Cross-Country at CSUN Hurt by Track Goals

Things have changed, and not necessarily for the better, for the Cal State Northridge cross-country program since it moved to the NCAA Division I level in 1990.

The Matadors opened their third Division I season in the Cal State Fullerton Invitational at Carbon Canyon Park in Brea on Saturday, but once again the team is not on a par with some of the Northridge teams that competed at the Division II level.

Northridge teams that placed fourth (women’s) and fifth (men’s) in the 1989 Division II championships would run roughshod over this year’s editions.

The reason is a matter of numbers.

When Northridge made the move to Division I, Don Strametz, the men’s and women’s cross-country and track coach, decided the best way to put the Matadors on the national map was to construct quality Division I dual-meet track teams.

That meant funneling most of Northridge’s scholarship money to sprinters, hurdlers and throwers who could score points in several events in a dual meet.

Middle-distance runners, those who could double in the 800 and 1,500, or in the 1,500 and the 3,000 during a meet, also are a valuable commodity in Strametz’s scheme.

Distance runners who specialize in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and are generally the best cross-country runners, however, are not as valuable because the 10,000 is not part of the dual-meet makeup.

Therefore, Northridge has not recruited any top-quality distance runners in cross-country since making the switch to Division I, and it shows in the composition of this year’s teams, which will have several 800- and 1,500-meter specialists among its best runners.

MEMORIES

Cal State Northridge backup kicker Jason Camp and starting strong safety Kevin Carmichael have more in common than their placement next to each other on the team’s alphabetized roster: They were born, seven months apart, on a U.S. Air Force base in South Rislip, England.

“I didn’t know that,” Carmichael said. “That’s crazy. I can’t believe it.”

Most people don’t believe Carmichael when he tells them that he lived in England until he was 5.

Yet, his British accent, though slight, is unmistakable.

Theron Carmichael, Kevin’s father, repaired planes and coached the Upper Heyford Sky Kings, a base football team that traveled--with Kevin in tow--to Germany and France to play teams from other U.S. bases.

When Kevin was 5, his family moved to a base in South Carolina. Six months later they settled in West Virginia, then Cocoa, Fla., and finally, when Kevin was 9, in Northridge.

As a high school senior, Kevin made a team-high 151 tackles to help Granada Hills win the 1987 City Section 4-A Division championship with current Matador tailback Jamal Farmer.

When Kevin graduates next spring with a degree in kinesiology, he will tour England, a graduation present courtesy of his parents.

NO MEMORIES

In contrast, Camp has no accent and no recollection of his time in England. He lived on the base until he was 3. Then, his family moved to Victorville, Calif.

All that remains are pictures and a promise from his parents to take him back to England for a visit.

Carmichael’s father signed him up for football at age 7, but Camp’s mother, Linda, a nurse, viewed football as a dangerous game.

Consequently, Jason played soccer until high school when he persuaded his mother to allow him to play both sports. At Victor Valley College, Camp’s two-sport career was highlighted by a pair of 57-yard field goals.

After transferring to Antelope Valley College, he concentrated on punting and averaged 39.9 yards a punt during the 1990 season.

Camp sat out the 1991 season at Northridge, then joined the Matadors last spring. He wanted to punt, but the coaching staff steered him into kicking and a duel with Joe Jezulin.

Although Camp, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound junior, put on 35 pounds and increased the distance of his kickoffs and field-goal attempts, Jezulin, a senior, has retained his starting role.

PROMISE KEPT

Walt Ker, the women’s volleyball coach at Cal State Northridge, is a man of his word.

After watching his team stumble to a season-opening three-game loss at the hands of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Sept. 1, Ker vowed the Matadors would be dramatically improved when they returned home a week later to face San Diego State.

At the time, Ker’s primary concern was not whether Northridge won but how well the team competed.

He got the best of both worlds Tuesday when Northridge came from behind to defeat San Diego State, 17-19, 15-13, 12-15, 16-14, 15-9.

It was the Matadors’ first victory over the Aztecs, who had swept Northridge in each of the previous two seasons.

“It was a very significant win for us early in the year because we came from behind against a traditionally powerful Division I team,” Ker said. “And it was so neat to watch us compete. As the match went on, we just seemed to get better and better.”

BLOCK THAT AZTEC

Ker said that several Matador players played key roles in the win over San Diego State, but he was particularly pleased with sophomore Heather Anderson, a 6-2 middle blocker who kept the Aztecs’ Gracie Schutt under wraps for most of the match.

“We knew coming in that Gracie was their go-to player,” Ker said. “But Heather did a great job blocking on her. Heather was a big reason why (Schutt’s) hitting percentage was as low as it was.”

Schutt had 17 kills, but her hitting percentage was a paltry .063.

BIDING TIME

In some ways, Ventura College football Coach Dick James was thankful his team was not on the field Saturday night when most other area junior college teams were launching their seasons.

The Pirates, coming off a disappointing 3-7 season, were scheduled to be at Valley College on Saturday night scouting Antelope Valley, their Sept. 19 opponent. The week off also will afford the Pirates an extra week to heal minor injuries.

“We have to get through another four practices without anymore bumps and bruises,” James said. “We’re at the point of diminishing returns right now at practice.”

Three players who will not answer the opening bell at Antelope Valley are right tackle John Gatling and center Greg Chase, both starters, and reserve tackle Ralph Meza.

Gatling will undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove torn cartilage from his knee and will miss three to five weeks. Chase is out until Oct. 1 with a hyper-extended knee and Meza’s return is unknown as he waits for a chipped bone to stabilize in his shoulder.

David Coulson and staff writers Theresa Munoz and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.