Wackerman All-American by Committee

It took more than just goal-scoring prowess for Cal Lutheran’s Rachel Wackerman to gain selection to the women’s NCAA Division III All-American soccer team. It took an appeal to an NCAA oversight committee.

Wackerman and at least five other Cal Lutheran players worthy of consideration were left off a ballot of players who were nominated for all-region honors because Cal Lutheran (17-4) did not submit its nominations to Herve Pensec, the selection committee chairman. Pensec said that he did not inform Cal Lutheran of the nomination procedures because the school, which is in its first year of Division III competition, was not on his mailing list.

By the time Cal Lutheran learned of the selection process, it was past the Oct. 20 deadline for nominations.

Cal Lutheran protested to an oversight committee, which granted Wackerman third-team status. It marked the second consecutive year that Wackerman has been slighted for postseason honors. Last season, she was passed over for a place on the NAIA All-American team despite being the nation’s second-leading scorer in that classification.

Wackerman, a sophomore, has 66 goals in two seasons--including 36 this past season--and is eighth on the all-time goal-scoring list for collegiate women.

CHILLING OUT

When Northridge forward Shelton Boykin lost his temper Sunday night and drew a technical foul against the University of San Diego, he was removed from the game and given time to cool off.

Usually, Boykin walks off such flare-ups behind the bench or in an adjacent hallway. But space was not available at USD’s Sports Center, so when Boykin bolted out a nearby door he found himself . . . outside, and on a cool evening no less. Fortunately, he did not lock himself out of the gym.

NAME GAME

Not many people can pronounce their name backward, but Betty Bowls can say it--correctly--several times a day.

Betty gave her daughter the backward spelling of her own first name. Ytteb Bowls is a forward on the women’s basketball team at Ventura College and a former Channel Islands High standout.

RAW RECRUIT

The Valley women’s basketball coaching staff has spent countless hours during the past several years recruiting the type of players that have helped the Lady Monarchs make four consecutive final-four appearances in the state playoffs.

But the recruiting process hasn’t all been hard work. Consider the manner in which Valley “recruited” forward Andrea Hoffman.

Hoffman, an All-Southern Section player at Alemany High, stopped playing organized basketball after graduating in 1989. She decided to return to the game this year and showed up during the off-season outside the office of Valley Coach Doug Michelson.

“We work our tails off recruiting--watching games and sitting in traffic,” Michelson said. “Then, one day I come back (to Valley) and (Hoffman) was waiting outside my office. I knew she was a basketball player because she was six feet tall and wearing Nike high-tops.”

Hoffman, whom Michelson calls a “defensive stopper,” has played a key role in helping the Lady Monarchs to a 12-2 start entering Friday’s first-round game of the Fullerton tournament.

RAVE REVIEWS

To the uninitiated, watching Ventura men’s basketball Coach Philip Mathews during games would leave one thinking that this season’s team is abysmal.

Mathews rants and raves while criticizing the performance of his players far more often than he pats them on the back for a job well done. But he concedes that the Pirates are a talented bunch.

“We’re still doing a lot of things that we shouldn’t be doing,” Mathews said after Ventura improved its record to 13-3 by routing L.A. Trade Tech, 98-71, in the semifinals of the Pasadena tournament last week. “A lot of little things. But we’re winning despite the mistakes.”

BACK IN CHARGE

Moorpark was 26-6 last season, but there were times when it appeared that the inmates--led by then-sophomore point guard Sam Crawford--were running the asylum.

With Crawford having moved on to New Mexico State, Coach Al Nordquist appears to be taking steps to rid the Raiders of any residue of that attitude.

Damian Wilson, the Raiders’ star guard, was suspended for four games earlier this season after arguing with assistant Marc Joffe. Wilson and Jimmy Galbert watched a game against Rancho Santiago from the bench after showing up late for warm-ups and, for various reasons, Corey Luster, Eric Clark, Eric Dyer and Mike Wawryk no longer are on the team.

“We’re down to 10 guys, but I like the guys we have,” Nordquist said.

“They want to play. The others didn’t want to play the game the way we wanted or weren’t willing to make the commitment, so they’re no longer on the team.”

BIG ADDITION

The Northridge men’s volleyball team, which finished last season ranked third in the nation, received a big boost when Axel Hager, a 6-foot-7 swing hitter from Hamburg, Germany, was admitted to the school and deemed eligible for the upcoming season.

Hager is a member of a club team in Germany and John Price, Northridge’s coach, has yet to see him play in person.

“He looks good on tape,” Price said. “He’s going to be a big, big plus for us.”

The Matadors will start practice Jan. 5 before their opener Feb. 4 against George Mason in Fairfax, Va.

ARM UNDER REPAIR

Former El Camino Real High standout Pat Treend, a sophomore at UC Santa Barbara, is scheduled to undergo elbow surgery Jan. 7 and will redshirt the upcoming baseball season.

Treend, a hard-throwing right-hander, was selected The Times’ Valley player of the year after leading El Camino Real to the City Section 4-A Division final in 1990.

He is expected to undergo “Tommy John” surgery, wherein a tendon from his ankle will be transplanted into his elbow.

Ron Twersky and staff writers Steve Elling, Mike Hiserman, Theresa Munoz, John Ortega and Wendy Witherspoon contributed to this notebook.