Things Falling Into Place for Titan Wrestlers

Cal State Fullerton wrestling Coach Ardeshir Asgari has received his $3.8 million judgment from his wrongful arrest suit against the Los Angeles Police Department.

He recently bought a $600,000 house in Fullerton and a luxury sports utility vehicle.

Asgari said he also took a weekend trip to Las Vegas. “I won $2,500 in Las Vegas playing blackjack,” he said, smiling. “I probably never could have done that if I really needed it.”

Asgari hopes the fortunes of his wrestling team also will get better this season, and he has reason to be optimistic.

The Titans got a boost last week when one of Asgari’s top recruits, T.J. Hill, was ruled eligible by the NCAA for the second semester, based on his recent SAT score. The decision took Hill from being a partial qualifier and having to sit out one season to being a full qualifier and eligible at the end of the first semester.

Hill won the world junior championship in his weight division (110 pounds) in Sydney, Australia last August. He will compete at 125 pounds for the Titans.

“Getting T.J. for the rest of this season will help us a lot,” Asgari said.

“With him, I think we will have several guys with the potential of finishing in the top eight in the national championships. And if they can do that, we’d have a good chance of finishing in the top 10 as a team.”

The Titans have three wrestlers--Joey Coughran, Babak Nejadmaghaddam and Jason Webster--who qualified for the NCAA championships last season.

However, Coughran has been slowed by an injured left biceps, hurt in his last meet in early December. He might be sidelined until late January, according to Asgari. “Hopefully, I won’t have to be out too long,” Coughran said. “That would be bad after all the trouble everyone went through to get me the extra year.”

Coughran won an NCAA appeal in October to compete this season, making up for a season he lost in 1995 while recovering from surgery to remove a tumor from behind his forehead.

In addition to those wrestlers, Asgari also is encouraged about the potential of several newcomers.

Sophomore Joe Calavitta, a former Calvary Chapel standout, transferred to Fullerton from Minnesota and has been impressive in the team’s early meets. He is ranked No. 1 in his 149-pound weight division in the Pacific 10 wrestling alignment.

“Calavitta is well-known in California and will help us attract other top wrestlers to our program,” Asgari said. “He has been even better than we thought he would be this season.”

Asgari said sophomore Ken Murray, a state community college champion who transferred from Chabot College, has been a surprise in the 165-pound division.

Asgari also has high hopes for freshman heavyweight Chad Troxler, who joined the team last Monday after being sidelined because of knee surgery.

“I think he will be the best heavyweight we’ve had since David Jones,” Asgari said. Jones finished fourth in the nationals in 1990 and 1991.

Next year, thanks to the judgment he received, Asgari plans to begin making contributions to the Titan athletic program that will enable Fullerton to have the maximum 9.9 wrestling scholarships allowed by the NCAA.

Asgari was jailed for seven months on suspicion of selling a pound of heroin to a police informant 12 years ago. He testified that he was set up by a person he had befriended, and was found not guilty in a trial. He sued for wrongful arrest and won. A series of appeals delayed the payment but increased the final value of the judgment.

WHO’S NO. 1?

The Irvine women’s tennis team, whose season begins next month, is ranked 72nd in the Intercollegiate Tennis Assn. poll.

The Anteaters’ rapid improvement can be linked to their No. 1 singles player. Maureen Diaz, a freshman from Glendale Mayfield High School, will be the fourth No. 1 player in the last four seasons, as Coach Mike Edles stockpiles talent.

Sophomore Jonni Seymour was the No. 1 player last season, junior Darian Campbell was No. 1 two seasons ago and Liz Yim was there three seasons ago.

The Irvine men’s team is ranked 75th in the ITA poll.

Staff writer Chris Foster contributed to this story.