COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Rabbitt Wins in Regional Cross-Country

Buffy Rabbitt won the women’s division for the second consecutive year and UC Irvine’s women’s cross-country team finished second at the NCAA Region 8 Championships Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.

The second-place finish qualifies Irvine for NCAA Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 19. Oregon won the regional by one point (50-49). It will be the Irvine women’s fourth trip to the NCAA meet. They qualified in 1989, 1987 and 1983.

Rabbitt completed the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes 44.6 seconds. She has won five of the six meets in which she has competed this season.

The Irvine men finished in sixth place with 165 points; Arizona won with 50 points.

In Big West Conference water polo:

UC Irvine 12, Fresno State 7--Steve Gill, Skylar Putman, Greg Haynes and Mark Herman each scored two goals to lead seventh-ranked UC Irvine (13-14, 3-6 in conference) over 11th-ranked Fresno State (14-19, 2-8) at Heritage Park. Irvine led, 4-0, after one quarter and had a lead of 8-2 after three quarters.

In Big West Conference women’s volleyball:

UC Irvine 3, New Mexico State 0--Scotleen Risley had 11 kills to lead UC Irvine (9-18, 5-11) to a 15-9, 18-16, 15-9 victory over visiting New Mexico State (4-24, 2-13). Irvine’s Dana Chalais had six block-assists.

In an exhibition basketball game:

Chapman 97, Finland National 66--Frantz Reyes scored 19 points and Roger Middleton scored 17 to lead host Chapman over Finland. Andre Hill scored 13 and Bau Pack scored 11 for Chapman, which led at halftime, 43-31.

UC Irvine freshman Brett Hansen-Dent will face fourth-seeded Donny Isaak of USC in the singles final of the Rolex Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Assn. Southern California tennis championships at UC Irvine, after defeating Andras Lanyin of USC, 7-6, 6-4, in the semifinals.

Hansen-Dent and Isaak will play at 10 a.m. today. Isaak beat Bill Behrens of UCLA, 7-6, 6-2, in the other semifinal.

In doubles, Hansen-Dent and Carsten Hoffman reached the semifinals by defeating Joel Finnigan and Brian Geiger, 7-6, 6-4. Hansen-Dent and Hoffman will face Scott Sigerseth and Rongo Navarrosa of Arizona in a semifinal after the singles final. The doubles final will be at 1:30 p.m.

At the USC swimming invitational Saturday, Jeff Klatt of UC Irvine finished second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.29 seconds. Sean Harrison of Cal State Long Beach won (51.87).

David Pohlman of Irvine finished third in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:44.95. Frank Wattles of USC was first (1:44.80) and Bill Bailey of USC was second (1:44:95).

Jason Sakamoto of Irvine finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.36). Garrett Nishimoto of Fresno State was first (59.51) and John Cox of USC was second (1:01.12).

In the Western Christian Athletic Conference basketball tournament at American Indian Bible College in Phoenix:

Pacific Christian 122, Arizona College of the Bible 68--Kenny Kao scored 18 points and Mike Vincent scored 20 to lead Pacific Christian in the championship game.

Pacific Christian 98, American Indian Bible 86--Kenny Kao scored 17 points, Mike Vincent 20, Gabe Bril 14 and Phil Garcia 23 to lead Pacific Christian (4-0) in a semifinal game.