NOTEBOOK / GARY KLEIN : Canadian League Receiving Mark Set by Ex-Claremont High Standout Allen Pitts

Allen Pitts became a part of professional football lore last weekend, though it’s doubtful more than a handful of people in the United States noticed.

Pitts, a former standout for Claremont High, caught seven passes in the Calgary Stampeders’ 39-27 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders to establish a Canadian Football League record for single-season receptions. Pitts finished the regular season with 118 catches, to eclipse the record of 116 set by Winnipeg’s James Murphy in 1986.

“I could never have foreseen it happening,” Pitts told reporters after the game. “I feel real good about being the all-time (single season) reception leader in the history of this league. I’m overwhelmed.”

Pitts, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound slotback, completed his collegiate eligibility at Cal State Fullerton in 1985 and had a tryout with the Rams in 1987. In 1990, he was working as an accounting clerk at USC and taking classes there when he decided to attend a CFL tryout at UC Irvine. After impressing a Calgary assistant, Pitts flew to Canada for another tryout and was signed to a contract shortly thereafter.

Last season, Pitts had 65 receptions as Calgary won its first Western Division championship since 1971. He quickly became acclimated to the CFL, which plays on a field 65 yards wide--11 2/3 yards wider than the National Football League’s--110 yards long and features end zones 25 yards deep.

“Allen has tremendous size and speed, and with the width of our field, it’s allowed him to move, go into motion and utilize all his abilities,” Calgary Coach Wally Buono said.

Pitts hopes his performance will attract the attention of NFL teams when his current contract ends next season.

“Hey, that’s the league,” he said.

In the swing: Former South Hills High standout Jason Giambi is among 90 baseball players participating this week in tryouts for Team USA, which will represent the United States next summer at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Giambi, a junior third baseman who helped lead Long Beach to the College World Series last season, was a member of the U.S. National team that finished third at the Pan American Games last summer.

Forty players will make the first cut of the tryouts, which are being held in Homestead, Fla., under the direction of Coach Ron Fraser. The team will begin training in June, and the roster will eventually be trimmed to 20 players.

Record-setter: Irene Arguelles, a former standout volleyball player at Edgewood High, became the NCAA’s all-time leader in assists last weekend when she led Regis University to a second-place finish at the Air Force Academy Invitational tournament.

Arguelles, a senior setter, has 6,696 assists, eclipsing the record of 6,596 established by Michelle Jaworski of Penn State in 1987-90.

Regis, which lost to defending NCAA Division II champion West Texas State in the final of the Air Force tournament, will play at Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 16.

Add record-setters: Mt. SAC quarterback Anthony Calvillo became the school’s all-time leading passer in the Mounties’ 20-13 victory over Long Beach.

Calvillo, a sophomore who played at La Puente High, completed 21 of 35 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns against Long Beach.

Calvillo established records for most yards passing in a season (2,448), career (3,997), completions in a season (186) and completions in a career (312).

The Mounties have two regular season games remaining, including Saturday night’s Mission Conference game at El Camino.

Tied up: The Claremont men’s soccer team finished their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule with a 13-1 record, which left the Stags in a first-place tie with Cal Lutheran.

It was the 11th consecutive year that Claremont has earned at least a share of the conference title under Coach Steve Davis.

However, Cal Lutheran defeated Claremont, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 30 and was awarded the bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Let’s eat: The Mt. Wilson Bicycling Assn. is sponsoring a pancake breakfast Sunday at the Henninger Flats campground above Altadena.

The nonprofit organization does volunteer trail work in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Information: (818) 795-3836.

Times staff writer Steven Herbert also contributed to this notebook.