It’s Academic for DiPadova, Who Gets Coaches’ Award

Nick DiPadova of Taft High has been named the Academic player of the year by the Los Angeles Football Coaches Assn.

DiPadova, starting quarterback for the Toreadors, was one of 60 football players honored on the City Section All-Academic team by the association. He will receive a $200 scholarship.

Other finalists included Van Nuys quarterback Robert Williamson, Monroe defensive lineman Joe Rosenthal and Reseda linebacker Gavin Rubin.

Big Wave: Pepperdine center Bryan Hill, a 6-foot-8 junior who led the West Coast Conference in rebounding with an 8.1 average, was named to the 10-player all-conference basketball team.

Wave forward Marc McDowell, a 6-7 sophomore, received honorable mention and was named to the WCC’s All-Academic team. McDowell, an economics major, has a 3.33 grade-point average.

Center Lisa Siders, a 6-4 senior on the Pepperdine women’s team, was named all-conference for the third time. Junior guard Angie White received honorable mention and senior guard Jill Kennedy (3.56 GPA) was named to the All-Academic team.

Week that was: Cal State Northridge point guard Trenton Cross has been named Big Sky Conference player of the week after scoring 47 points in victories at Weber State and at Sacramento State last week.

Cross made a game-tying layup with 4.7 seconds to go in regulation of the Matadors’ 93-90 overtime victory against Sacramento State on Saturday.

Northridge’s Gerald Rhoden won the award last month after the Matadors beat Weber State and Sacramento State at home.

Field day: Senior Beth Burton of Northridge was selected as the women’s field event athlete of the meet in the Big Sky Conference indoor track and field championships on Saturday after winning the 20-pound weight throw at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Burton’s throw of 67-0 3/4 topped her school record of 63-6 3/4 that she set Feb. 15, moved her to second on the yearly college list and avenged an early season defeat to Northern Arizona’s Ana Soderberg, second at 65-6. It came a day after Burton finished fourth in the shotput with a mark of 48-6 1/4.

Northridge, which finished third in the women’s meet and fourth in the men’s, produced five individual champions in the two-day competition.

Sophomore Nancy James won the women’s 800 meters in a career-best 2:12.34 and freshman Brandi Prieto bounded a career-best 39-3 1/4 in the triple jump.

In the men’s meet, Matador senior Marquis Jones won the 55-meter high hurdles in a school record (7.40) and freshman Jason Hammond won the shotput at 58-6.