Crow Again Named MSL’s Top Defender

Kevin Crow has been named the MSL’s Defender of the Year for an unprecedented fifth time and for the fourth time in the past five years.

“It’s always an honor to win an award like this,” Crow said. “But this kind of honor is really a team thing. I’m more proud of having the best defense in the league--that’s the main reason I won the award.”

The award is voted on by media members who take into account only individual efforts. Crow garnered 45 points, far ahead of the 15 received by second-place vote-getter Iain Fraser of Baltimore. The Sockers’ Ben Collins was third with 11 points.

While Crow is correct in asserting the Sockers had the top defense (allowing only 186 goals), much of the reason is Crow himself.

In the recent semifinal series against Baltimore, goalie Victor Nogueira credited Crow and Terry Woodberry with shutting down Baltimore’s aggressive offense and making the goalie’s job an easy one.

Crow led the Sockers (and was second in the league) with 82 blocked shots, including 10 in one game (Dec. 13 in Dallas). Also during the year, Crow became only the third player in indoor soccer history to surpass the 800-mark in blocks, Bernie James and Mark Frederickson being the other two. Crow has 845.

Cleveland Crunch midfielder Tommy Tanner was named MSL rookie of the year. Tanner scored eight goals and set up 10 others in 29 games. Tanner received 43 points in voting by a panel of media members. Dallas’ Jeff Agoos was second with 36 points and Dallas’ Nick Stavrou was third with 16 points.

Game 2 of the championship series between the Sockers and the winner of the Dallas-Cleveland semifinal has been scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at the Sports Arena.

BASEBALL

David Rex provided all the offense UC San Diego needed Thursday afternoon, driving in five runs to lift the Tritons to a 7-2 nonconference victory over Point Loma Nazarene.

Rex erased PLNC’s 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and he later added a two-run double in the eighth. In the ninth, his sacrifice fly scored another run.

Rich Miller had and outstanding day for PLNC (16-22-1). He hit his 16th double of the year to tie the school record. He finished with three hits and increased his average to .457.

UCSD improved to 22-6-1.

TENNIS

Five of seven local players advanced past the second round of the girls’ 18 singles bracket at the Ojai Valley Tournament. Tamarra Byrd, Angela Cruz and Nikki Willette of San Diego, Sasha Boros of Poway and Betsy Miringoff of Carlsbad each won in straight sets. All three entries in the girls’ 18 doubles won, including top-seeded Erin Bohrnstedt and Alison McNellis of Encinitas. They were 6-0, 6-0 winners over Melissa Cherin and Torri Ellman of Los Angeles. Kelly and Kristen McCracken of Del Mar and Tasho Muto and Kristen Nicita of Bonita also advanced.

Top-seeded Jon Elsberry and James Conda of La Jolla defeated Anand Jethva and James Yu of Western, 6-0, 6-0, in the first round of the boys interscholastic doubles. Brad Yo (boys 14s), Vo Chu and Taryn Burgk (boys 16s), and Katie Umbedubo and Elana Gold (girls 14s) were other local players who won in singles.

SOFTBALL

Point Loma Nazarene got swept and eliminated from the playoffs in a Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader at Cal Baptist. The Lady Lancers piled up 23 hits and beat the Crusaders, 10-0 and 15-5. PLNC, which got two hits each from Robin Rabello and Erica Jonte in the second game, led, 5-4, entering the bottom of the fifth then yielded 11 runs in the final two innings. PLNC is 13-19, 4-10 in the GSAC.

Azusa Pacific surrendered only nine hits on the afternoon and swept both games of a nonconference doubleheader with UC San Diego, 2-1. Melissa Mazanet and Teri Zuniga got the only hits in the first game, in which UCSD (21-19) committed four errors behind pitcher Kim Stutzman (2-3).

Emily Rubin had two hits and an RBI in the second game, and Diana Moreno added two more hits, as UCSD scored in the bottom of the first inning. Azusa Pacific (27-17) scored twice in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk and a run-scoring single by Liz Campbell off losing pitcher Lacie Mounger (8-7).

TRACK AND FIELD

Former Aztec Marla Runyon was second in first-day competition at the California Invitational Section Heptathlon meet at Azusa Pacific. Runyon had 3,168 points, trailing leader Sherri Umeris of the University of Calgary (3,176). Point Loma Nazarene’s Alicia Harrasty (2,568) was 11th and SDSU’s Tanya Buchanon (2,245) 16th. PLNC’s Stephen Kallenberg was ninth after the first day of the Mt. SAC Relays Decathlon, also at Azusa Pacific. Kallenberg (3,670 points) trailed leader Chris Wilcox of Decca-1 (4,424) and Olympic hopeful Dave Johnson of Rebok (third, 4,316).

WOMEN’S SOCCER

San Diego State Coach Lesle Gallimore announced that her program signed three Orange County players to national letters of intent. The players are: Nikki Charette, a midfielder from Mission Viejo, a first-team all-Southern California selection; Stefanie Stucker, a sweeper from Huntington Beach who was an all-county player at La Quinta before enrolling at Orange Coast College; and Shawn Viloria, a midfielder from Orange who led El Toro High to the section title and was named section player of the year prior to enrolling at Irvine Valley College. Stucker and Viloria have four years’ eligibility remaining.