May Has Evening to Remember

Cal Poly Pomona’s campus gymnasium had a name change over the weekend when the Broncos honored former women’s coach Darlene May before their 72-66 loss to UC Riverside Saturday night.

“It was quite an evening. . . . It was really unbelievable,” said May after the Poly Pavilion was officially changed to the Darlene May Gymnasium. “The night brought back some very wonderful memories in that building.”

May coached at Cal Poly for 20 years and was the first woman to officiate an Olympic basketball game, in 1984. May, however, retired from coaching in July 1994, when she learned she had breast cancer.

She moved to Oregon for nearly a year, then returned to Southern California after doctors told her she also had liver cancer.

“I knew only six people in Oregon and once [doctors there] told me that I had no hope, I decided to come back and get a second opinion,” said May, who had a 519-119 record at Cal Poly Pomona. “I figured the best thing for me to do was to return and be near my support group of family and friends.”

Last spring, May checked into the City of Hope in Duarte, where she had a bone marrow transplant. Her cancer is now in remission.

“Getting better medical care and being around basketball again has been very important in my healing,” she said. “I’m feeling pretty good now, but I still get tired a lot. I never know what is going to happen next in living from scan to scan and test to test. I’m always hoping and praying for this miracle to continue. I’m very optimistic, but I’m also realistic in that I’ve learned to live each day a little better from the last one.”

May won or tied for a conference championship 18 consecutive seasons and her teams won three national Division II titles.

However, the memory that stood out the most on Saturday was May’s initial practice with her first Bronco team in 1974.

“It’s funny, but I can almost remember everything about my first meeting with the team in this gym,” May said. “I can see the face of nearly every player on that first team.

“Now, I’m overwhelmed to look at the gym and see my name up there. It’s such a great honor and the best point is that it didn’t say Darlene May Memorial Gym.”

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Matt Carpenter of Redlands figures to be a force in the NCAA Division III swimming championships in March after recording several impressive times at the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Invitational.

Carpenter, a senior from Yucaipa High, won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2 minutes 12.91 seconds to put him on the B list of qualifying times, and already has qualified for the 100 breaststroke.

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Lori Kidal has resigned as coach of the Azusa Pacific women’s volleyball team after becoming the winningest coach in school history.

Kidal had a 156-156 record in nine seasons and was 128-83 in the last six. Since 1990 she has led the Cougars to two NAIA tournament berths and a 41-35 record in the Golden State Athletic Conference. In 1991, Kidal was named NAIA District 3 coach of the year after leading the Cougars to a 33-8 record and fifth place in the NAIA.

“I’m saddened to be leaving Azusa Pacific,” she said. “. . . However, as I complete my doctorate, I think there are expanding opportunities for me in college athletics, and at this point . . . I’d like to pursue those professional possibilities.”