He Relishes Chance for One More Run

Josh Slater was given an unexpected opportunity to compete with the Cal State Fullerton men’s cross-country team this season and he’s trying to make the most of it.

Slater thought his Titan cross-country career was over when he was sidelined with a stress fracture in his thigh after the Titans’ first meet last season.

It was his fifth year on the roster after being a redshirt as a sophomore. NCAA rules give athletes five years to complete four years of eligibility, but Slater petitioned the NCAA on medical hardship grounds and was granted as sixth year of eligibility.

“When you get an extra season like I did, it makes you want to enjoy it that much more,” Slater said. “I didn’t have the greatest season in track last spring, so that made we want to come back to give cross-country one more try.”

Slater finished ninth in the Big West cross-country meet in 1998 with a time of 26 minutes for the 8,000-meter course, earning all-conference honors.

“I was probably a little bit of a surprise finishing that high that year,” Slater said. “I’m hoping I can get back a lot closer to running the way I did then in time for the conference meet. I worked hard all summer to try to get ready again.”

Slater’s best time this season is 26 minutes 19 seconds.

Coach John Elders hopes Slater can turn in a good effort in the Big West meet Saturday at Santa Barbara. “He had been bothered by a sore hamstring for a while,” Elders said. “But he’s had some strong workouts this past week. I’m optimistic that he can do well.”

The Titan men’s team probably will have difficulty finishing among the top three teams in the conference meet. “We have three strong teams with UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly [San Luis Obispo] and Utah State,” Elders said. “Based on the results this season, we’re probably a middle-of-the-pack team, but I don’t think we have run our best as a team yet.”

Junior Jason Manhart and sophomore Vikram Mahan have led the Titan men in recent meets.

EVERYTHING IS TANDY

Longtime basketball and tennis coach Tandy Gillis had been contemplating retirement for some time before Orange Coast College announced his decision late Friday.

“Retiring now is the right thing for me to do,” Gillis, 61, said. “But I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent here.”

Gillis, who had a record of 358-284 in 23 seasons as a basketball coach at Corona del Mar High and Orange Coast, will continue as an assistant basketball coach at Irvine Valley College. He’ll also teach part time at OCC.

At Corona del Mar, Gillis’ teams won four league titles and the Sea Kings were 25-1 in the 1975-76 season. Three seasons later, he led the Orange Coast men’s team to a 27-5 record and the state community college title.

RECORD UPSET

The Concordia women’s volleyball team earned a school-record 18th victory Friday, upsetting No. 16 Azusa Pacific in a five-game Golden State Athletic Conference match.

The Eagles (18-9, 7-7) were led by two freshmen, Carrie Merritt and middle blocker Sara Whitehouse. Senior defensive specialist Nicki Mathieu has played in a school-record 404 games.

It doesn’t get any easier. Concordia plays No. 6 Point Loma Nazarene today. Point Loma (16-3, 7-0) is led by co-captain and back-row specialist Brynn Yamamoto, formerly of Laguna Beach High.

POINT-GUARD SHUFFLE

Freshman Chris Smith and junior Kevin Richardson appear to be the leading candidates to open the season at point guard for the Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team after David Castleton was ruled academically ineligible for the first semester.

Coach Donny Daniels said he had been planning on Richardson, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, to play small forward.

“Richardson played some point guard in high school, so we want to take a look at him there,” Daniels said.

Castleton will miss a minimum of seven games, but is expected to be eligible when the current semester ends on Dec. 16.

NOTABLE

Sophomore guard Josh Pierson has quit the Fullerton men’s basketball team, Daniels said Monday. “He wanted to have a chance to play, and didn’t think he’d have it with us,” Daniels said. Pierson, a walk-on who played at Laguna Hills High, played in 14 games last season, scoring 13 points.

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