TEAM PROSPECTS FOR 1990-91

Baseball

Coach: Bill Kernen, 3rd season

‘90 Finish: 39-22, 2nd in NCAA Division II

Outlook: Good. Last season’s young team won the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. championship and reached the NCAA Division II title game. Eight starters will be back in ’91. The Matadors will be as good as their pitching, which was, at times, an achilles heal even in Division II. Scott Sharts and Craig Clayton, both of whom tried out for Team USA, would star on any major college team.

Basketball

(Men’s)

Coach: Pete Cassidy, 20th season

‘89-90 Finish: 12-15, tied for 4th in CCAA

Outlook: Poor. The Matadors have been no better than an average NCAA Division II team since 1985, the last season CSUN reached the playoffs. Cassidy will have to replace three of last season’s five starters, which could be considered either good news or bad news. Northridge is expected to open the season with 10 new players.

Basketball

(Women’s)

Coach: Janet Martin, 1st season

‘89-90 Finish: 11-18, tied for 2nd in CCAA

Outlook: Poor. Mediocre plays pretty well in Division II, but it gets buried against most Division I competition. CSUN reached the championship game in the CCAA tournament last season despite a losing record. Northridge was winless in five games against Division I teams last season. The return of a healthy Bridgette Ealy will help some. The Matadors also will have a new coach.

Cross-Country

(Men’s and Women’s)

Coach: Don Strametz, 10th women’s season, 7th men’s season

‘89 Finish: women 4th, men 5th in NCAA Division II championships

Outlook: Poor on the men’s side. The team was fifth in the NCAA Division II championship meet in 1989, but it has lost two of its top runners. Sasha Vujic, eighth in last season’s championship meet, is a potential national qualifier in Division I. On the women’s side, the forecast is fair. Division II champion Darcy Arreola returns for her senior season.

Golf

Coach: Jim Bracken, 5th season

‘90 Finish: 3rd in NCAA Division II

Outlook: Good. Northridge may not be quite ready for prime time players like USC and UCLA, but the Matadors have been competitive in tournaments with other Division I teams for a number of years. Bob Burns, NCAA Division II individual champion last season, provides a good nucleus to build around.

Soccer

Coach: Marwan Ass’ad, 8th season

‘89 Finish: 10-5-4, 2nd in West regional

Outlook: Fair. Good Division I teams are too physical for CSUN’s liking, through the Matadors have experience with bruising matches thanks to annual exhibition matches with UCLA. Coach Marwan Ass’ad has orchestrated a loyal following among community youth soccer programs, but their initial expectations may be a bit too high.

Softball

Coach: Gary Torgeson, 10th season

‘90 Finish: 51-21, 2nd in NCAA Division II

Outlook: Good. Northridge had a winning record (19-16) against Division I teams last season, so a .500 record next spring is certainly possible. Torgeson’s most pressing concern would be pitching. Debbie Dickmann, a top-caliber pitcher at any level, has completed her eligibility. If CSUN finds a suitable replacement, it has an outside shot at a regional playoff berth.

Swimming

(Men’s and Women’s)

Coach: Pete Accardy, 22nd season

‘89-90 Finish: women 2nd, men third in NCAA Division II championships

Outlook: Fair. If anyone can make something out of nothing, Accardy can. With little funding, he developed programs that were annual contenders for Division II national championships. CSUN won’t scare any top teams at the major college level and is unlikely to have more than a couple of individuals qualify for the Division I meet.

Tennis

(Women’s)

Coach: Tony Davila, 11th season

‘90 Finish: 14-13

Outlook: Poor. Competing in Southern California is tough at any level without sufficient funding. Davila says his program lost good recruits in the past because it carried a Division II label. Northridge teams historically have a few top individuals. Depth will be even more of a factor in Division I.

Track

(Men’s and Women’s)

Coach: Don Strametz, 10th women’s season, 5th men’s season

‘90 Finish: men 2nd, women 5th in NCAA Division II championships

Outlook: Fair. CSUN will concentrate its efforts on winning dual meets since it will have few individuals qualify to compete at the national level. On the women’s side, nationally ranked middle-distance runner Darcy Arreola is expected to challenge for national title in 1,500 after a redshirt season last spring.

Volleyball

(Men’s)

Coach: John Price, 6th season

‘89-90 Finish: 13-12, 2nd in division of WIVA

Outlook: Excellent. The program has competed in the Division I Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. since 1984. The Matadors were ranked in the national Top 10 all of last season and placed second behind UCLA in the WIVA’s DeGroot Division. CSUN defeated Pepperdine last season and came within a point of knocking off both USC and UCLA. With all six starters back, a Final Four berth is possible.

Volleyball

(Women’s)

Coach: Walt Ker, 11th season

‘89-90 Finish: 26-11, qualified for regional

Outlook: Good. Four starters are back from last season’s team that finished 26-11, including Kathleen Dixon, a two-time Division II All-American at middle blocker. CSUN has defeated Division I teams in the past, but playing to that level on a regular basis figures to be much more difficult. Still, Northridge should fit right in with the second half of the nation’s Top 20 teams.

The football program will continue to compete in the NCAA Division II Western Football Conference.