Northridge’s Calcante Surges Into NCAA Home Run Lead

Beth Calcante of Cal State Northridge is the leading home run hitter in NCAA Division I. The sophomore from Newbury Park High has hit nine home runs through April 5, the latest cutoff date for national statistics.

Three players, including UCLA’s Yvonne Gutierrez, are tied for second with six home runs.

Calcante is tied with 11 players in ninth place on the all-time NCAA list of single-season home run hitters.

The Encino Velodrome is scheduled to open a new bicycle racing season tonight at 8. Three candidates for the Olympic cycling team--Paul Swift, Scott Skellenger and Marcello Arrue--are scheduled to compete.

The Encino track is one of only two 250-meter tracks in the nation--a length similar to the Barcelona track that will be used for the Olympics.

Racing will continue each Friday night through July 27.

Former Cal Lutheran goalie Dave Salzwedel signed a seven-month contract extension with the American Professional Soccer League’s defending champion, the San Francisco Blackhawks. Salzwedel, who earlier had signed a one-month contract with the Blackhawks’ minor league team in Mexico, will serve as San Francisco’s backup goalie.

Salzwedel, the only Kingsman to play soccer professionally, was a two-time NAIA All-American. He recorded 30 shutouts and 381 saves in four years at Cal Lutheran.

John Wordin of West Hills, a cyclist on the Velo Avanti-Mrs. Gooch’s racing team, placed third Saturday in the hourlong, stage-three criterium in the Tour of St. George in St. George, Utah.