Cal Poly Pomona Women Remain a Force

The season may be young in California Collegiate Athletic Assn. women’s basketball, but it’s old enough for all to see the line of power drawn in the state. And if your school is south of that line, you may not be real happy.

Through three weeks of CCAA play, five of the top seven teams are from Northern California and the bottom four are from Southern California, with a combined 2-18 conference record.

But not all Southland teams are in bad shape. Cal Poly Pomona is second in the CCAA with a 5-1 record, 11-1 overall, and is ranked 18th nationally. First-place UC Davis is 14th.

The Broncos are used to being at the top, having won the CCAA title the last two seasons. But with a five-team expansion, which includes Davis, a three-peat will be tough. Making it tougher is that Cal Poly Pomona no longer has the conference player of the year, Jessica Eggleston, and All-CCAA second-teamer Jennifer Nakanishi, who graduated.

“[Eggleston] was one of the top 10 players in America, a Kodak All-American,” said Bronco Coach Paul Thomas, the reigning CCAA coach of the year. “The ball touched her hands every single possession.”

Replacing her has been eased somewhat by the addition of freshman Lauri McIntosh from Diamond Bar High.

In the most recent statistics, McIntosh led the CCAA with 18.4 points a game. The Broncos also have junior Elizabeth Edmond, a second-team All-CCAA selection last season.

“Our young players are playing well right now,” Thomas said. “We have to get contributions from everybody. McIntosh is filling the scoring part.”

There are other Southland players filling scoring roles as well.

Cal State San Bernardino (0-5, 3-7) has one of the top players in the conference in senior forward Blanca Loza. She is second in rebounding at 9.4 a game and ninth in scoring at 12.6.

Just ahead of Loza in scoring are UC Riverside’s Stephanie Hughes and Cal State Los Angeles’ Jolena Lomax. Hughes is seventh with a 12.8-point average for the Highlanders (1-4, 2-5), and Lomax is eighth at 12.7 for the Golden Eagles (0-5, 2-6).

Julie Thigpen, the only returning member of last season’s All-CCAA first team, leads Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-4, 4-7) with a 9.2-point average.

The northern teams may have the better records, but more than one coach said the road to the CCAA title still runs through the Southland.

“A lot of teams are going to be competitive on any given night,” Cal State L.A. Coach Marcia Murota said. “But Cal Poly Pomona, being the defending conference champ, is still the team to beat.”

Thomas agreed, saying, “We’re the CCAA champs until somebody beats us.”

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Twenty players from Los Angeles-area schools were named to NCAA Divisions II and III and NAIA All-American soccer teams.

In Division II, CCAA player of the year Ruth Van’t Land, a Cal Poly Pomona sophomore, was named to the women’s second team. She set a CCAA record with 30 goals. She was joined on the second team by freshman goalkeeper Kathleen Razor of Cal State San Bernardino.

On the men’s side, Cal State Bakersfield goalkeeper Brandon Hearron and Cal State Dominguez Hills midfielder Chris Fernandez made the second team.

Cal Lutheran had two All-American seniors in Division III. Defenseman Luis Alcarez made the men’s second team, forward Holly Roepke the women’s third team.

In the NAIA, Azusa Pacific and Westmont each had five women All-Americans. National champion Azusa’s first-teamers included junior defenseman Jennifer Babel, sophomore midfielder Andrea Alfiler and sophomore forwards Melissa Myers and Kendra Payne. Junior midfielder Janay Duran made the third team.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kristen St. Clair and junior midfielder Katie Gardinier made the first team for Westmont. Junior defenseman Michelle Romero and junior midfielder Stephanie Herivel made the third team, as did senior forward Angela Morgan.

On the men’s side, Westmont goalkeeper Adam Throop made the first team and defenseman Chris Hook made the second. Azusa’s Matt Evans and Jason Roufs made the third team.

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After leading Whittier to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football title, quarterback Steve Luce was named the conference offensive player of the year. Luce passed for 2,472 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Redlands defensive back Rob Benson was named the SCIAC defensive player of the year. Benson returned three of four interceptions for touchdowns for the second-place Bulldogs. Cal Lutheran running back Fredrik Nanhed ran for a conference-best 851 yards.