College Division / Mitch Polin : Pomona Women’s Basketball Players Chart Winning Course

The basketball careers of point guard Cathy Gooden and center Niki Bracken have been on parallel courses since high school. So, it was no surprise when these Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball players were selected to the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II All-America team.

Gooden and Bracken played together at Compton High, where they led their team to the Southern Section 4-A Division title in 1985 and earned All-Southern Section honors.

After her senior season in 1985, the 5-foot-5 Gooden signed a letter-of-intent with Cal Poly Pomona. Bracken, at 6-2, had been recruited by Division I programs but the next year, after her senior season, she also signed with Pomona.

“I just wanted to stay close to home and make sure I got some playing time, too,” she said. “Plus Cathy was talking to me about coming here (to Pomona). I had it narrowed down to (Cal State) Fullerton and Cal Poly before I decided.”

Since their arrival, the pair has experienced similar success with the Broncos.

In Gooden’s four seasons, the Broncos won a national title, finished second twice and reached the quarterfinals once. Bracken, a junior, was not on the national championship team.

They have also seen postseason honors accumulate.

Gooden, the Division II player of the year, was named to the Division II All-America team the last two seasons and was the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. most valuable player this year. Bracken was selected to the Division II freshman All-America team and made the all-conference team as a sophomore before her all-conference and All-American selection this season.

Their importance to the Broncos was never more evident than this season, when they finished either first or second in most of the team’s statistical categories.

Bracken led the Broncos in 10 areas including scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and blocked shots. She averaged 20 points and 8.7 rebounds.

Gooden was second in scoring at 16.2 and led the Broncos in six departments including assists, steals and three-point field goals.

Off the court, the two are best friends and have been roommates the last two years. “We get along with everything,” Bracken said. “Everywhere we go, we always seem to be together.”

Bracken said the close friendship was evident in the way they played together.

“We like the fast-break style and when she’s ready to run I want to get out there so she can get assists for me,” Bracken said. “We work very well together. She can also shoot from the outside. If I wasn’t scoring, Cathy was always there to pick us up.”

Gooden is graduating and the pair will be separated for the first time since Bracken was a senior in high school.

Bracken said Gooden’s accomplishments will provide her with incentive for next season. She says she would like to match Gooden’s accomplishments of being named Division II player of the year and winning a national title.

“Hopefully, I can get player of the year next year,” Bracken said. “That would be a step higher. I see all the things that Cathy did and I think I know what it takes to get there.”

Considering how their basketball careers have gone, that would add a nice touch to their careers.

In the last 10 years, Biola men’s basketball Coach Dave Holmquist has established a reputation as one of the most successful coaches in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics.

But Holmquist, who has led the Eagles to six District III titles and trips to the NAIA national tournament, is stepping down as coach to become the school’s only athletic director.

The school previously had a men’s and women’s athletic director but decided to merge the jobs this year. Holmquist, 38, has been the men’s athletic director the last two years.

“After a national search with more than 40 applicants, we have found Dr. Holmquist the best qualified person to lead Biola athletics,” Sherwood Lingenfelter, the school’s senior vice president, said.

Holmquist will be leaving an impressive record as basketball coach. He was 275-59 in 10 seasons for a winning percentage of .823, and is listed among the NAIA’s top 10 winningest active coaches.

Holmquist says his new position will emphasize developing the athletic program and fund raising. He said he will still help with basketball recruiting and scheduling.

A coaching replacement is expected to be named in two weeks.

It is still six weeks away from the NAIA national outdoor track and field championships but the Azusa Pacific University men’s team should make a strong bid for an unprecedented seventh consecutive title.

The Cougars have performed well against NCAA Division I competition. They finished one point behind second-place USC and Illinois (with 31 points) in the Fresno Relays on April 1 and three points behind Air Force, with 91 points, in a triangular meet Saturday at Azusa.

Azusa has been led by junior weight thrower Ade Olukoju, a member of the 1988 Nigerian Olympic team who has NAIA bests in the discus at 212-4 and shot put at 62-1.

Olukoju’s discus best is six inches short of the school record of Christian Okoye, who plays football for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Among other leaders for the Cougars are sprinter Patrick Nwankwo and hurdler Herby Akpom, both seniors from Nigeria. Nwankwo has a best of 10.28 seconds in the 100-meter dash and Akpom has a top time of 14.13 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles. In addition, junior Paul Dennis has run the 800 meters in 1 minute 53.09 seconds.

College Division Notes

Defending champion Cal Poly Pomona has climbed into first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball race with a 9-6 record, a half game ahead of second-place Cal State Northridge and one game ahead of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Northridge won two of three games in a series against San Luis Obispo last week. . . . Cal Poly Pomona catcher Chris Goldbach extended his hitting streak to 28 games with hits in three games last week. He leads the CCAA with a .432 batting average.