COLLEGE PREVIEW: CROSS-COUNTRY : CSUN Pins Hopes for the Present on Prospects of Future

Cal State Northridge will not make the jump to NCAA Division I athletics until the fall semester of 1990, however, the anticipated move already has paid big dividends for the Matadors’ cross-country program.

After years of futilely trying to coax Division I talent to attend a Division II school, Coach Don Strametz has begun to win some battles on the recruiting front.

Whereas before, Strametz inevitably heard potential major college recruits reply, “Gee, coach, I really like your program and the school, but I want to go Division I,” he now is hearing “I’m coming to Northridge.”

“It’s definitely helped,” Strametz said of Northridge’s impending move to collegiate athletics’ higher echelon. “We’ve used our upcoming Division I status extensively and it’s opened doors that before never would been opened.”

Jeff Gilkey from Arroyo High, Mike Glaze from Notre Dame and Sasha Vujic of Burroughs are three highly regarded distance runners who stepped through those doors to attend Northridge.

The second man on Arroyo’s Division I state cross-country championship team, Gilkey placed 6th in the state final and ran 9 minutes, 3.39 seconds in the 3,200 meters during track season.

Glaze placed 3rd in the Division II state cross-country championships and ran 4:13.93 in the 1,600 and 9:14.88 in the 3,200; Vujic ran 9:14.74 in the 3,200.

The trio forms the heart and soul of what Strametz calls his best freshman recruiting class.

All three were interested in CSUN when they graduated from high school. But they all admitted that the Matadors’ pending move to Division I influenced their decision to go there.

“I really wanted to run Division I,” Glaze said. “But Oregon wasn’t willing to pay for my first year there and I didn’t want to pay out-of-state tuition fees.”

Glaze also was concerned how he would fare as a freshman at the Division I level.

“At Division II, I’m capable of being on a par with a lot of runners this year,” he said. “Whereas, if I went Division I, I’d get my butt kicked the first year or so.”

Gilkey, who also was being recruited by San Diego State, Cal Poly Pomona and Harvard, expressed similar sentiments.

“I picked Northridge because of the school, academics and Strametz,” he said. “But I also felt that it would be advantageous for me to run at the Division II level for two years and then make the jump to Division I in my junior year.”

Vujic, who ran 9 minutes, 14.74 seconds for 3,200 meters, also wanted to run at the Division I level but liked the idea of competing in Division II during his freshman and sophomore years because it will make the transition to Division I smoother.

The arrival of Gilkey, Glaze and Vujic at the Northridge campus could not have come at a better time as only 2 Matadors from last year’s team are expected to return.

On top of that, California Collegiate Athletic Assn. rivals Cal State Los Angeles (6th in last year’s Division II championships), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (7th), and UC Riverside (12th) have most, if not all of last year’s teams returning.

San Luis Obispo could be the most improved team in the CCAA with the addition of Dave Walsh and Steve Newbaum.

Walsh, the Division II West regional and CCAA champion for Northridge in 1986, had to sit out the 1987-88 season after transferring to San Luis Obispo last fall. Newbaum won the 1988 state junior college title in the 5,000 meters for Modesto.

Northridge placed 10th in the 1986 Division II championships and 8th last year. But Will James (No. 2 man in 1987), Craig Ingram (No. 5) and Dane Costley (No. 6) have exhausted their cross-country eligibility and junior Derik Vett (No. 3) probably will redshirt because of a hip injury.

George Castro, who earned All-American honors with a 26th-place finish at the Division II meet as a freshman, and Reggie Dechard (70th) are the only returning Matadors with Division II championship experience.

Therefore, it is paramount that the class of 1992 produce this season.

“Without Derik, we’re going to need some good performances from two or three of our freshmen this year,” Strametz said. “Not just one of them.”

Strametz did not sign any big-name recruits to the women’s team--nor did he need any.

At least 4 and possibly 5 of Northridge’s top 7 runners return from last year’s squad that placed 5th in the Division II championships.

All-American Darcy Arreola, 11th in the 1986 nationals and 5th last year, might redshirt to recover from a long track season that included participation in the U. S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

If Arreola, the Division II 1,500 and 3,000 champion, runs this season, she will be a contender for the Division II crown, but even if she does not, the Lady Matadors should be booking a flight to Clinton, Miss., for the Division II championships on Nov. 19.

Senior Heather Brookes, a Division II All-American in the 10,000 meters, is healthy after successive injury-slowed seasons, and Strametz predicts this will be a banner season for her.

“She’s coming off her best training summer in three years,” he said. “This should be a very, very big year for her.”

Heather Houston (40th in last year’s Division II championships), Tammy McCarty (55th) and Georgia McLean also return for Northridge. They will be joined by senior Gina Jaurequi, freshman Debbie Binall and sophomore Denise Upsher.

While depth should not be a problem for the Lady Matadors, it could be for the Moorpark College men’s team.

The Raiders have 4 solid runners in sophomores Chris Pressman and Ramon Perez and freshmen Matt Thomson and Paul McCarter, but they lack a strong fifth runner at the moment.

“That’s going to be the key to our success,” said Coach Manny Trevino, who is beginning his 18th season. “If we can develop a fifth man who’s close to our top four, we should be OK.”

The Occidental men’s team has a good chance to defend its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title as seniors Lionel Shaw and Jose Olivas and sophomore Emmet Hogan return for the Tigers.

Shaw, Olivas and Hogan placed 1-2-3 in last year’s SCIAC championships. The addition of seniors Chris Tregillis and Tim Demme to that group gives Occidental the nucleus for a potent top 5 at the Division III level.