COLLEGE BASKETBALL ‘88-89 : Southland College Division Women’s Basketball Preview : Cal Poly Pomona Plots Another Banner Season

When it comes to success in women’s basketball, Cal Poly Pomona has a pretty impressive track record.

Seven straight California Collegiate Athletic Assn. titles and 3 National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II championships since 1982 will attest to that.

With 3 leading scorers and 10 of 12 letter winners returning from a team that was 28-4 and reached the Division II quarterfinals last season, the Broncos appear to be the class of college division teams in the Southland again.

Cal Baptist is the front-runner in District III of the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics, and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pomona-Pitzer and Cal State San Bernardino head the pack of NCAA Division III teams.

But there is little question about Cal Poly Pomona’s prospects this season. In fact, it could be one of Pomona’s best teams ever.

“We have got a good blend of experience and youth and we’re hoping that this will combine into a great year,” Coach Darlene May said.

There are certainly not many Division II teams with three All-American candidates, but Pomona has them in seniors Cathy Gooden at point guard; Marcine Edmonds, 6-1, at forward, and junior Niki Bracken, 6-2, at center. Gooden averaged 18.7 points and Bracken 17.1 last season.

When you toss in younger players such as sophomores Stephanie Coons and Kelly Connelly at forward, and sophomore Carrie Egan and freshman Yvette Hill at guard, the Broncos have as much depth as any Division II team in the nation.

The best race in the CCAA this season may be for second place, where Cal State Los Angeles and Chapman appear to have the early advantage.

The fortunes of Cal State L.A., 16-12 last season, will probably depend greatly on all-conference 6-foot center Lupe Quintana, who averaged 15.3 points and 11.5 rebounds as a junior and is closing in on the CCAA record for rebounding. The Golden Eagles also have forward Tina Slatinsky and guards Krystall Cade and Anita Martinez.

With only two players graduated from its team that went 14-12 last season, Chapman also figures to be among the CCAA leaders. The Panthers will be especially strong up front with the return of 5-8 Corine Sandfry and 6-foot Kim Rieff at forward, and 6-3 Jennifer Uecke at center. Julie King, 5-8, also lends experience at guard.

Cal State Northridge, 15-12 overall and second in the CCAA last season, will suffer from the losses of twins Marianne and Kathleen Dixon, who decided to concentrate on volleyball. At guard, where Kristen Brinkema, Bridgette Ealy and Vicki Mallett return.

After an 11-5 start, UC Riverside staggered to a 13-12 finish last season. The Highlanders, however, could benefit from experience with the return of 6-1 Patti Held, 5-11 Tonie Carter and 5-11 Becky Geeson up front. There also are transfers Cokey Drake at forward and Kim Thomas at guard.

There will be plenty of new faces for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 10-15 last season. The Mustangs do have All-CCAA guard Jody Hasselfield and two other starters--6-foot forward Russia Madden and guard Liz Oman--back. Hasselfield averaged 14.9 points and Madden 9.7 rebounds last season.

Cal State Dominguez Hills struggled in recent years and finished 10-17 last season. But that could change under first-year Coach Van Girard, who built a successful program at Lynwood High. The Toros, one of the younger teams in the CCAA, should be led by sophomores Debbie Herz at forward and Devon Akita at guard, and 6-2 senior center Kathy Goggin.

In the NAIA District III, unseating defending champion Cal Baptist could be a tall order.

That’s because the Lancers have several top players, including 6-2 forward Mary Beth Reuss and 6-2 center Sonja Akkerman, back from a team that went undefeated in district play and was 27-5 last season. They also have guard Ruthie Rush, a good floor leader, and forward Cindy Clark, plus 6-2 forward Shannon Patterson coming off the bench.

If Cal Baptist falters, Azusa Pacific may challenge for the title with returning starters Holly Ingersoll and Sally Cohenour at forward. The Cougars, 21-10 last season, also have 6-2 Amy Walters at center and Laura Aronson and Tracey Emberley at guard.

Biola does not have as much experience as Azusa Pacific or Cal Baptist but the Eagles have plenty of height, led by 6-3 center Mary Beth Nelson and 6-2 forward Donna Pollema. Also back are guard Kim Eiler and swing player Danielle Wykoff from a 10-16 team.

With a surplus of underclassmen, The Master’s may be another year away from being a district title threat, although the Mustangs should improve on their 10-15 record of last year. Among the leaders are center Laurel Hudgens, a 6-1 transfer from Kentucky, and forwards Carolyn Waltman and Michelle Spink.

After his team struggled to a 6-19 record last season, Cal Lutheran Coach Norm Chung isn’t about to predict a district title. A .500 season, though, is a distinct possibility with the return of forwards Heidi Griffith and Brenda Lee, and guard Joy Fuller.

Southern California College, 10-18 last season, may have its problems until center Paula Hale becomes eligible to play in January. Until then the Vanguards will rely on swing player Jennifer Hartigan and forward Gail Brown.

With an acute lack of size, Christ College (7-20), may come up a little short in victories again. The Eagles do have a floor leader Michelle Ferris.

In the NCAA Division III, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has more balance, but the result could be the same.

With four starters from a team that was 23-3 overall and 10-0 in the SCIAC, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is the favorite. Back for the Athenas are sophomore Laurie Taylor and junior Katrina Polaski up front, and juniors Stacey McIlroy and Tracy Sullivan at guard.

After seven straight SCIAC titles, Pomona-Pitzer slipped to third place and was 15-11 overall last season. But with the return of senior forward Lara Boyd, who has recovered from knee surgery, the Sagehens should be contenders again. Two other front-line starters returning are Holly Ingraham and 6-foot Liz Peters.

Occidental has four starters returning from a team that was 15-9 and finished second in the SCIAC. Two were All-SCIAC last year--center Joelle Orton and forward Kelly Stephenson--and the others are Melissa Vander Pol at forward and Sharon Bruner at guard.

Whittier (12-12) may be a notch below the front-runners, although the Poets return 6-1 center Patty Palmer and forward Michelle Chomicz, both all-conference players.

Seniors Tricia Wright and Audrey Perkins give La Verne, coming off a 5-21 season, perhaps the best 1-2 guard combination in the SCIAC but that is not likely to be enough to make the Leopards a contender.

After a compiling a 3-22 record last season, there is no place to go but up for Redlands. The presence of returning starters Valda Vitolins at forward, Beverly Mueller at center and Michelle Nance at guard will help.

Perhaps the best Division III team in the Southland is independent Cal State San Bernardino, which has three starters returning from a 23-5 team that reached the NCAA playoffs last season. Back are 5-10 forwards Teri Paine and Tammy Shearer, and 5-5 guard Jenone Bell.