Titans Ready: Here’s the Rundown

Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Gym has been refurbished with a badly needed coat of paint and will get more new seats soon.

New locker rooms have been built for the baseball, softball and soccer teams at Titan Stadium, and the weight room has been remodeled.

Now we’ll see if the teams have been spruced up as well.

Here’s a quick sport-by-sport look to get the new school year rolling:

Men’s soccer--After reaching the NCAA playoffs three times in four years, the Titans failed to qualify again last season. Fullerton upset UCLA, 3-1, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Assn. game, but upset losses to Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo cost the Titans the conference title and automatic NCAA berth. UCLA went on to win the national championship, and Fullerton’s 10-10 record wasn’t good enough for an at-large bid. Coach Al Mistri is hoping for a better showing despite the loss of top scorers Sheldon Thomas and Charlie Lynch.

Women’s soccer--The women’s team fell to 7-13-1 last year after winning the Big West title the previous season. Forward Dolores Browning, the school’s top career scorer, returns with 1997 all-Big West selection Kelly Bogan. The Titans have added seven transfers. Colby Morgan from San Jose State and Jackie Parkhill from San Diego State should strengthen the offense. Sweeper Shawna Panter is also back after earning all-conference second-team honors.

Women’s volleyball--The Titans opened last season 7-3, but were only 4-12 in the Big West and fifth among six teams in the division. They finished 12-18, a step back from the 16-13 record the previous season. Carolyn Kittell, the starting setter as a freshman, transferred to Oklahoma, but Coach Mary Ellen Murchison expects Krista Charles, a transfer from Utah Valley State, to be a solid replacement. The Titans were 9-11 when sophomore Katie Crawford was in the lineup last year, but 3-7 when she was out because of an eye infection and a season-ending knee injury.

Cross-country--Coach John Elders will be rebuilding this season after several runners completed their eligibility. Francisco Vazquez and Stu Gonzalez are gone from the men’s team, leaving Ethan Friend as the top returning runner. The team’s top four women runners from last year--Sarah MacDougall, Erin Remy, Alison Livermore and Jeannie Robinson--also ended their cross-country careers. Sisters Carrie and Heather Garritson are expected to be among the leaders this season.

Men’s basketball--The Titans struggled at times last year, putting Coach Bob Hawking’s status in doubt, but they won two games each from Long Beach State and UC Irvine, gained a split with UC Santa Barbara with a late-season road victory and then beat Boise State in the Big West tournament to salvage a 12-16 season. Ike Harmon had off-season surgery on both feet, but should be more of a force as a junior. The team will miss senior guards Chris Dade and Chris St. Clair. Promising freshmen Brandon Campbell and Josh Helbig will be tested quickly when practice begins.

Women’s basketball--The Titans were 10-17 in Denise Curry’s first season as head coach but third in the six-team Western Division, advancing to the Big West tournament. Many of the top players are back, including point guard Andrea Thieme.

Wrestling--The team finished seventh among nine teams in the Pac-10 last season, but qualified four wrestlers for the NCAA nationals and finished 30th. They should continue to improve with the return of senior Joey Coughran, eighth at 126 pounds in the nationals.

Fencing--Jesse Carlson is back to lead Coach Heizaburo Okawa’s men’s team. Carlson finished 19th among 24 competitors in the epee in the NCAA championships last season as a freshman.

Women’s gymnastics--Career-ending injuries to Katy Maty and Alexis Lott last season were costly for the Titans. They finished third among four teams in the conference tournament and failed to qualify for the regional for only the second time in the 23 years. Women’s tennis--Coach Bill Reynolds has Amy Medlin, his top singles player last year, returning and expects to get help from three newcomers. Trisha Streelman was the No. 1 singles player last season at Orange Coast College, and Nadia Naffa was No. 1 at Saddleback College. Freshman Summer Tantee of Dana Hills also could be one of the top six singles players.

Softball--After two consecutive sub-par seasons with young teams, Coach Judi Garman’s team should be stronger. They were 32-29 overall last season, finishing fourth in the Big West (16-16).

Baseball--The Titans lost two of their top recruits during the summer when pitchers Nick Neugebauer of Riverside Arlington and Heath Bell of Santa Ana College signed professional contracts. Replacing starting pitchers Benny Flores and Erasmo Ramirez won’t be easy.

Track--The Titans have added some promising athletes to the men’s and women’s teams. Sprinter Kevin Howard has transferred from Oregon. He was a finalist in the Pac-10 100 meters as a freshman. Freshman Yahvoh Totimeh should strengthen the women’s team in the sprints.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key upcoming events for Cal State Fullerton:

* Men’s soccer vs. San Jose State, 7 p.m. Friday; and vs. Cal State Northridge, 4 p.m. Sunday, both at Titan Stadium. This weekend should be a good early test for Coach Al Mistri’s team. Northridge had been a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, but has dropped out for this season.

* Women’s soccer at San Diego, 7 p.m. Wednesday; at Utah State, 4 p.m. Friday; and vs. Washington State at Utah State, 11 a.m. Sunday. The game against Utah State opens the Big West Conference season.

* Women’s volleyball vs. Portland, 7 p.m. Friday. Titan Gym. The Titans are 1-2 in previous games against Portland.

* Cross-country at UC Irvine Invitational, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Central Park in Huntington Beach.