CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK : Runner Loses Tonsils but Gains Class Time

Heather Killeen’s times for the Cal State Fullerton women’s cross-country team have been impressive this fall, but just as remarkable has been her track record in the classroom.

Killeen, a freshman from Valencia High School, has missed only one class in two months, and that was because the Titans had to depart on a Friday for a weekend race.

If this were high school, Killeen would have missed at least a week’s worth of classes by now. A medley of maladies, ranging from colds and sore throats to bronchitis and pneumonia, had Killeen calling in sick at a rate of about 40 days per year at Valencia.

But since having her tonsils removed last July, Killeen’s athletic and academic careers have taken a turn for the better.

“I feel great--it’s like a miracle,” Killeen, 18, said. “It’s like I’m a different person. I used to always get sick and feel run down, but I have a lot more energy now. And I’m doing better academically, mainly because I’m always in school.”

Killeen was one of Orange County’s top high school runners as a freshman at Valencia but started to fade when she began experiencing chronic health problems in the spring of her freshman year.

She did well during her senior track season, winning the Southern Section 2-A mile, but the best she could do in cross-country was a 10th-place finish in the Southern Section Division II meet last fall. By the end of the season, she was usually too exhausted to excel in the big meets.

Killeen had always noticed those plum-sized glands in the back of her throat, but she didn’t think they were cause for concern until she did a little comparison shopping with her brother, Brian, a member of the Titan men’s cross-country team.

“I thought it was normal to have these big things back there,” Killeen said. “Then I looked at my brother’s, and he didn’t have any. I just didn’t realize tonsils weren’t supposed to be that swollen. I went to a doctor, and he said they needed to come out.”

Out they went, and with them went Killeen’s susceptibility to many illnesses. With her new-found health, Killeen’s running career has reached new heights.

She entered the season just hoping to break 18 minutes for a five-kilometer race. She’s done that twice, winning the Stanford Invitational women’s open division in 17 minutes 58 seconds and placing 12th at the San Luis Obispo Invitational with a season-best mark of 17:49.

Killeen also won a race at UC Santa Barbara, placed fifth at Cal State Fullerton and 20th at the prestigious Aztec (San Diego State) Invitational. Her goal now is to finish among the top five women in Saturday’s Big West Conference meet at New Mexico State.

“I think it’s a realistic goal,” Fullerton Coach John Elders said. “If she runs a good race, she can finish in the top five. If she runs a great race, she might finish in the top three.”

Killeen, who ran three miles in 19:31 last fall--a 5K is 3.1 miles--admits there’s a little more pressure with expectations.

“It’s kind of scary,” she said. “When you enter something new, there’s no pressure, but now there’s a little thing to think about. But it’s exciting.”

Road Sweet Road: It’s no coincidence that Fullerton quarterback Chad May has played his best football away from home.

The redshirt freshman completed 15 of 28 passes for 128 yards in a 26-3 loss at Utah State Oct. 19. May was 11 of 20 for 121 yards at Pacific Oct. 5 and six of 17 for 82 yards at Georgia Sept. 28. He didn’t throw an interception in either game.

May’s combined totals for two home games: 16 of 48 for 127 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. The Titans play host to New Mexico State Saturday.

“I don’t know what’s wrong when I’m home, but I’m a lot more relaxed on the road,” May said. “At home, my family is there watching me and there’s some pressure. On the road, I just play and don’t worry about anything.”

Expert Advice: Fullerton kicker Phil Nevin made only two of his first eight field goal attempts this season, but since a short practice session Oct. 10 with former Titan and San Diego Charger kicker Vince Abbot, he is two for three.

Nevin made a 52-yarder against Nevada Las Vegas Oct. 12 and a 40-yarder against Utah State Oct. 19. The junior had a 32-yard attempt blocked by UNLV.

“The guru talking to him helped a bit,” Titan Coach Gene Murphy said. “He didn’t tell Phil anything we didn’t. He was pulling his head up and doing some little things that were correctable. But there were other things that Vince noticed that needed refining. He knows the kicking game.”

Titan Notes

Todd Satalowich, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward who transferred to Fullerton from Missouri, sprained his right ankle in practice last week and is expected to be out at least three weeks, trainer Jerry Lloyd said. . . . Cheryl Hightower, a sophomore guard who started 20 of 33 games for the women’s basketball team last season, broke her collarbone in a bicycle accident earlier this month and has not practiced with the team. Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah said Hightower was cycling at night but couldn’t avoid a car door that had opened on a parked vehicle she was passing. Kelly McClanahan, a 6-2 sophomore forward, hasn’t practiced because of a foot injury, and Kisa Hughes, a 6-4 freshman center, sat out last week because of a sprained ankle. . . . The men’s soccer team (10-6, 6-2 in the Big West Conference), travels to Nevada Las Vegas for a conference game Thursday and will play a nonconference game against 16th-ranked UCLA at 2 p.m. Sunday in Santa Ana Stadium. . . . The men’s basketball team, which has played nonconference games at UCLA in the 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1989-90 seasons and is scheduled to play Dec. 23 in Pauley Pavilion, has agreed to travel to UCLA again for a Dec. 29, 1992 game. No word on when or if the Bruins will ever play in Titan Gym. . . . Four Titan wrestlers are rated among the nation’s top 25 in Wrestling USA’s preseason collegiate rankings. Lyndon Campbell is ranked ninth at 134 pounds, Michael Grubbs is 10th at 118, Laszlo Molnar is 20th at 167, and Jeff Maes is 24th at 126. The four were NCAA qualifiers last year. . . . Marc Shaw, a Brea-Olinda High School graduate who made the New Mexico State football team as a walk-on, made his first start at strong safety Saturday and led the Aggies with 13 tackles in a 27-20 loss to Pacific. Two former Sunny Hills players, starting quarterback David Chisum and reserve running back Brian Pizula, also play for New Mexico State.