Ross Gets Different View of Sports

Former Sonora High lineman Jason Ross, who wants to be a lawyer, found himself at a crossroads two years ago after his freshman season on the Columbia football team.

“I was a little burned out on playing,” Ross said. “My heart wasn’t into it anymore.”

So, Ross took the advice of a New York attorney he befriended and now is an associate sports editor for The Spectator, Columbia’s daily student newspaper.

Ross was told that becoming a better writer would help his chances of getting into a top law school.

“I wanted to do something where I would have fun, but also something that would benefit me in the long run,” said Ross, who spent last summer as an intern for a weekly Orange County business publication. “When I heard that lawyers need to be good writers, I figured this would be the best way to strengthen me.”

With a circulation of about 10,000, The Spectator not only circulates on campus, but in the surrounding neighborhood of Morningside Heights. It is the second oldest college daily newspaper in the country and has been financially independent from Columbia since 1962. Ross, a junior, has quickly worked his way up the editorial ranks. Among other duties, he writes a sports column every other day.

“I’m going to continue to do this as long as I’m here,” Ross said. “I like it a lot. It gets me involved in what is going on.”

SOCCER PLAYOFFS

San Jose State plays at Stanford today in an opening-round game of the NCAA women’s soccer playoffs.

from Defender Kristyn Mescher from Mission Viejo High has started 22 games for the Spartans, and sister, midfielder Jennifer Mescher, has started 23 and has two goals and six assists.

The Cardinal got good news this week when Allyson Marquand, the 1999 Orange County Athletic Directors Assn.’s girls’ high school athlete of the year, was cleared to return to workouts, four months after surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. A sophomore who attended University High, Marquand is using a red-shirt year.

Stanford senior midfielder Shauna Itri, formerly of Edison, has started 18 games and has two of goals this season.

Former Dana Hills High goalkeeper Parker Jarvis is expected to be in net Friday for Denver when the Pioneers host Cal State Fullerton at 2 p.m. in the first round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament. A sophomore, Jarvis is a two-year starter for Denver. This season he is 7-4-1 and has a 1.10 goals against average.

NOTEWORTHY

Former UC Irvine women’s basketball player Sabrina Roberson was the leading scorer for Love & Basketball in its 67-62 exhibition victory over Cal State Fullerton Sunday. Roberson played for the Anteaters from 1994 to 1998. . . . UC Irvine’s men’s basketball career scoring leader, Tod Murphy, will be the color analyst on Anteater men’s basketball games carried on campus radio station KUCI (88.9 FM) and over the Internet. Murphy scored 1,778 points in his career and is the school’s No. 2 career rebounder with 837. . . . All-American Candie Kung from Fountain Valley High shot a season-low 213 to lead the third-ranked USC women’s golf team to a fourth-place finish at last week’s Golf World Invitational in Hilton Head, S.C. USC finished eight strokes behind champion Auburn. Kung shot a season-low 67 in the second round and tied for fourth, two strokes off the lead.

If you have an item or idea for the alumni report fax it to (714) 966-5663 or e-mail paul.mcleod@latimes.com