Young Legs Give CSUN, Strametz Fresh Start : Cross-country: With extra scholarship money, Matador men feel more competitive than at any time during first five years in Division I.

Happy days are here again--or at least in the offing--for the Cal State Northridge men’s cross-country program and Coach Don Strametz.

Northridge has been mediocre at best--awful at worst--during the five years it has competed at the NCAA Division I level. But this year Strametz could have his best men’s team since 1989, when the Matadors placed fifth in the Division II championships.

That doesn’t mean that Northridge will qualify for the Division I championships any time soon, but at least the Matadors should be on the road back to respectability.

“I’ve got a smile on my face for a change,” said Strametz, whose team opens Saturday in the San Diego Invitational at Balboa Park in San Diego. “For me, this is a kickoff to having a good distance program again.”

The Matadors placed among the top 10 teams in the Division II national championships in three of their last four years at that level. But a lack of scholarship money and Strametz’s emphasis on fielding a solid Division I dual-meet track team meant recruiting quality distance runners had been low on his priority list.

Sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers--who can compete in three or four events in a dual meet--were more valuable to Strametz than a distance runner who could score points in only the 5,000 meters.

However, passage of a referendum to increase student fees has given Strametz additional scholarship money. He used some of it to sign distance standouts Javier Ramirez of Nordhoff High and John Greene of Agoura.

Ramirez placed second in last year’s State Division III cross-country championships and ran 9 minutes 9.04 seconds in the 3,200 in track.

Greene finished third in the State Division II cross-country finals and has run 9:20.1 in the 3,200.

Garden Grove High’s Mike Balderas, a finalist in the 800 and 1,600 in the Southern Section Division III track championships, also signed with Northridge, giving Strametz his “best freshman class” since 1988.

“This is the start of getting back to where we used to be,” he said. “We’re not going to have a lot of depth this year, but if we can sign another two or three kids next year, we should have a good base for the future.”

Brian Godsey, a fifth-year senior from Taft High, Ramirez and Greene are expected to battle for the Matadors’ No. 1 slot. Balderas and John Goodman, a freshman from Alta Loma High, should be Northridge’s fourth and fifth runners.

“It’s going to be exciting to see what happens,” Strametz said of Saturday’s meet. “To me, this is going to be the start of a fun and exciting season.”

The Northridge women, by contrast, made a smoother transition to the Division I level.

Although recent Matador teams have not been as good as the top teams of the 1980s, they have been respectable.

Last year’s team finished second to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the American West Conference championships. Seniors Lori Miller and Karla Sanford, and sophomores Jamie Whitmore and Andrea Bruins are back from that squad.

Freshman Ellen Muench, the Southern Section Division II champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 for Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon High, is expected to battle Miller and Whitmore for the Matadors’ top position. Bruins, Sanford and sophomore Eman Barfield should contend for the fourth and fifth positions.

Miller was slowed by a stomach disorder during track season, but after undergoing surgery in the summer is training better than ever.

“I had planned to redshirt her this season, but she’s running too well,” Strametz said. “I know she wants to be our No. 1 runner. And so do Jamie and Ellen. The competition between those three should only make them that much better.”