Pomona-Pitzer Sends Kirtman to the Cowboys

It’s not as if Nate Kirtman of the Pomona-Pitzer football team felt that he wasn’t worthy of being selected in the NFL draft last week.

After all, he starred at running back, defensive back, punter and as a kick returner in his four seasons with the Sagehens.

As a junior, he led the NCAA Division III in kick returns and was second in punting, and he earned Division III All-American honors as a kick returner last season.

But Kirtman, 20, says he never imagined he would be selected as a defensive back in the ninth round by the Dallas Cowboys.

“I didn’t even expect to get selected at all,” he said. “I was kind of hoping, but I was a little surprised when it happened. I was thinking maybe it would be in the 11th or 12th round, if I got drafted at all.”

Kirtman says it was a remarkable feeling.

“I was just real excited,” he said. “I saw my name on the screen on ESPN, and it was just an indescribable feeling. I just couldn’t believe it was happening.”

Kirtman said he was surprised because he didn’t take the customary road to the NFL.

“I’ve always wanted to play pro football since I was younger, but the path I took wasn’t a typical one,” he said. “I wasn’t even (first team) all-league in high school, and I went to a college that’s a small Division III school. So then to think that you could be drafted by a team like the Dallas Cowboys is something special.”

Kirtman started as a wide receiver for two years at St. Mary’s High in Berkeley but wasn’t a star.

“I was just happy to be starting,” he said.

Kirtman was an immediate success with the Sagehens, leading the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in interceptions as a freshman.

He also left a good impression on NFL scouts because of his ability as a track athlete. Kirtman is two-time defending Division III champion in the long jump and runs the 100-meter dash in 10.6 seconds.

Pomona-Pitzer Coach Clarence Thomas says Kirtman has the talent to make it in the NFL.

“I don’t think there’s any question of that, because he’s got the physical and mental ability and he’s a hard worker,” Thomas said. “You can’t coach speed and he’s got the speed, along with the other intangibles to go with it.”

Although the Cowboys selected him as defensive back, Kirtman said they are interested in using him as a wide receiver to take advantage of his speed.

“I’m not real sure what I’ll be playing,” he said. “I think for sure I’ll be on special teams as a returner. I’ve also heard they’re in need of wide receivers and defensive backs, but that’s just speculation at this point.”

Kirtman says it doesn’t really matter what position he plays.

“I just want to play and have a chance to make the team,” he said.

He also hopes his selection provides hope for other small-college players.

“It’s a testament to the fact that it doesn’t matter what school you go to,” Kirtman says. “It all boils down to you.”

After drawing the top seeding, the Pomona-Pitzer women’s tennis team was upset in its first match in the NCAA Division III tournament last year and finished fifth.

The Sagehens will be hoping for a better result when they compete as the top-seeded Division III team again this year in the tournament, starting next Tuesday at Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

The Sagehens have drawn a first-round bye and will face either St. Olaf of Minnesota or Swarthmore of Pennsylvania in the quarterfinals of the 12-team tournament next Wednesday. Pomona is 19-3 in dual matches, one of its defeats having been inflicted by two-time Division II champion Cal Poly Pomona.

The Sagehens may have an edge in experience, with five seniors among their top six players. The leaders are seniors Shelley Keeler and Erin Hendricks, in singles and doubles.

Keeler and Hendricks combined to win the Division III doubles title last year, and seniors Caryn Cranston and Brenda Peirce finished eighth.

Cal State Bakersfield will carry a successful postseason tradition and the top seeding into the NCAA Division II women’s softball playoffs, starting Saturday.

The Roadrunners have made three appearances in the Division II playoffs and won titles on each occasion. They are 20-3 in NCAA tournament play, the top mark of any Division II program.

Bakersfield, 50-14, also will play host to the four-team, double-elimination West Regional. The Roadrunners will meet Cal State Hayward (44-10) in the first round. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (41-13) faces Portland State (40-12).

The Roadrunners have been sparked by All-American outfielder Amy Van Allen, first baseman Dana Ferris and outfielder Tonya Warren. The regional champion advances to the four-team national championship, May 15-17 in Shawnee, Kan.

The Western Football Conference will become an NCAA Division I-AA conference, beginning with the 1993 season.

The five schools that have accepted invitations to compete in the conference are Cal State Northridge, Cal State Sacramento, Southern Utah, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis.

The WFC has been a Division II conference since its inception in 1982. Northridge, Sacramento, Southern Utah and San Luis Obispo have either applied to or are in Division I.

The schools will be forced to move up to Division I-AA in football as a result of a recent NCAA decision that requires Division I schools to compete on that level in all sports by the fall of 1993. UC Davis, a perennial Division II power, is also expected to move to Division I in 1993.

College Division Notes

Cal Poly Pomona won its second consecutive championship in NCAA Division II women’s tennis with a 5-0 victory Sunday over Grand Canyon in the title match in Canyon, Tex. In winning their fourth national title since 1980, the Broncos finished with a 20-1 dual match record. . . . Golden State Athletic Conference champion Azusa Pacific was seeded first and named host of the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 baseball tournament that starts Thursday. . . . Rich Zapata and Greg Wilson of Cal State San Bernardino have been named to the NCAA Division II All-District 8 team in men’s golf. They are expected to lead the Coyotes at the Division II tournament May 19-22 in Spartanburg, S.C. . . . Three SCIAC teams are ranked in the top 10 in Division III heading into the SCIAC men’s tennis tournament Friday and Saturday at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Claremont is ranked No. 3, Pomona-Pitzer No. 4 and Redlands No. 10.