College Track : CSUN Dominates 5-Team Meet

There are two ways to analyze Cal State Northridge’s victory in a five-team California Collegiate Athletic Assn. track and field meet at CSUN on Saturday.

The first theory is based on the hypothesis that the Matadors are much better than Coach Don Strametz has let on.

After all, Northridge lost its best sprinter (Kevin Hendrix) to academic ineligibility, and its best hurdler (Tyrone Jeffries) and best middle-distance runner (Will James) were sidelined with a back and leg injury, respectively.

Yet the Matadors won 11 of 19 events in the men’s meet--including six of nine individual races--and defeated Cal State Los Angeles, 136-78. Cal Poly Pomona finished third with 54 points, followed by UC Riverside (22) and Chapman (one). Scoring was conducted on a six-four-three-two-one basis.

The second theory--one that is probably closer to reality--is that Cal State L. A. Coach John Tansley did not run all of his top athletes, particularly in the sprints and hurdles, where the defending CCAA champion is traditionally strong.

That does not mean, however, that Northridge was unimpressive. The Matador men’s team added another individual to its list of NCAA Division II championship qualifiers (three) and produced numerous personal bests.

In the women’s meet, Darcy Arreola and Lolita Pile led the Lady Matadors to victory. Northridge totaled 129 points, followed by Cal State L. A. (60), Pomona (50), Riverside (10) and Chapman (one).

Walt Stewart, a junior from Notre Dame High, won the high jump with a personal best of 7 feet, 1/2 inch to qualify for the Division II championships and move into a tie for third on the all-time Northridge list.

Paul Albers, a junior transfer from Sierra College who qualified for the Division II meet two weeks ago, moved to eighth on the all-time Northridge list in the hammer throw with a 185-7 effort and Sasha Vujic won the 1,500 meters in a personal best of 3:56.09.

“We had a super meet,” Strametz said. “If I had known that neither Tyrone or Will would run in this meet, I never would have expected us to win by this much.

“It just shows you what can happen when you get kids to believe in themselves.”

Vujic, a freshman from Burroughs High, is an example of that.

At the start of the year, distance coach Bob Augello described Vujic as a “classic complainer,” a talented runner but one who viewed everything in a negative way. Then six weeks ago, things began to change, according to Augello, as Vujic began to think positively and started to bear down in workouts.

“He didn’t really say anything,” Augello said. “His attitude just changed. He kind of said, ‘OK. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.’ ”

The change in attitude is starting to pay off with a drop in times.

A week and a half ago, he lowered his personal best in the 800 to 1:56 in a time trial and Saturday he passed leader Rich Hirschman of Pomona with 130 meters to go, then blew him away in the homestretch.

Vujic ran the last 440 yards in 59.3 seconds and the last 330 yards in 43 seconds after running the first 440 in a pedestrian 66.9 and the first 880 in a sluggish 2:11.2.

“I felt really strong,” Vujic said. “When the early pace was slow, I was happy because I felt like they were playing into my hands.

“I was very confident with a lap to go.”

In contrast to Vujic’s victory, there was little suspense in either of Arreola’s wins.

Running in her first track races since the Olympic Trials last July, Arreola ran 4:25.17 in the 1,500 and 9:40.35 in the 3,000.

Both times meet NCAA Division II qualifying standards. Arreola is the defending national champion in both events.

“She’s going to run under nine minutes (in the 3,000) this year,” Strametz said of Arreola, who has a best of 9:13.34. “The times she ran today were very easy.”

Pile was one of the meet’s busiest competitors, winning the long jump (18-5 1/2) and triple jump (39-0 1/4) and placing third in the 200 (25.38).

She also ran the second leg for the victorious 400 relay team (48.2).