (6-4) of Occidental and junior guard Martel Johnson (5-9) of La Verne. Among second-team members are forwards Dexter Johnson of Occidental and Gordon Lewis of Pomona-Pitzer and guards Jeff Lowe of Occidental and Brian Graham of La Verne.

Lammers and Thomas were also named to the All-District 8 second team.

Three Cal Poly Pomona gymnasts will compete in the NCAA Division II Women’s Gymnastics West Regional at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cal State Sacramento.

Leading the way is senior Nancy Signer, a former South Hills High of West Covina standout, who takes an average of 33.08 points into all-around competition.

Freshman Jennifer Burnett and sophomore Michele Stafford will also compete in the all-around event. Burnett has an all-around average of 32.45 points and Stafford 32.42.

Burnett is also expected to be a strong contender in the vault. Top finishers qualify for the Division II national meet April 10 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Jim Walker, former coach of Pomona and St. Paul high schools, has been named football coach at Temple City High.

Walker, 30, replaces longtime Coach Don Swanson who resigned after leading the Rams to the CIF Northwestern Conference finals and a 13-1 record last season. Swanson had been coach of Temple City since 1981.

Walker brings a five-year record of 22-26-2 to the Rams. He was coach of Pomona the last two years, including last season’s 2-7-1 mark.