DIGEST : Six Cal Lutheran Seniors on Scholar-Athlete Team

Six Cal Lutheran athletes have been named to the NAIA District 3 fall scholar-athlete team, including: senior cross-country runners Francine Byrne, Matt Griffen and Jarle Nakken; senior soccer players Jeff Dietrich and Perry Ebeltoft; and senior football player Greg Maw.

To be eligible, athletes must be juniors or seniors and starters or key reserves with grade-point averages of 3.5 or better.

Jonz Norine led a group of six Cal Lutheran runners who qualified in the marathon for the NAIA track and field championships in May.

Norine ran 1 hour 15 minutes in a half-marathon in Glendora on Saturday to qualify for the national meet, and Griffen timed 1:19:00.

Men who run under 1:20:00 in the half-marathon qualify for the NAIA marathon.

The women’s half-marathon qualifying time is 1:48:00, and four Cal Lutheran runners, led by Byrne (1:35.06), met that standard.

The others were Heidi Peterson (1:37:29), Lisa Askins (1:40:36) and Dena Pierce (1:42:22).

Four Harvard High soccer players, including Matt Arnold, the defensive player of the year in the Southern Section Small Schools Division, were selected to the division’s first team by a vote of coaches.

Forwards David Moran and Andrew Weiss and midfielder Mark Fein also received first-team honors.

Harvard Coach Barclay Mackinnon was selected as coach of the year in the division. Mackinnon, in his second year at the school, skippered the Saracens to their first divisional championship and a 20-3-4 record.

L. A. Baptist midfielder Ron Simpson was voted offensive player of the year in the division, and teammate Kurt Rayners, a defender, was selected to the first team. Notre Dame midfielder Chris Afarian also was a first-team pick.

St. Francis midfielder David Beall and Hart defender Victor Desantis received first-team honors in the 3-A Division. Beall led the Golden Knights to the Del Rey League championship and the semifinals of the playoffs.

Dominic Zapata (Agoura forward) and Dustin Magdaleno (Santa Paula forward) made the 1-A first team. Zapata helped the Chargers to the Frontier League title and Magdaleno led the league runner-up Cardinals to the playoff quarterfinals.