American West Conference

For Carlene Jones, the last round is the best round. The Cal State Northridge freshman leaped a season-best 18 feet, 7 3/4 inches on her final attempt to win the long jump, leading the Matadors to a sweep in the event at the American West Conference track and field championships Friday at Cal State Sacramento's Hornet Field. "If I'd had a little more pop off the board, I would have had a 19 [foot jump]," said Jones, who jumped over 19 feet in high school.

The Cal State Northridge men's and women's track and field teams would be defending conference champions, if the conference wasn't defunct. After sweeping American West Conference outdoor titles last May, the Matadors will be pitted against much tougher competition today and Saturday in the Big Sky Conference indoor meet at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Competing in its first conference meet since moving to Division I, the Cal State Northridge track and field team swept the American West Conference championships Saturday. A victory in the 1,600-meter relay, the final event at Sacramento State's Hornet Field, by Matador runners Dorothy Byron, Tamika Bradfield, Keetha Colson and Cherice Ellison gave Northridge the women's title, 219-218, over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Perhaps it was fitting that several members of the Cal State Northridge track team dumped two buckets of water Saturday on Coach Don Strametz after the Matadors won the men's and women's American West Conference championships. One bucket for each year that he has led both teams to the title in a conference that will disband after this season.

The Cal State Northridge men's and women's track and field teams would be defending conference champions, if the conference wasn't defunct. After sweeping American West Conference outdoor titles last May, the Matadors will be pitted against much tougher competition today and Saturday in the Big Sky Conference indoor meet at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Mike Dorsey scored 27 points and made two free throws with nine seconds left as Cal State Northridge held off Cal State Sacramento, 86-81, in the semifinals of the American West Conference tournament Friday at the Centrum. Northridge (8-19) led by as many as 17 points and held a double-digit advantage for most of the game until Sacramento rallied in the final four minutes.

No sneaking up on anybody this time. Cal State Northridge quarterback J.J. O'Laughlin appeared on the horizon less than a year ago, a gunslinger riding into a new town to prove he had the quickest draw. Didn't take long for him to make his point. O'Laughlin, who transferred to Northridge from the University of Illinois one game into the Matadors' season, started playing the following week and picked up the offense on the fly. Fly could be the operative word this season.

The American Dream: No matter who you are, where you come from or how low you are on the economic totem pole, you can still work your way to the top. The American West Conference Dream: No matter how badly you play in your nonconference games, if you have three good days, you can still be a champion. What a country. The Cal State Northridge football team, which is in the middle of a nightmarish 1-5 season, still has as good a chance as any other team of winning the American West Conference.

Say this for the fledgling American West Conference: In no other college league in America is a group of basketball coaches and players more eagerly anticipating the start of a conference season. "That's the great thing about being in a conference," said Peter Micelli, a Cal State Northridge forward. "It's a chance to start all over." The American West consists of four teams, all of which could use a fresh start.

A comforting fact for men's basketball teams in the American West Conference was supposed to be that they at least had Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to kick around. Not anymore. Cal Poly, 1-26 last season when it was considered the worst Division I team in the nation, has turned the AWC on its collective head with a 9-9 record. The Mustangs beat Cal State Sacramento, 102-86, in a conference opener last weekend.

The American Dream: No matter who you are, where you come from or how low you are on the economic totem pole, you can still work your way to the top. The American West Conference Dream: No matter how badly you play in your nonconference games, if you have three good days, you can still be a champion. What a country. The Cal State Northridge football team, which is in the middle of a nightmarish 1-5 season, still has as good a chance as any other team of winning the American West Conference.

Competing in its first conference meet since moving to Division I, the Cal State Northridge track and field team swept the American West Conference championships Saturday. A victory in the 1,600-meter relay, the final event at Sacramento State's Hornet Field, by Matador runners Dorothy Byron, Tamika Bradfield, Keetha Colson and Cherice Ellison gave Northridge the women's title, 219-218, over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

For Carlene Jones, the last round is the best round. The Cal State Northridge freshman leaped a season-best 18 feet, 7 3/4 inches on her final attempt to win the long jump, leading the Matadors to a sweep in the event at the American West Conference track and field championships Friday at Cal State Sacramento's Hornet Field. "If I'd had a little more pop off the board, I would have had a 19 [foot jump]," said Jones, who jumped over 19 feet in high school.

Mike Dorsey scored 27 points and made two free throws with nine seconds left as Cal State Northridge held off Cal State Sacramento, 86-81, in the semifinals of the American West Conference tournament Friday at the Centrum. Northridge (8-19) led by as many as 17 points and held a double-digit advantage for most of the game until Sacramento rallied in the final four minutes.

Would you believe they are playing for the love of the sport? How about to keep their scholarships? Pride? This much is known for sure: American West Conference teams opening tournament action today at Southern Utah University are not playing for a spot in the NCAA playoffs. Twenty-nine conference champions receive automatic invitations to the 64-team Division I men's basketball tournament. The American West is among four conferences which do not.

A void was created in the Big Sky Conference last week, and Cal State Northridge may ultimately help fill it. Idaho and Boise State of the Big Sky have received preliminary clearance to defect to the NCAA Division I ranks. Northridge and fellow American West Conference members Cal State Sacramento and Southern Utah have expressed "real interest" to Big Sky members about joining their conference, Northridge Athletic Director Bob Hiegert said Thursday.

Would you believe they are playing for the love of the sport? How about to keep their scholarships? Pride? This much is known for sure: American West Conference teams opening tournament action today at Southern Utah University are not playing for a spot in the NCAA playoffs. Twenty-nine conference champions receive automatic invitations to the 64-team Division I men's basketball tournament. The American West is among four conferences which do not.

Say this for the fledgling American West Conference: In no other college league in America is a group of basketball coaches and players more eagerly anticipating the start of a conference season. "That's the great thing about being in a conference," said Peter Micelli, a Cal State Northridge forward. "It's a chance to start all over." The American West consists of four teams, all of which could use a fresh start.