College Highlights : CSUN’s Arreola Breezes, Qualifies for NCAA Finals

Although it is early in the season, Darcy Arreola of Cal State Northridge wasted little time in qualifying for the NCAA Division II track championships at the Northridge Invitational at CSUN on Saturday.

Arreola, a sophomore from Grossmont High in La Mesa, won the 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 42.89 seconds and the 3,000 meters in 9:48.93, the latter time qualifying her for the Division II championships in May in San Angelo, Tex.

Northridge teammates Kevin Hendrix and Lolita Pile also won two events, though neither had Division II qualifying marks.

Hendrix won the men’s 100 meters in a wind-aided 10.4 seconds and the 200 in 22.16. He also ran legs on the victorious 400-meter (42.6) and mile relay (3:21.12) teams.

Pile won the long jump and triple jump with wind-aided marks of 17 feet, 8 inches and 40-2.

Although Arreola’s time in the 3,000 was nine seconds short of her personal best, it was impressive because of the ease with which she ran.

Treating the race as if it were a workout, Arreola blasted the straightaways and cruised the curves.

“July’s a long way off,” Northridge Coach Don Strametz said of Arreola, who would like to peak for the U. S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis by then. “But she was ready to run much faster today if not for the wind.”

Heavy winds hampered athletes’ performances for most of the meet, but CSUN’s Colleen Gainey, Chris Fisher and Walt Stewart all turned in notable performances.

Gainey, the defending Division II champion, won the women’s javelin with a throw of 146-5.

Fisher won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 54.36 seconds and Stewart won the high jump at 6-10.