COLLEGE DIVISION WOMEN’S PREVIEW : Broncos Loaded for Charge at Ninth Title

Since joining the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. in 1981, the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball program has been dominant.

The Broncos have been in the conference eight seasons and have won or shared the title each season.

So it is hardly surprising that the Broncos are expected to make it nine in a row this season.

Especially considering they finished second in the NCAA Division II tournament last season and posted a 28-6 record. More important, the Broncos have two All-CCAA players in center Niki Bracken and forward Marcine Edmonds.

Bracken, a 6-2 senior who made the Division II All-American team, averaged 20 points last season. Edmonds was an all-conference selection two seasons ago who sat out last season with a knee injury.

Pomona also has an outstanding prospect at forward in 6-2 freshman Danielle Carter, an All-Southern Section performer at Fontana High. About the only question mark is at point guard, where the Broncos must replace All-American Cathy Gooden.

The Broncos should get their toughest challenges for the conference title from Cal State Northridge and Chapman.

In its final season in the CCAA before moving up to Division I next season, Northridge is hoping to go out in style. With All-CCAA forwards Bridgette Ealy and Julie Arlotto returning from a team that was 22-9 and reached the Division II playoffs, the Matadors expect to challenge Pomona for the conference title. Northridge will also rely on top newcomers such as Jody Bittner at forward and Joan Weinerth at guard.

If any team has the size to match up with Pomona, it is Chapman, which has two all-conference players returning from a team that went 13-13. They are guards Kim Takayama and Julie King. Toss in front-line players Bethel Trice at 5-11, Jennifer Uecke at 6-5 and Carolyn Reese at 6-0, and the Panthers have the ingredients to make the first year of Coach Lindsey Strothers a success.

It may be now or never for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which has struggled over the years in the CCAA but has five players who were at least part-time starters on a 13-13 team last season. The leaders are All-CCAA players Deborah Vettel at forward and Jody Hasselfield at guard. A big factor will be whether forward Russia Madden can bounce back from a midseason knee injury. Two other starters are forward Gina Cardinet and guard Liz Oman.

Cal State Los Angeles lost four starters from a team that finished 17-12 last season, among them center Lupe Quintana, the school’s all-time scorer and rebounder. That will place a heavy burden on returning forward Tina Slatinsky. The Golden Eagles, however, have an excellent class of freshmen, including former Orange County prep stars Kristen McDonald from Valencia High and Kelly O’Brien from Santa Ana Mater Dei.

It was not the best coaching debut at Cal State Dominguez Hills for Van Girard, who watched the Toros suffer through a 6-19 season after having guided a string of successful teams at Lynwood High. But the Toros should be on the way up with three starters returning and a good recruiting effort. Leading the way are guards Devon Akita and Julie Scott and center Khyra Anderson.

With its top scorers from last season having graduated, UC Riverside will rely mostly on newcomers such as junior college transfer Samantha Uding at center and freshman Rachel Rosario at forward to rebound from a 7-19 mark of last season. The front line also includes a part-time starter in forward Becky Geeson.

NAIA DISTRICT 3

Cal Baptist lost to Fresno Pacific in the district final and finished with a 21-11 record, and the Lancers have the talent to challenge for the top again.

They have one of the top players in the district in All-American center Sonja Akkerman, a 6-2 junior who averaged 18.1 points last season, and a good floor leader in point guard Mary Minor, the team’s only senior. Two others are guard Tracy Hildre and forward Michelle Holloway.

Another district title contender is Azusa Pacific, which finished 21-10 and reached the district semifinals last season. The Cougars have the district’s top scorer, 6-2 center Amy Walter, who averaged 22.3 points and two other strong inside players in forwards Holly Ingersoll and Christy Pollard. The Cougars also have a steady guard, Laura Aronson, who is returning from a knee injury.

Traditional power Biola, coming off a 21-8 season, also fits into the district title picture. The Eagles will build around four returning starters, among them All-American forward Donna Pollema, a 6-2 junior who averaged 19.7 points last season, and forward Tonya Zwagerman. The team also has a fine playmaker in Kim Eiler.

The most improved team in the district could well be Cal Lutheran, which has all five starters back from a team that struggled to a 7-18 mark last season. The Regals expect to be led offensively by guard Brenda Lee and forward Heidi Griffith. Aside from 6-1 center Leslie Stevens, though, the Regals do not have a lot of height.

Southern California College, which hit rock bottom at 5-25 last season, should be considerably improved under first-year Coach David Smith. The top returning players are point guard Lori Halliday, center Nora Menken and forward Jennifer Hartigan. The Vanguards have an excellent newcomer in freshman guard Kristen Bevis, who starred at El Toro High.

It’s a rebuilding year for The Master’s, which lost its top two players and has only one starter from last season. The Mustangs, who staggered to a 9-20 record last season, will be led by forwards Susie Sparks, the lone returning starter, and Sandy Cumming.

With no seniors and six freshmen on its 12-player roster, Christ College Irvine has the youngest team in District 3. That should make it a long season for the Eagles, who finished 7-22 last season. Among the leaders are center Marciella Lopez, forward Donna Joslen and guard Renee Carroll.

SCIAC

In the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps has won or shared the title the last two seasons, and the Athenas appear to be the team to beat again in what should be a well-balanced race.

The Athenas, who finished at 20-5 last season but did not make the Division III playoffs, have perhaps the top guard in the SCIAC in Stacy McIlroy and two talented front-line players in forward Lauri Taylor and center Katrina Polaski. Two other starters should be guard Tanya Stephens and forward Wendy Sandstedt.

After fielding one of the top teams in the SCIAC during much of the 1980s, Pomona-Pitzer has struggled through two consecutive losing seasons. Despite a 12-14 record last season, however, the Sagehens played well enough in the SCIAC to tie for the championship and appear in the title hunt again.

They Sagehens have size in post players Julia Johnson and Dereka Petersen, each 6-0, and two other steady front-line players in Anne Backus and Caryn Cranston.

La Verne has never been a SCIAC title contender, but with three starters returning from a 10-13 squad the Leopards figure to emerge among the leaders. The starters returning are point guard Kelly DeWit and post players Wendy Kidwell and Tricia Hall. The team also has back former All-SCIAC forward Tricia Wright, who sat out last season to focus on track and field, winning the Division III title in the javelin.

Occidental is a team that will not be caught with its guards down. The Tigers have three outstanding guards in two-time All-SCIAC selection Sharon Wada at point guard, Genevieve Wilkinson and Sharon Bruner. The biggest question for the Tigers, who finished 11-13 last season, is the front line, although they have an All-SCIAC performer in forward Kelly Stephenson.

There is a youth movement at Redlands, which finished 7-17 last season. It does not have senior on its squad and has a first-year coach in Mickey McAulay. But McAulay, an assistant at Cal Poly Pomona the last two years, comes from a successful background. She will rebuild Redlands around returning forwards Tina Petersen and Beverly Mueller and guard Selesia Jones.

Experience will also be at a premium for Whittier, which has only one returning player--All-SCIAC point guard Jennifer Taylor--from a team that struggled to a 7-18 record last season. With only one senior, one junior and one sophomore on the roster, Taylor will have to carry the Poets until their strong freshman recruiting class develops.

INDEPENDENT

Cal State San Bernardino, a Division-III independent that finished at 16-10 last season, has a new coach in Gary Schwartz, but the Coyotes have some familiar faces returning that should make his debut a success. The leaders are forwards Terri Paine, a fourth-year starter who averaged 18 points last season, and Lori Peters, who was the team’s MVP two seasons ago but didn’t play last season.