NOTEBOOK / GARY KLEIN : Azusa Maintains NAIA Track Dominance

The Azusa Pacific University men’s track team won its second consecutive National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics track and field championship with an impressive performance last weekend in Canada.

Davidson Ezinwa won the 100 meters in an NAIA-record 10.05 seconds. He also won the 200 in 20.96 seconds as Azusa Pacific won its ninth national title in 10 years.

Azusa Pacific finished with 93 points. Central State (Ohio) was second with 76 and Adams State (Colo.) was third with 70.

Noble finish--Nogales High won the Southern Section 3-A boys’ track and field championship, despite being disqualified for a false start in the 400-meter relay, the day’s first running event.

The Nobles finished with 56 points. Santa Ana Valley was second with 38 and Diamond Bar and Foothill tied for third with 35.

Mark Glock won the shotput with a throw of 58 feet 11 3/4 inches and Willie Farrow won the long jump with a leap of 46-3 3/4.

Running to win--Angel Martinez of San Gabriel High posted the fastest qualifying time for Friday’s Masters Meet at Cerritos College in winning the 4-A Division 3,200 meters in 9 minutes 3.23 seconds at Saturday’s Southern Section Track and Field championships at Cerritos College.

“I wasn’t concerned about running a certain time, I just ran for the win,” Martinez said.

Saving the best for last--Kim Ojeda of Cal State Los Angeles shaved more than 27 seconds off her 5,000-meter best, clocking 17:7.4 to qualify for this week’s NCAA Division II Track and Field championships at the Santa Monica Distance Carnival Saturday.

Ojeda, a City 3,200-meter champion at Eagle Rock High, placed seventh in the nation in cross-country in November.

Going strong--The Diamond Bar High baseball team, ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today, advanced to the second round of the Southern Section 5-A playoffs with a 13-3 victory over Leuzinger on Friday.

Diamond Bar (26-1) defeated Fountain Valley, 11-1, on Tuesday. Fountain Valley defeated Schurr, 7-0, in the first round.

Senior catcher Karl Thompson hit a first-inning home run against Leuzinger and had another hit to raise his average to .436. Aaron Armstrong hit a grand slam and Jared Janke hit a three-run homer for the Brahmas.

Fred Burri, who coached wrestling at Mt. San Antonio College for 34 years, retired this week with a career record of 432-214-28.

Burri coached eight state champions and had 22 wrestlers become coaches at the high school, junior college and university level.

Mt. SAC catcher Kevin Lidle was invited to try out for the U.S Olympic baseball team June 8 at Millington, Tenn.

Lidle, the co-most valuable player in the South Coast Conference this season, was chosen for the Olympic tryout as a replacement for Harbor catcher Rene Lopez, who was injured during the state tournament.

Lidle, 19, batted .379 with three home runs and 35 runs batted in. He committed only five errors in 47 games.

The California Special Olympics will be held June 19-21 at UCLA.

More than 2,000 athletes are expected to compete in eight sports. The opening ceremony takes place June 19 at 6:30 p.m. at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.

Instructional clinics will also be held during the three-day event.

Information: (310) 458-1029.