Whitaker Thunders Into Title Matchup

Super-heavyweight Lance Whitaker continued his impressive march through the National Golden Gloves tournament field Friday, knocking out LeVone Seegars of Washington, D.C., in the first round.

Whitaker’s victory, in the semifinals of the tournament in Little Rock, Ark., came midway through the first round. Whitaker, a 6-foot-8, 235-pounder, twice dropped Seegars for eight-counts.

“I had three fights, all decisions,” Whitaker said. “I want to go home with a couple of knockouts.”

Whitaker also can go home with a championship, if he can beat Edward Mahone of St. Louis tonight. Mahone advanced to the title bout by beating Marcus McYntire of Indiana.

Track & Field

Senior Garrett Noel and sophomores Derek Scurry and Kristin Dunn of Cal State Northridge have been picked to finish among the top eight finishers in their respective events in the NCAA Division I championships by Track & Field News magazine.

Noel, the school record-holder in the men’s javelin (247 feet) is tabbed to finish fifth in the Division I meet, which is scheduled for June 2-5 at Tulane University. Scurry and Dunn are picked to finish eighth in the men’s long jump and women’s javelin, respectively.

Scurry holds the Northridge record in the long jump (26 feet 3 1/2 inches) and Dunn ranks second on the all-time Matador list in the javelin (164-0).

Other athletes with ties to the region who are picked to finish among the top eight are Deena Drossin of Arkansas (third in the women’s 5,000), Crissy Mills of USC (eighth in the women’s high jump), and Jenni Whelchel of UCLA (eighth in the women’s shotput).

Drossin (1991) and Whelchel (‘88) are Agoura High graduates. Mills is a 1990 graduate of Campbell Hall.

The top eight finishers in each event who score points in the Division I meet are considered All-Americans.