COLLEGES / CHRIS FOSTER : Anteaters Finally Have Campus Pool To Call Their Own

So ends the longest road trip in NCAA history.

For a little more than three decades, UC Irvine’s Ted Newland has coached one of the top water polo programs in the nation. Most of that time, it’s been a vagabond existence.

Have pool? We’ll travel has been the Anteater mantra since 1968, when they outgrew the campus’ small pool.

But that all comes to an end this season.

The Anteaters baptize their new $3-million pool on Sept. 30, when they host Loyola Marymount. They have been practicing in it the last two weeks. No longer will the carpool lanes on the 405 Freeway be clogged with speedo-wearing speeders, racing to get to practice.

“It’s nice not to travel all over God’s green earth anymore,” said Newland, beginning his 34th season at Irvine. “I figure this saves me about two hours a day.”

Not that it hasn’t been fun.

Over the years, the Anteaters have practiced as far away as the Camp Pendleton Marine base near Oceanside. They have been at high schools and community colleges, and have made ample use of Heritage Park in Irvine. Basically, if Newland could find a puddle, the Anteaters practiced in it.

“I remember a few of us would pile into Newland’s VW van, with the balls and hats and clocks, and head to Golden West College,” said U.S. national team coach John Vargas, who played at Irvine from 1979-82. “If you had a bad practice, that was a long drive home with him with all that wet equipment.”

Even worse were the days when Newland secured the pool at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. There was one hitch: No heat.

“That got pretty ugly,” Newland said. “Guys did whatever they could to keep warm. They did have one of those airplanes at one end, the ones that they use for crash tests in the water. All the guys wanted to try it. The [Marine] people wouldn’t let us near it.

Fun and games stopped, though, on those occasions when players got confused and went to the wrong pool for practice--an offense that fell into the capital punishment category in the eyes of drill sergeant Newland.

“A couple years ago, Omar Amr and I decided to ride our bikes to practice, from Newport Beach to Heritage Park,” senior goalie Genai Kerr said. “Omar got a flat tire about halfway there. I didn’t even stop. I went ahead to practice to tell coach why Omar was going to be late.”

All the roaming around didn’t tarnish Irvine’s play. The Anteaters have been among the top teams year in and year out, winning three national titles. Newland, who has an NCAA-record 636 victories, has produced 98 All-Americans, some of whom went on to play for the national team.

Unfortunately for Newland, he will not christen the new pool with one of his better teams. The Anteaters, who finished fifth in the nation last season, lack experience and will be hard-pressed to win the Mountain Sports Federation tournament--which will be held at Irvine this year.

Still, they have a place to call home.

“It brings the water polo players back into the athletic program,” said former Anteater Mark Hunt, who is a volunteer assistant coach. “We used to see all the other athletes walking by as we were heading off to practice.

“Alumni are showing up to practice with the team. We had three former Olympians in the pool the other day. The best thing is you can get out of the water and go into a locker room and shower. No more changing clothes on pool decks.”

STARVING STUDENT MOVER?

Kerr, an honorable mention All-American last season, has been slowed by a knee injury, although he must have had difficulty explaining it to Newland.

Kerr was injured while moving a refrigerator out of his apartment by himself. He twisted his right knee and left the refrigerator in the parking lot of the apartment complex. He is expected to play against UCLA on Saturday.

This is not the first brush withthe bizarre for Kerr. Two years ago, his roommate came home and found a large note on the carpet that read, “Don’t look under here.”

He did, and found a rectangular hole burned in the carpet. Kerr had been baking brownies and, when he took the hot pan from the oven, he set it on the floor.

TITAN MEN’S SOCCER

Junior Scott Alexander is happy to get his chance as Cal State Fullerton’s starting goalkeeper this season, but he’s sorry it came because of an injury to his friend.

Sean Rockwell, the starter at the position in 32 games over the last two years, is out for the season because of a torn ligament in his right knee. That has thrust Alexander into the starting spot after two years as Rockwell’s backup.

“We’ve been good friends on and off the field since we got here,” Alexander said. “It stinks that Sean is out. He’s a good goalkeeper and he’ll be missed. But I’ve been waiting for my chance, and I feel confident. Sean has really been encouraging to me.”

Alexander and Rockwell have competed for the starting spot for two years.

“It’s been a little awkward with us competing for the same position and being such good friends, but we’ve always tried to help each other,” Alexander said. “He’ll see something and try to help me, and I try to do the same thing for him.”

Alexander, who played at Hemet High, started five games last year, and the Titans were 4-1. He had a 1.2 goals-against average and had a shutout against Michigan State.

The Titans were 10-4-2 last year when Rockwell was the starting goalkeeper.

MURCHISON HURRIES BACK

Cal State Fullerton women’s volleyball Coach Mary Ellen Murchison, who had surgery for breast cancer on Aug. 26, was back with her team for Friday’s season-opening match against Southeastern Louisiana. “Everything went great with the surgery,” Murchison said.

Murchison said her doctors have told her she will not need chemotherapy.

Murchison originally was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993. She said a routine physical examination this summer revealed that the cancer had returned and surgery was needed.

“It means so much to me to be with the team this season,” Murchison said.

“The doctors have told me that I’m not supposed to fly, not supposed to drive and not supposed to move my right arm. Well, that’s what the doctors want me to do. Now we’re asking them to write a whole new protocol for coaches.”

*

Staff writer Lon Eubanks contributed to this story.