Harvard-Westlake Plays for Third Title

Harvard-Westlake High will be trying for its third consecutive title and Westlake will be attempting to avoid a third final defeat in as many years in Southern Section boys’ tennis championship matches today.

Top-seeded Harvard-Westlake will play second-seeded Irvine University for the Division II championship at UC Irvine.

Westlake plays Beverly Hills for the Division III title at Westlake Tennis and Swim Club.

Both matches start at 3:15 p.m.

Harvard-Westlake (20-3) won back-to-back Division III championships, prompting a move to Division II this season.

“The kids wanted the competition,” Coach Marty Klein of Harvard-Westlake said. “I knew what we had. I expect to win [today], and the kids are very confident. Why shouldn’t we win? With the players we have, we should win.”

Conversely, Westlake (22-1) has lost in finals the last two seasons. The Warriors fell to Beverly Hills in the Division II final last year, and to Harvard-Westlake in the 1997 Division III title match.

“We have the utmost respect for Beverly Hills,” Coach Bernard Kuai of Westlake said. “But it doesn’t really matter who we’re going to play. I think we’re going to do very well. Individually, we’re not as strong as last year’s team, but we play very well together.”

So does Harvard-Westlake, which has yet to be challenged in the playoffs. The Wolverines’ only losses have come against Loyola, with whom they shared the Mission League title, and to San Marino and Santa Barbara in nonleague matches.

BASEBALL

Cal Lutheran fell short of an NCAA Division III title, being eliminated from the eight-team national championships in a 4-2 loss to St. Thomas of St. Paul, Minn., on Monday.

The Kingsmen finished 33-14 and are 184-77-2 with four national championship appearances in Coach Marty Slimak’s seven seasons.

“We played a tough schedule and faced a lot of nationally ranked teams,” Slimak said. “It was a great year for Cal Lutheran baseball.”

Senior right-hander Eric Kiszczak combined with David Gonzales on a 7-0 shutout against Marietta (Ohio) College on Sunday. Kiszczak finished 6-0 this season and holds the school record for career victories (26-8).

Luis Sanchez, a former Hart High infielder, helped Chico State win the NCAA Division II championship on Saturday. Sanchez was selected to the all-tournament team.

FIELD HOCKEY

Birmingham, England, defeated the San Diego Eagles, 1-0, Monday for the men’s super division championship of the California Cup tournament at Moorpark College.

Birmingham, runner-up in 1997, scored in the final minute to win its first California Cup title.

In the women’s super division, Mexico defeated Stanford, 3-2, on penalty strokes after regulation ended in a scoreless tie.