Patterson, Spare Join Chapman Hall

Two of Chapman’s most celebrated athletes were inducted into the university’s athletic hall of fame Wednesday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange: women’s basketball player Leone Patterson and baseball player Don Spare.

Patterson played from 1982 to 1986, leading the Panthers to a 90-27 record, two conference titles and four NCAA playoff appearances. A first-team NCAA Division II All-American and an academic All-American, Patterson still holds Chapman records for career scoring (1,614 points) and rebounding (900).

Spare was a shortstop for the Panthers in 1971 and ‘72, helping the 1972 team, which included future Cy Young Award winner Randy Jones, to a 40-19 record and a top-10 national ranking. He batted .365 and led the nation in hits (84 in 58 games) and was named first-team All-American.

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Women’s basketball: Chapman is in a strong position to make its first appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Panthers (15-5) were ranked fifth Tuesday in the West Region. The top eight teams get a playoff spot.

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More women’s basketball: Concordia’s Angela Sather continued her strong recent play Tuesday in a 73-70 victory over Biola. She had 29 points and 19 rebounds. Last week she averaged 25.7 points, 13 rebounds and three steals in three victories. Sather, who leads the Golden State Athletic Conference in scoring (20.5), was named the GSAC player of the week. Concordia (18-5, 5-1) is in first place going into Saturday’s home game against Fresno Pacific (10-10, 4-2).

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Baseball: Concordia’s Derek Patterson, a freshman from San Marcos High, has started his collegiate career with a bang. In 13 at-bats, Patterson, a third baseman, has a .615 average with four doubles and eight runs batted in for the Eagles (4-1).