College Division / Mitch Polin : Azusa Pacific Is Formidable Again

Azusa Pacific University has become synonymous with success in men’s track and field this decade.

Under Coach Terry Franson, the Cougars have won an unprecedented six consecutive National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics titles. Before that, Azusa Pacific finished second in 1982 and fourth in 1981.

So it was hardly surprising that the Cougars were an overwhelming favorite to win the title once again heading into the NAIA championships, which concludes today at Azusa Pacific.

Fortunately for Franson, the Cougars do not lack in personnel.

“I think we’re really strong,” Franson said. “We don’t have the depth we’ve had in the past, but we really have some good front-line people.”

The team has gotten good performances out of Ade Olukoju in the discus and shotput, Patrick Nwankwo in the 100- and 200-meters, Felix Sandy in the 400 meters, Herby Akpom in the 110-meter hurdles and Rich Verbal in the decathlon.

Olukoju’s best event is the discus, where his qualifying mark of 215-0 is the top collegiate throw this year and sixth all-time. It is nearly 50 feet more than his closest NAIA competitor, Bobby McDaniels of Central Arkansas (165-4). He also has an NAIA-best of 62-1 in the shot put--nearly eight feet more than second-place Olester Bernard from Harding of Arkansas (54-2).

Nwankwo was the favorite in the 200 meters with a best of 20.68 seconds and is No. 2 in the 100 at 10.28. The NAIA leader in the 100 is Pernell Garrison from Tarleton State of Texas at 10.14.

Azusa Pacific has traditionally been successful in track and field.

“We started building that tradition at the national level seven or eight years ago and we’ve kind of parlayed that each year since that,” Franson said. “Success breeds success. It’s kind of a cycle where one year leads to the next.”

He said the tradition has been spurred on by a good attitude from school officials.

“I’ve had a lot of institutional support from the top since the time I got here,” Franson said. “Everybody’s been real excited about the success of the program.

“We do a lot of psychological work on the nationals. The moment the meet is over we try to get our kids ready for the next year.”

It has been a successful approach for Franson, although he doesn’t know how long it will last.

“We realize that everybody is trying to knock us off and some day they will,” he said. “But that serves to motivate us.

“I don’t know if it’s getting tougher each year. It’s going to happen. One year we’re not going to finish first, and if it comes it comes. The sun is still going to come up tomorrow.”

For the first time in the school’s history, the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo baseball team will be playing in the NCAA Division II College World Series that starts today in Montgomery, Ala.

The Mustangs, who qualified for the tournament by defeating San Francisco State, 4-2, in the West Regional final Sunday, will take a 33-21 record into the World Series.

San Luis Obispo is seeded fourth in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament and will play fifth-seeded Lewis of Illinois in its opener today.

The Mustangs have been led offensively by outfielder Rich Shepperd, who is batting .323, first baseman Pat Kirby (.317) and outfielder Billy Smith (.291).

San Luis Obispo also has received outstanding pitching from starters Greg Paxton and Dave Wilson.

College Division Notes

Cal State Bakersfield won its second straight NCAA Division II women’s softball title with an 8-5 victory over Cal State Sacramento last Sunday in Sacramento. The Roadrunners finished the season with a 38-23 record. . . . Southern California College has named David Smith, who coached the Covina Western Christian High girls basketball team into the CIF Southern Section playoffs last season, as its women’s basketball coach. Smith, 30, posted a 49-43 record in four years at Western Christian. He’ll take over a team that was 5-25 last year. . . . SoCal College also selected Becky Pines, a former prep coach, as its women’s volleyball coach. Pines was coach of Oxnard Rio Mesa High in 1984 and junior varsity coach at Saddleback High in 1986. . . . Cal Lutheran has placed junior DeeAndra Pilkington, the team’s top pitcher and hitter, on the NAIA All-America first team in softball. In regular-season play, Pilkington was 18-4 with an 0.99 earned-run average and batted .413 with 25 RBIs. Junior shortstop Danielle Piotrowski was chosen to the NAIA Scholar-Athlete team. Piotrowski has a 3.74 grade-point average and batted .286. . . . Carol Dunn, interim athletic director at Cal State Los Angeles the last year, has been named the school’s permanent athletic director. Dunn, a member of the NCAA postgraduate scholarship committee and CCAA executive committee, was women’s basketball coach at Cal State L.A. from 1982-85. . . . Steve McFarland, who guided Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to its first ever CCAA baseball title, has been named conference coach of the year. Catcher Chris Goldbach of Cal Poly Pomona was selected most valuable player and Greg Paxton of San Luis Obispo most valuable pitcher. . . . Lisa Boyer, who in her first year guided Cal Poly San Luis Obispo into the NCAA Division II playoffs, has been chosen CCAA coach of the year in women’s softball. Cal State Northridge, which won the conference title, had outfielder Lisa Erickson named as most valuable player and Debbie Dickmann as most valuable pitcher.