Northridge Plans to Make Pass Into Fast Lane in 400 Relays

If a 400-meter relay team wants to run as fast as possible, it has to take chances.

That’s the attitude of Cal State Northridge Coach Don Strametz entering the California-Nevada championships which start today at UC Davis.

The Northridge men have run 41.46 seconds in the 400 relay this season and the women have clocked 46.50, but Strametz figures those squads are capable of clocking 40.50 and 45.50 with more aggressive baton passes.

Aggressive passing would allow a team to make its exchanges in the middle or latter part of the passing zone. In theory, that allows a team to run faster because the sprinter receiving the baton is running faster than if he or she got the stick in the front part of the zone.

The drawback: Less margin for error.

The Northridge women found that out in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays last weekend when they appeared headed to a sub-46 time before misfiring on their final exchange.

Despite the mishap, Strametz has no intention of going back to the conservative passing used earlier in the season.

“We’re coming up to the big meets and if you want to run fast, you’ve got to be aggressive,” he said. “You’re running more risks when you do that, but you also have the chance of running your best times.”

*

Record quest: Junior Beth Burton, freshman Zarinah Tillman and the men’s 1,600 relay teams could all challenge Northridge records in the California-Nevada meet.

Burton set Matador records of 52 feet 3 1/4 inches in the shotput and 163-7 in the hammer throw two weeks ago and Tillman ranks second on the all-time Northridge list in the 400 with a best of 54.74.

With a season best of 3 minutes 12.79 seconds in the 1,600 relay, the Northridge men are well off the school record of 3:09.81 set in the inaugural California-Nevada championships in 1994. But Strametz notes that the 3:12.79 clocking came four weeks ago and that the Matador quarter-milers have improved since then.

Derek Favorite, Jere Miller and Chris Brown will run three of the four legs for the Matadors, with Ryan Jones or Joe Criner expected to run the other.

“Those three guys are really confident,” Strametz said. “They’ve been telling me, ‘Just find us a fourth runner and we’ll set a school record on Sunday.’ ”

*

One to go: The Moorpark men’s team clinched the Western State Conference regular-season championship for the third time in the last four years by defeating Bakersfield and Ventura in a triangular meet two weeks ago. But the Raiders will probably have to win the WSC finals today at Bakersfield College to defeat the host Renegades for the overall title.

Moorpark was awarded 20 points for going undefeated in WSC competition during the regular season, but that’s only two more than second-place Bakersfield, which has won four of the last five conference titles.

*

Worth watching: Kris McLucas and Dolores Tuimoloau of Ventura are two of the most-talented competitors in the WSC meet.

McLucas is the defending state junior college champion in the men’s 400-meter intermediate hurdles.

Tuimoloau won the 1994 state high school title in the girls’ shotput for Channel Islands before becoming academically ineligible last year.

The meet starts with field events at 1 p.m., followed by running events at 5.