CSUN’s Vujic to Redshirt in Cross-Country

Cal State Northridge distance runner Sasha Vujic will redshirt the upcoming cross-country season and discus thrower John Gallagher has transferred to Northridge from USC, CSUN Coach Don Strametz said Wednesday.

Vujic, who finished eighth in the last year’s NCAA Division II cross-country championships as a sophomore, has not recovered from a stress fracture that he suffered during the 1990 track season.

“After his injury, there was just insufficient time for him to get back in shape,” Strametz said of Vujic, the Northridge freshman record-holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. “We didn’t want to bring him back too quickly and have him get injured again.”

Vujic is the second Northridge runner to redshirt the cross-country season. Jorge Castro, who placed 11th in last year’s Division II cross-country meet as a junior, said earlier this summer that he would redshirt.

With Vujic and Castro sitting out, senior Derik Vett and sophomore Rich Gitahi will be the only returning runners from last year’s team, which placed fifth in the Division II championships.

Jeff Gilkey, the Matadors’ No. 3 runner last year, is no longer enrolled at Northridge, according to Strametz.

Bob Evans, Northridge’s sixth man at the Division II meet, is in school but not on the team because of differences with Strametz. Mike Rattary, the No. 7 runner, has transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, but won’t be eligible to compete until the winter quarter begins in January.

“This is just going to be one of those years,” Strametz said of the men’s cross-country team, which will make its Division I debut at the Fresno Invitational on Sept. 15. “We’ve been here before, we’ll be here again. . . . Hopefully, we can get a couple of good recruits next season, and with Sasha and Jorge coming back, we’ll be pretty competitive.”

The addition of Gallagher should help the Matador track and field team immediately.

Gallagher, who finished fourth in the discus in the 1989 state high school championships for Palm Desert High, will be eligible to compete for the Matadors in the spring because he met specific academic requirements and was given a release by USC.

“(John) is a great catch for us,” Strametz said.

Gallagher, who won the discus at the prestigious Golden West Invitational in 1989, had a best of 192 feet, 4 inches with the high school (three pounds nine ounces) discus.

As a USC freshman, he had bests of 169-1 in the discus (4.4 pounds) and 156-3 in the hammer throw.