Big City Rivalry Stays on Track

Track and field dual meets are rare these days, but the USC-UCLA rivalry is alive and well.

USC will host the meet Saturday at its newly expanded 4,000-seat Loker Stadium, starting at 11 a.m.

So far, the season’s top story is the resurgence of the USC men’s team. Led by the top-rated triple jump duo of Allen Simms and Julien Kapek, high jumper Dawid Jaworski and hurdler Ryan Wilson, the Trojans have risen to No. 3 in the latest Trackwire national poll.

Simms has a nation-leading jump of 56 feet, 1 1/4 inches outdoors after winning the NCAA indoor title in March with a mark of 56-7 1/2. Kapek’s wind-aided 55-4 3/4 ranks second.

“I want to go 57 feet this year,” Simms said. “but I’m not going to push it. I just want to get five points for my team.”

USC Coach Ron Allice, whose men’s team broke a 22-year dual-meet losing streak to UCLA two years ago, said, “This is the first time we’ve been favored on the men’s side in a while.”

UCLA has won the last 10 women’s meets and features defending NCAA champions Lena Nilsson (1,500 meters), Chaniqua Ross (discus) and Jessica Cosby (shot put).

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With former No. 1 Rice losing six of nine games, Cal State Fullerton moved to the top of the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball national polls.

In its first game as No. 1, Fullerton (35-8) routed UCLA, 11-1, on Tuesday, marking the third time this season the Titans have won seven in a row.

Fullerton is 22-0 at home.

“We’re very proud and excited about it,” Coach George Horton said. “The only negative is we can’t be reading so much about it and are so busy letting everyone congratulate us that we forget how we became No. 1.”

Fullerton is averaging 8.7 runs a game despite hitting only 27 home runs. The Titans have compensated by hitting .340 and stealing 91 bases.

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Mike Lavery shot a final-round 68 at Serrano Country Club outside Sacramento to lead UC Irvine to the Big West Conference men’s golf championship. Lavery was one stroke better than Cal State Northridge’s Pete Sisich, who had a 65 Tuesday. Irvine won by eight strokes over Long Beach State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Beth Allen shot rounds of 72 and 70 to win medalist honors and lead Northridge to the women’s title.

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This Week

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

* Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament at Stanford, today through Sunday -- Stanford, USC, UCLA and Long Beach State are seeded Nos. 1-4 respectively. Long Beach will play fifth-seeded California, while the other three teams face the winners of first-round matches early today. The semifinals are Saturday and the final Sunday, with an automatic NCAA tournament bid on the line.

* Western Water Polo Assn. tournament at Cal State Bakersfield, today through Sunday -- Loyola Marymount is trying to win its third consecutive conference title.

MEN’S GOLF

* Pacific 10 Conference championships at Oakmont Country Club, Glendale, 7:30 a.m. Monday-Wednesday -- Under first-year coach O.D. Vincent, UCLA has five tournament victories. But Arizona, led by U.S. Amateur champion Ricky Barnes, has won four of its last six tournaments. Barnes was 21st at the Masters, finishing as the low amateur.

BASEBALL

Pacific at UC Riverside, 7 p.m. today; 1 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday -- Riverside needs a sweep to stay within striking range of top-ranked Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Conference.