College Athletics Orange County

Failure to produce a Big Orange Classic for 1995 understandably disappointed the Orange County Sports Assn., which organized and staged a postseason college football game 11 consecutive years. The game, formerly called the Freedom Bowl, was the association's signature event. The defeat came on the heels of the demise of the Disneyland Pigskin Classic and during the association's ongoing financial troubles.

Cheryl Longeway pitched a no-hitter Friday in her first Women's College World Series appearance to pace Southwestern Louisiana's 5-0 first-round victory over Michigan in front of 2,290 at Hall of Fame Stadium. It was the third no-hitter of the season for Longeway (28-5), who transferred from Cal State Fullerton two years ago because she "wasn't having any fun playing softball" with the Titans.

The Mission Conference announced a new football alignment--three divisions instead of two--at a meeting of the conference athletic directors Thursday at Saddleback College. The Central Division--Fullerton, Golden West, Orange Coast, Rancho Santiago, Riverside, Saddleback--will add Southwestern. The Northern Division--Cerritos, El Camino, Long Beach, Mt. San Antonio, Pasadena--picks up Palomar, the defending national champion, and San Diego Mesa.

The college basketball season doesn't start until November, but three Southland teams will get the jump on the competition with "Midnight Madness" practices tonight. Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and Cal State Fullerton all have midnight workouts planned to take advantage of the first official day of practice Saturday. Pepperdine's eagerness to get started is understandable.

As the press conference to announce the fate of Cal State Fullerton football began Monday, Titan wrestling Coach Ardeshir Asgari had flashbacks of his recent court case, when he won a $1.3-million wrongful arrest suit against the Los Angeles Police Dept. "It was like being in a jury trial waiting for the verdict," Asgari said. "I had the same kind of feeling. I was nervous, sweaty, my hands were shaking."

After attending a meeting Friday of school administrators interested in playing Division I-AA cost-containment football next season, Cal State Fullerton Athletic Director Bill Shumard said he is confident Fullerton will have a conference to play in if university president Milton A. Gordon chooses to downgrade the Titans' Division I-A program for 1993. The Western Football Conference hopes to move from Division II to I-AA next season, but administrators from Cal State Northridge, St.

Five Orange County college athletes were named to the All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's soccer team. Cal State Fullerton defender Ken Hesse and goalkeeper Mike Ammann were named to the first team in the Pacific Division, along with UC Irvine forward Paul Palowski. Titan forward Eddie Soto was selected to the second team, and Fullerton midfielder Matt Bradbury was an honorable mention selection.

Steve DiTolla has been promoted to senior associate athletic director at Cal State Fullerton, and women's basketball Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah will assume additional duties as interim senior women's administrator, Titan Athletic Director Bill Shumard said Monday. Jeremiah takes over for Associate Athletic Director Leanne Grotke, a 13-year Fullerton administrator whose retirement is effective on Sunday.

It's Aug. 26. Do you know where your football team is? Cal State Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy is still asking this question, after spending much of last winter, spring and this summer asking it. Murphy thought the Titans would be vastly improved over their 1-11 disaster last season, when they were ranked last nationally among 106 Division I-A teams and were outscored, 485-223. Then the school nearly dropped football last January.

Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon is so convinced the Titan athletic department will raise $2.3 million in the next two years that he won't even discuss contingency plans should the campaign fall short. But if the drive is not successful, the school will probably face the same dilemma it tackled last month--whether to discontinue football or drop the program to a lower, less-expensive level.