Rodriguez Hopes to Travel Into Winner’s Circle Again

Traveling is nothing new to Juan Rodriguez.

The 22-year-old Whittier College cross-country runner has moved with his mother and stepfather from South America to Malaysia, to the United States, back to South America, then back to the United States in 1992.

On Oct. 31, Rodriguez traveled only five miles, but he did it faster than anyone in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

His time of 26 minutes 42 seconds at the SCIAC cross-country championships made him first team All-SCIAC, and coupled with his first-place finish at the conference dual meet, made him SCIAC runner of the year. It also gave him confidence going into Saturday’s NCAA Division III West Regional at Chino’s Prado Park.

“I have a shot,” Rodriguez said. “They’ll be running 25:30 to 26:10 [at the regional]. My best is 26:08.

“I know I can run 25:30, 25:20.”

That’s a big change from how Rodriguez felt in the summer.

“Last year, I had a horrible 5,000 in track [in May],” he said. “I took two weeks off from running altogether in June. Then I ran 138 miles in one week to build a foundation.”

That foundation has made Rodriguez the best runner in the SCIAC and one of the best in Whittier history.

“In our program, it’s real close,” 14-year Whittier Coach Greg Phillips said. “He’s near the top to one of the best I’ve coached.”

Rodriguez is also the first male to win the conference run for Whittier since Doug Perez in 1957. This year, he led the Poets to second place, their best finish in the conference meet since they finished second in 1965.

A biology major, Rodriguez plans to research in Peru next summer after earning his degree.

“My real dad works in biology and my uncle is a doctor down there,” he said. “It’ll be an internship, so to speak. I’ll be there for about half a year, then go to graduate school in Texas [where his mother and stepfather live].”

Rodriguez wants to get a PhD, then do disease research in Peru.

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Returning to her alma mater to raise money for the athletic program, Billie Jean King was at Cal State Los Angeles Sunday, at the first “Billie Jean King Day.”

With tennis greats Tracy Austin, Pam Shriver and Rosie Casals taking part, the event comprised a pro-am tennis tournament at Cal State LA, and a dinner and auction at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel at Pasadena.

“Today, schools rely much more on private enterprise for money,” King said. “People need to step up and do things like this for the schools.”

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Cal State Dominguez Hills defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 1-0, last week in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. women’s soccer championship game at Bakersfield. Thirteenth-ranked Dominguez Hills (14-5-1) will make its second consecutive NCAA Division II tournament appearance in Sunday’s Far West Regional at No. 3 Sonoma State (20-1-0). . . . Pomona’s Ruth Van’t Land was chosen CCAA player of the year with a conference-record 30 goals. . . . The Cal Poly Pomona men’s soccer team (12-5-3) earned its first NCAA Division II tournament berth, and will play at CCAA champion Grand Canyon (16-5-1) Sunday. Bronco Coach Carlos Juarez was selected CCAA coach of the year. . . . The No. 2-ranked Azusa Pacific women’s soccer team (20-0) won the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament and will host United States International University (9-7-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the Far West Regional. . . . Westmont of Santa Barbara (16-2-1) won the GSAC men’s soccer tournament and defeated the College of Notre Dame, 2-0, in the Far West Regional’s opening round Tuesday. The Master’s College (13-5-3) made the regional as an independent, and defeated Point Loma Nazarene, 3-2, in overtime. . . . Azusa Pacific sweeper Jennifer Babel was selected GSAC player of the year. She had 10 goals and 22 points, while leading a defense that recorded 13 shutouts and outscored opponents, 104-8. Her coach, Christian Johnson, was chosen coach of the year.

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In the SCIAC, Cal Lutheran won the men’s and women’s soccer titles, as well as the women’s volleyball title. The volleyball team (21-2) will play at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Division III West Regional at UC San Diego, meeting the winner of the match between Cal State Hayward and Colorado College.

The women’s soccer team did not make the playoffs but senior forward Holly Roepke was chosen the SCIAC player of the year. Roepke scored seven goals, had 21 points and started all 19 matches. The Regals have won the SCIAC title all eight years they have been a member.

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With a week left in the SCIAC football season, Whittier (6-2, 4-0) has a one-game lead over Redlands (6-2, 3-1) after defeating the Bulldogs on Saturday, 31-29. . . . The Azusa Pacific (7-2), ranked 10th in the NAIA, is in line for its first playoff game. A victory over Pomona Pitzer Saturday could get the Cougars a home game in the first round Nov. 21.