Serra Loses Share of Title for Violation

Gardena Serra has lost its share of the Division IV girls’ track and field title it split with Orange Lutheran in Saturday’s Southern Section championships because a team member violated a national rule that says an athlete can compete in a maximum of four events during the preliminaries and finals of a meet.

Serra senior Kimberly McNeal placed third in the long jump and ran legs on teams that finished second in the 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays in the Division IV finals at Cerritos College after competing in the 100, 200, long jump and 400 relay in the preliminaries the previous week.

McNeal did not advance to the Division IV finals in the 100 or 200, but the fact that she ran in those events in the preliminaries and competed in the long jump, 400 and 1,600 relays in the section finals meant that she had competed in five events.

The violation cost Serra 22 points and left it in second place with 38 points.

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The top competitors in the Southern Section will try to take the final step in advancing to next week’s state championships in Sacramento when they compete today in the Masters Meet at Cerritos College.

The meet starts at 4:30 p.m. with the boys’ discus and the girls’ shotput. Running events start at 6.

The top five finishers in each event will automatically qualify for the state championships at Hughes Stadium on June 4-5, as will any finishers who meet an at-large qualifying standard.

Senior Shalonda Solomon will lead a Long Beach Poly girls’ team that is favored to win its second consecutive state title.

Senior Lionel Larry of Compton Dominguez is regarded as a leading entrant in the boys’ meet after running a wind-aided 10.37 in the 100 and a yearly state-leading time of 20.73 in the 200 in winning Division II titles in those events in the section championships Saturday.

John Ortega

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Baseball

Winning a league title hasn’t translated into playoff success, at least so far. After a string of upsets in second-round play on Tuesday, only four of 25 league champions in Divisions I and II will play in the quarterfinals today.

Third-seeded Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, winner of the South Coast League, is the only No. 1 playoff entry from a league remaining in Division I. Although many of the league champions lost on the road Tuesday, at least one coach dismissed that as a key factor.

“I don’t think the road is the issue,” Moreno Valley Canyon Springs Coach Leon Baham said. “There’s just a lot of parity. Not a lot of people just have that dominating pitcher.

“Everybody has a guy that’s really good, but nobody has a guy who can strike out 12 or 15 guys.”

Dan Arritt

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Girls’ Basketball

Point guard Camille LeNoir of Harbor City Narbonne, who had signed with Pepperdine, was released from her scholarship and has signed with USC.

In doing so, LeNoir -- a 5-foot-5 point guard who averaged 16.9 points, 7.8 assists and 4.1 steals in an injury-plagued senior season -- follows Coach Mark Trakh, who recruited her while at Pepperdine but accepted the position at USC in the off-season.

Martin Henderson

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Miscellany

The Southern Section Executive Council recommended Wednesday to expand baseball and softball playoffs from six to seven divisions in 2005.

The 16-1 vote goes to the section council in October for final approval. The unusual timing of the recommendation comes in the middle of a releaguing cycle and possibly opens the door for other sports to do the same.

But Temecula Valley Athletic Director Stan Ford said rapid growth in many areas made it essential to move now.

-- Paul McLeod