Torero Coach Mourns Departure of Noriega

Ed Collins, University of San Diego’s tennis coach, watched Jose Luis Noriega lose to Stanford’s Alex O’Brien, 6-0, 6-3, in the NCAA semifinals Friday. But it took him awhile to realize that his four-time All-American from Lima, Peru, would no longer be a Torero.

“It didn’t hit me until Saturday, when my wife and I watched him go through graduation,” Collins said. “It’s real sad. We were very close. You try to maintain a distance, but with him it was tough. His father was almost killed when he came here and my dad suffered a stroke during his first match. We’ve been close since then.”

Noriega never achieved his main tennis goal--winning the NCAA title. But considering he missed the last two months of his senior season with a tendinitis of the rotator cuff, Collins said he came remarkably close this year.

“He was not as fit as normal,” Collins said. “The best way to prepare for matches is to play matches. With studying for finals and everything, he couldn’t prepare like he wanted to. But like everything else, he did as well as he could.”

But Collins said O’Brien never let Noriega into the match.

“He didn’t make a mistake in first four games,” Collins said. “He made two unforced errors in the set.”

Noriega is scheduled to make his pro debut June 7 at a tournament in Genoa, Italy.

Aztecs enter uncharted territory: San Diego State senior Jeff Belloli and sophomore Chris Numbers made history last week when they lost in the NCAA men’s semifinals at Athens, Ga., to the No. 2-seeded team, Alex O’Brien and Chris Cocotos of Stanford, 6-3, 6-3. No SDSU men’s team or individual had reached the final four.

If they hadn’t run into O’Brien and Cocotos again, Belloli and Numbers might have won the NCAAs. Belloli and Numbers were 22-2 against all other doubles teams, but went 0-2 against O’Brien and Cocotos. They also lost to O’Brien and Cocotos in the Pacific Coast doubles semifinals.

“You just have to say O’Brien and Cocotos were the better team,” SDSU Coach Hugh Bream said.

Bream said O’Brien, who also won the NCAA singles title, was too much for Belloli and Numbers to handle.

“I think O’Brien might have missed two serve returns in the match,” Bream said. “Both of our guys serve real well, but you pretty much feel when you play them you have to score your points off Cocotos.”

Bream also announced that he has signed Northern California’s Jonathan Yip. Yip, who was ranked No. 1 in Northern California in the boys’ 18, had been attending San Pasqual High and Woody Blocker’s Tennis Academy.

Title-quest: UC San Diego’s Scott Sargeant will be favored to win the hammer throw when competition begins today at the NCAA Division III championships in Waterville, Me. Sargeant, who has thrown the hammer 25 feet farther than any of his competitors, won the event two years ago and finished tied for first last year. Two of Sargeant’s teammates, Jeff Taylor and Paul Cogbill, are also ranked in the top 10.

The Tritons also have a chance at national title in the 100 meters, where Erica Washington holds the top Division III time of 12.15.

Another Mickelson? After Arizona State redshirt freshman Todd Demsey was named to the All-Pac 10 team this year, comparisons were already being made between Demsey and ASU’s three-time All-American Phil Mickelson. Although ASU golf Coach Steve Loy is high on Demsey, he cautions against comparing the two San Diegans.

“They are two completely different type of players,” Loy said. “Phil is charismatic and creative. Todd is fundamentally sound and much more of grinder. Phil is special. There’s nobody like Phil Mickelson.”

But Loy acknowledged that Demsey, who attended Torrey Pines High, was close this year. In 14 tournaments, Demsey had nine top 10 finishes and four top five finishes. His scoring average of 72.1 was fifth in the nation. Loy said Demsey has an excellent chance of being selected as a first team All-American.

“I thought Todd had these kind of tools, but I didn’t think it would ever come this quickly,” Loy said. “Other than Phil winning three tournaments, overall Todd’s had a much better freshman year.”

Meanwhile, Mickelson, a senior from University of San Diego High, continues to amaze. He won four tournaments this year and had the best scoring average (70.1) in the nation. He is expected to join Gary Hallberg as the second four-time All-American in NCAA history.

Mickelson will try for his third NCAA individual championship next week (June 3-6 in Albuquerque).