COLLEGE DIVISION / MITCH POLIN : San Bernardino Works Toward Bigger Things

It is the year before the big move for Cal State San Bernardino. The Coyotes will leap from NCAA Division III to Division II, and the transition has been going smoothly.

It has been a success, at least, from an administrative standpoint.

“The primary things that we had to do have already been done, and we have been accepted by the NCAA for Division II,” Athletic Director David Suenram said this week.

The Coyotes, who will join the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Assn. starting with the 1991-92 season, after operating as a Division III independent, will officially be accepted for the higher division during the annual NCAA convention next month in Nashville, Tenn.

For Suenram, the most difficult problem has been adjusting to Division II regulations.

“We’ve had to comply with NCAA Division II rules, and as a practical matter, most of those are related to eligibility requirements,” he said. “The primary difference (between divisions) is that Division II is more structured in terms of academic and eligibility requirements.”

In competition, Suenram said, the school is finding that the differences are considerably more substantial.

As part of the school’s transition, most of the San Bernardino athletic teams have scheduled a higher concentration of Division II opponents this season, and the results have been mixed.

For example, the men’s soccer team had a 14-6 record and reached the Division III playoffs despite a difficult schedule that included Division I and Division II teams. In fact, the team was 4-0 against Division II teams, including victories over Cal Poly Pomona, Chapman and Cal State Dominguez Hills of the CCAA.

The women’s soccer team was also competitive against Division II opponents (2-3) and finished 9-9 overall, and San Bernardino made the Division III playoffs in women’s volleyball despite a schedule that included six Division II teams.

On the other hand, the women’s basketball team has struggled so far this season with a more difficult schedule. The Coyotes, who finished 24-4 last season and advanced to the Division III playoffs, are 2-6 overall and 1-4 against Division II opponents. The men’s basketball team is 2-5.

Suenram said the disparity in the success of athletic teams at the school is expected, especially in the beginning.

“I believe we do have some programs that will adjust without a great deal of difference, but those are exceptions,” he said. “I think for most of our programs, the transition will be more difficult. But that’s not surprising to us. One of the things we have to do is (raise) enough money for college scholarships because that’s a big part of moving up to the next level.”

Coach Carlos Juarez of the men’s soccer team said his squad can be competitive in its first season in the CCAA in 1991, especially with 15 of his 18 players scheduled to return.

“We’re pleased at this point with what’s coming ahead,” Juarez said. “I don’t know if we can win the conference right away, but I think we can be competitive. I’m just looking forward to competing and having the chance to compete for a title.”

Women’s basketball Coach Gary Schwartz, who consistently coached successful Division II teams at North Dakota and Division I teams at Montana State before moving to San Bernardino last season, said his team isn’t far from being able to compete at the Division II level despite its early season difficulty.

“We’re not too far from being competitive now,” he said. “We beat Chapman, and I look at it as a pretty large step just to have beaten a team like that.”

Although his team is struggling at the moment, Schwartz said the schedule, which includes 11 Division II opponents, will benefit the Coyotes in the future. “I think it will help us for next year,” he said. “I think our players will be ready for that kind of competition. It will also show us where we have to be for next season.”

Despite the obvious drawbacks, Schwartz said the more difficult schedule is the best approach.

“It’s been hard on our players and it’s been hard on me, but I sort of knew it was going to be this way,” he said. “You can’t get better by beating up on (lower-division teams). You have to play good teams.”

Suenram, like Schwartz, is taking a long-term approach.

“It won’t be without its bumps and bruises, but I think it’s just a great thing for us to be moving up to Division II and the CCAA,” Suenram said.

College Division Notes

After winning the NCAA Division II title last year, the Cal State Bakersfield women’s volleyball team had to settle for third place in the division this season. The Roadrunners defeated Portland State in five games for third, and West Texas State beat North Dakota State in three games at the Division II Elite Eight tournament in Bakersfield last Sunday. . . . Three players from the CCAA have been named to the NCAA Division II All-American first team and three others have made the second team. Conference champion Bakersfield led the way with setter Tami Jurgenson and middle blocker Rachel Morton on the first team and outside hitter Evelyn Sefuiva on the second; UC Riverside placed setter Regina Carbajal on the first team and outside hitter Karin Koiro on the second squad, and Chapman landed outside hitter Debi Waller on the second team.

The Christ College Irvine women’s basketball team, off to the best start in school history, can match its victory total of last season with a win over Redlands next Saturday at Redlands. The Lady Eagles, who were 4-23 last season, are 3-1. . . . The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s basketball team has also shown improvement from its 11-15 record of last season. The Toros are 6-1.