THE COLLEGES : UCLA’s Borick Vaults Back Into Spotlight

Having weathered a series of injuries over the previous three seasons, UCLA pole vaulter Jay Borick finally is tapping the potential he displayed as a Taft High junior in 1986.

A 16-foot vaulter at the start of the season, Borick cleared 17 feet, 5 inches to win the college division at the Texas Relays in Austin last week.

The height not only improved Borick’s personal best by five inches, but it also exceeded the provisional qualifying standard (17-4 1/2) for the NCAA Championships May 30 to June 2.

“I’m not near my peak yet,” said Borick, whose next goal is the UCLA sophomore record of 17-10 1/4, set by two-time Olympian Mike Tully in 1976. “There’s still a lot there. I’ve always felt that if I could stay healthy, I could do something in the vault, and that’s what’s happened this season.”

Borick, along with senior high jumper Keith Franklin and sophomore sprinter Quincy Watts, led Taft to the first of two consecutive City Section titles in 1986 when he won the pole vault at 14-9 3/4.

Multiple fractures in his lower spine, caused by the wear and tear of the event, prevented Borick from vaulting during the 1987 outdoor season.

As a freshman walk-on at UCLA, Borick improved to 16-0, but redshirted last season after suffering a severely sprained left ankle.

Though he sprained the same ankle earlier this season and is battling tendinitis in his right knee, Borick said the injuries are minor compared to previous ones.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been totally healthy,” Borick said. “But I don’t know of many athletes who are. The injuries I’ve had (this season) have been annoying, but they haven’t prevented me from vaulting. . . . If I ever get completely healthy, watch out. Because there’s no telling how high I’ll go then.”

Mind over matter: Cal State Northridge sprinter Kevin Hendrix says excellence in track is more mental than physical, and after his win in the 100-meter dash in the intercollegiate-open division at the Fresno Relays last week, his feelings are understandable.

His victory in the 100 and his impressive anchor leg on the Matadors’ 400-meter relay (second place) appeared effortless, yet it was obvious afterward that a limping Hendrix paid the price.

“It’s just something I’ve learned to deal with,” said Hendrix, who has competed this season despite a tendon injury to his left foot that might require surgery this summer. “I block out the pain when I’m competing, but it hurts just to walk when I’m not.”

Although the injury, which he originally suffered last fall, has prevented Hendrix from putting in the training he’d like, he’s confident of qualifying for the NCAA Division II championships in both the 100 and 400 meters.

“I haven’t done much speed work yet,” said Hendrix, the Northridge record-holder in the 400 (46.81 seconds). “But I’ve lifted a lot of weights and I’m very strong. . . . I’m confident my times will drop when I start doing speed.”

Making progress: Darcy Arreola has been beaten twice in three track races this season, but she and Cal State Northridge Coach Don Strametz have been pleased with her performances, particularly the last lap of her races.

In previous seasons, the final 400 meters were Arreola’s Achilles’ heel. But in the Fresno Relays, she ran the last lap of the 1,500 meters in 63.3 seconds and the final 300 in 46.3.

While those times weren’t fast enough to defeat Nike Coast Track Club teammate Lesley Noll, they were Arreola’s fastest splits ever.

“That used to be the weak part of her race,” Strametz said of Arreola, who is redshirting this season at Northridge. “She used to hate it. But now, she’s starting to like it.”

More weight training has keyed Arreola’s improvement, according to Strametz, who said his protege used to be inconsistent in the weight room.

“If she doesn’t want to lift now, I just tell her what a wimp she is,” Strametz quipped. “That usually gets her to do it.”

Upcoming events: Arreola, the 10th-ranked 1,500 runner in the nation last season, will run in that event and the 3,000 at next weekend’s Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut.

The 3,000 will be part of the distance carnival Saturday night, while the 1,500 will be on Sunday afternoon.

Quick fix: With Cal State Northridge moving to the NCAA Division I level in all sports except football next season, perhaps it’s no surprise that five of the seven basketball players who’ve signed national letters of intent with the Matadors hail from junior colleges.

“We knew we would need some immediate help,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy admitted. “So there was an emphasis on getting the more experienced players.”

Three JC transfers--6-foot-6 David Keeter of El Camino, 6-7 Brian Killian of West Valley (Saratoga) and 6-5 Shelton Boykin of Valley were signed as much for their rebounding as their scoring.

The other two transfers--Kyle Kerlegan (6-1) of Canada College in Redwood City and Keith Gibbs (6-6) of West Valley--will be counted on to score.

Kerlegan, one of the state’s top three-point shooters, should help immediately in that department.

The Matadors shot a dismal 28.5% (103 of 362) from three-point range last season.

Add Boykin: Though Cassidy would probably cringe at the thought, Shelton Boykin could be an asset to Northridge’s track and field team.

Boykin won the 110-meter high hurdles (13.84) and the 300 intermediate hurdles (37.47) for San Fernando High at the 1987 City Section championships.

Tark’s lark: Nevada Las Vegas basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian was in Century City on Sunday to accept the Man of the Year award from the Women at Work organization. Antelope Valley Coach Newton Chelette presented Tarkanian with a plaque congratulating him on UNLV’s national championship.

Tarkanian’s wife, Lois, had suggested that Chelette, a former UNLV assistant, present the commemorative award, and Chelette tucked three pictures from a clinic he and Tarkanian gave into the plaque.

Green’s giants: Several Cal Lutheran football players are competing for Coach Don Green’s track team this spring.

Dana Zupke, a defensive lineman and football co-captain, has qualified for the NAIA District 3 championships in the javelin with a toss of 167-7 and has a best of 130-9 in the discus, a little more than a foot below the standard.

Linebacker Cary Caulfield ranks second in the shotput in District 3 with a best of 43-3, but it still leaves him 18 1/2 feet behind leader Ade Olukoju of Nigeria and Azusa Pacific.

Running back Craig Ashley needs to shave .06 seconds off his 110-meter high-hurdle best of 16.30 to qualify for the District 3 meet.

No movie star: Glendale College middle-distance runner Rick Provenzano wears a headband when he runs, spurring teammates to tease him about looking like a character from “Revenge of the Nerds.”

Provenzano, who has run 1:51.9 to qualify for next month’s Southern California prelims, says it is more than just show, however.

“I have a weak tissue in my left eye and I can’t see when sweat gets in it,” said Provenzano, who wears contact lenses. “If I don’t wear it, I see two tracks when I run. Once I almost fell off the track. People say I look like an idiot, but there is a reason.”