COLLEGE DIVISION : Tragedy, Triumph for Cal Poly Pomona

In the view of Ann Lebedeff, women’s tennis coach at Cal Poly Pomona, there is little question about the strength of her team.

The Broncos are ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II with a 20-1 record, and Lebedeff says the lofty status is warranted.

They have already defeated the three teams ranked immediately behind--Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Davis and Abilene Christian--and four other schools listed in the top 10. That should make Cal Poly Pomona the favorite heading into the Division II championships May 6-12 at Davis.

“It’s definitely the strongest team I’ve ever had,” Lebedeff said. “I coached in Division I at Arizona, and we were ranked in the top 10. But I’ve never had a team that had only one loss going into the last two weeks (of the regular season).”

But for the Broncos, the biggest question might be how they came to reach their high status, especially after finishing 11-13 and barely reaching the Division II playoffs last season.

Lebedeff says it probably has a lot to do with a tragedy that befell the team in February of 1989, about one month into her first season as coach.

That was when the team’s best player, three-time All-American Xenia Anastasiadou, died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

“It really brought all the girls together,” Lebedeff said. “There’s a real strong bond on this team, and I think that really started last year with the loss of Xenia.”

Initially, the coach said, the death of Anastasiadou forced other players to take a more active leadership role.

“I had only been here for a few matches with Xenia, and you could see she was a player the others looked up to,” Lebedeff said. “And all of a sudden other players had to assume leadership. I think that responsibility sort of fell on our first four players.”

She said the loss of their top player probably affected the Broncos most in the Division II nationals.

“It happened early in the season; Xenia was going for a third national title (in singles), and, at the time, it happened so fast that it didn’t really hit us at first,” Lebedeff said. “It really hit us when the team made nationals. It was incredible that we even made nationals.”

Lebedeff said this team is one of the most competitive she has coached.

“I think a big thing is that they just hate to lose,” she said. “They don’t like to even give up one match.”

The Broncos also have more than adequate depth. Lebedeff said there is good balance between their top six singles players, and there is little dropoff in doubles.

“I think that the success of the team has been in the depth that we have with our first six (singles) players,” she said. “I have the luxury of changing people around because we are all so close, and our doubles teams are also very even. There’s not much difference between our (number) one and three teams.”

The Broncos have been led in singles by All-American Onnaca Heron, who has an 18-5 record. The other singles players are Julie Slattery (20-2), sisters Donna and Diane Ewing (18-6 and 21-3), Shelley Breeden (19-4) and Cindy Hammquist (19-4). Heron and Diane Ewing, and Hammquist and Donna Ewing form the top doubles teams.

But even with the depth and competitive spirit, Lebedeff said it is difficult to understate what the death of Anastasiadou has meant to the team.

“We still feel that she’s with us every match we play, and I don’t think she will ever be forgotten,” Lebedeff said. “Even if I leave Cal Poly (and after) any of my players leave, I don’t think we’ll forget the impact she had on our lives.”

The coach said the team has kept the memory of Anastasiadou alive by changing the name of its annual tournament to the Xenia Anastasiadou Memorial tournament, an event the Broncos won last week. The team also hopes to have a plaque erected in her honor at the school tennis courts.

For Cal Poly Pomona, a final tribute would be to win a national title. Considering the way the Broncos have played so far this season, it’s a goal that certainly appears within reach.

With less than a month remaining in the season, Southern California baseball teams are well represented in the national rankings.

That is especially true in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., where four of the seven teams are listed in the NCAA Division II top 20. Cal State Northridge leads the way at No. 6; UC Riverside is No. 11, Chapman No. 16 and defending national champion Cal Poly San Luis Obispo No. 20.

The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has two teams in the NCAA Division III national baseball rankings. Conference leader La Verne is ranked No. 9 and Occidental is No. 13. Other Southland teams in the top 25 are independents UC San Diego at No. 14 and Cal State San Bernardino at No. 22.

In the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics, the only Southern California team in the top 20 is Cal Baptist at No. 12.

College Division Notes

It has also been a good year for the CCAA in men’s tennis. Defending national champion Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II and Chapman is No. 3. . . . Cal State San Bernardino has been one of the hottest baseball teams in the Southland since March. The Coyotes have won 16 of 18 games since March 10 to improve their record to 19-9. . . . The Cal State San Bernardino men’s golf team has jumped from ninth to No. 5 in the latest Division III rankings. The Coyotes also vaulted to No. 1 in the NCAA West Region ahead of UC San Diego, which is ranked No. 12 nationally.

San Bernardino is also enjoying an outstanding season in women’s softball; the Coyotes are ranked No. 4 in Division II and No. 1 in the West at 22-9. But San Bernardino may drop in the next poll after losing a doubleheader to UC San Diego last week, 2-0 and 3-1. . . . Cal Lutheran is also enjoying another outstanding year in women’s softball. The Regals, ranked No. 11 in the NAIA, have reached the NAIA World Series the last two seasons and are solid favorites in the District 3 tournament May 3-4 behind the pitching of DeeAndra Pilkington and Leslie Stevens.

Cal State Bakersfield setter Tami Jurgensen, who led the Roadrunners to the NCAA Division II women’s volleyball title, is among 24 finalists for a spot on the West team for the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival at Minneapolis in July. . . . Cal Lutheran goalkeeper Dave Salzwedel, a senior who starred for the Kingsmen the last four seasons, will compete in the second annual NAIA East-West Senior Bowl all-star soccer game Sunday at Las Cruces, N.M. Salzwedel, a two-time honorable mention All-American selection, recorded eight shutouts and a 1.16 goals-against average.