Conference Meet Is Place for Dons to Honor Past

The Orange Empire Conference track and field prelims and finals start today at Rancho Santiago College. Dons Coach Al Siddons is taking the opportunity, during an event that features many of today’s top athletes, to honor those from his school’s past.

During the finals Saturday, members of the 1964 and 1965 teams that won State titles for what was then Santa Ana College will be on hand.

Among those expected to attend are Ed Caruthers, Fred Kuller, Sal Mendoza and Bob Delaney, who were all key members of the championship teams.

Caruthers, a high-jumper, won the State meet in 1964 but went on to loftier accomplishments; he was the silver medalist at the 1968 Olympic games.

Kuller was the State champion in the 100-and 200-yard dashes while at Santa Ana. He is the only athlete from an Orange County college to win either event at the State meet.

Delaney and Mendoza were outstanding distance runners. Delaney was the State mile champion in 1963 and ’64 and won the two-mile race as well at the 1964 State meet.

The group set seven national records.

The four, along with several others, will be introduced at 1 p.m. during the meet and all will attend a barbecue afterward.

“We think it will be really neat for everyone,” Siddons said.

The women’s 5,000-meter final will be held at 5:15 p.m. today, and the men’s 10,000 race is at 5:45.

The remainder of the finals are Saturday, with field events starting at 11 a.m. and the running events at 1 p.m.

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Women’s tennis: Golden West’s Michelle Turner, a freshman from Edison High, began last week unseeded in the Orange Empire Conference women’s tennis tournament.

But she has a chance to become the conference champion today by upsetting top-seeded Debbie Vonusa of Fullerton in the final at 1:30 p.m. at Saddleback College.

Turner, who played mostly at No. 4 singles this season, is 20-0. She already has upset second and third players to advance this far.

The doubles’ final matches Ryan and Stella Tran, the No. 1-seeded team, against Fullerton’s Michelle Caravajal and Lisa Salyer, also at 1:30.

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Men’s volleyball: Orange Coast (14-7, 10-6) is at Golden West (13-5, 11-5) at 7 Wednesday in the final Orange Empire Conference match of the year. Palomar (14-3, 13-3) already has clinched the conference title and earned a berth in the State tournament May 5-6 at Irvine Valley.

The winner of the Orange Coast-Golden West match gets second place in the conference and the loser third. The teams already have earned spots in the regional playoff May 1 at Long Beach.

The teams will play the second- and third-place teams from the South Coast Conference in a single-elimination tournament. The survivor earns the wild-card berth into the State tournament.

Orange Coast is led by sophomore outside hitter Jason Crone who leads the Orange Empire Conference in kills, hitting percentage and aces.

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Broken Brian: Brian Martineau, one of Rancho Santiago’s top two pitchers, will miss the rest of the season with a broken right (pitching) hand. He suffered the injury when he punched the dugout wall after being upset with his performance last Wednesday.

Martineau ends at 6-1 with a 2.04 earned-run average and 67 strikeouts in 75 innings. The Dons (28-9, 13-6) are a game behind first-place Cypress (29-9, 14-5) with five left in the Orange Empire Conference race.

“It’s the best news for everybody in the conference, except me,” Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon said. “I feel sorry for the team, we are no so pitching-rich that we can rebound from a loss like this.”

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Notes

Augie Ojeda, a sophomore shortstop at Cypress, went 364 at-bats before hitting his first collegiate home run last Tuesday against Saddleback . . . Aaron Sepulveda of Saddleback started the season as reliever but recently has moved into the line-up at first base. He is batting .400 (eight for 20) with three home runs and a triple. His ninth-inning home run gave Saddleback an 8-7 victory over host Golden West Saturday . . . Rockie Breig, a freshman outfielder for Cypress’ softball team, has set the college’s single-season record for stolen bases with 36 in 39 tries starting the week. Cypress is 101 for 119.