The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 32

Monday, November 23, 1992 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER CIO. aiming to extend their reign AP top 25 First-placa votes in parentheses. Rank Team Record Pts. Prav. 1.

Miami (61) 10-C-O 1.549 1 2. Alabama (1) 10-0-0 1.483 2 3. Florida St 9-1-0 1,407 3 4. Taxas 11-0-0 1,389 4 5. Notre Dame 8-1-1 1,289 7 6.

Florida 8-2-0 1,166 9 7. Michigan 8-0-3 1,084 6 8. Syracuse 9-2-0 1,077 8 9. Georgia 8-2-0 1,030 10 10. Colorado 9-1-1 976 11 11.

Washington 9-2-0 928 5 12. Nebraska 7-2-0 914 12 13. N. Carolina St. 9-2-1 856 13 14.

Stanford 9-3-0 828 14 15. Ohio St 8-2-1 653 17 16. Mississippi St. 7-3-0 575 18 17. Boston College 8-2-1 516 19 18.

Tennessee 7-3-0 432 20 19. Southern Cal 6-3-1 357 15 20. North Carolina 8-3-0 351 21 21. Washington St. 8-3-0 314 22.

Penn St 7-4-0 282 23 23. Arizona 6-4-1 257 16 24. Mississippi 7-3-0 204 24 25. Brigham Young 8-4-0 114 Others receiving votes: Hawaii 41, Bowling Green 31, Kansas 16, Illinois 9, Southern Mississippi 5, Virginia 4, Wake Forest 3, Arizona State 2, Baylor 2, Rice 2, Fresno State 1, Rutgers 1, Texas 1, UCLA 1. College Football Canes keep firm grip top spot ASSOCIATED PRESS I Miami remained a near-unanimous choice as the No.

1 team yesterday in the Associated Press college football poll, while pursuers of the Hurri-1 canes continued to jockey for position. The Hurricanes, who beat Syracuse last Saturday, received 61 first-place votes and 1,549 points from a nation-! wide panel of writers and broadcasters. They close their regular season at San Diego State on Saturday. The other first-place vote went to Alabama, which had the weekend off. The Crimson Tide play Auburn on Thursday, then meet Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game Dec.

5. Meanwhile, Florida State extended its advantage over Texas to remain third. The Aggies (11-0) remained unbeaten after routing Texas Christian but fell 18 points behind the idle Seminoles (9-1). The ballot-box battle between Florida State and is significant because each team wants a shot at Miami if Alabama loses one of its last two games. If Florida State finishes No.

2, it would play Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. If moves up to second, it would attMiliailmi i I tuMtw The Philadelphia Inquirer RON CORTES Nnenna Lynch (left) and Cheri Goddard (back to camera, being hugged by Kate Fonshell after a Penn Relays race last spring) are seniors, but 'Nova hasn't loss a cross-country meet since they arrived. ished no lower than sixth. of this season. Other members of the Wildcats' "Quintana is another Marty Li-contingent are Becky Spies, a sopho- quori," Stern said, referring to a for-more from California from whom mer Villanova star.

"He's going to be Stern expects big things when track one of the great milers in the world season begins, and Irene Ruopoli, a someday and America's greatest senior. miler soon. They should come and The biggest challenges to the Wild- put me in jail for running this guy in cats' domination probably will come a 10,000 meters and he wins!" from Arkansas, Wisconsin and Kenny Nason, a sophomore from Georgetown, the Big East rival Ireland; David Hartman, and Michael whom they have knocked off three Going also are expected to run well times this season. for 'Nova. Cross-Country Wildcats The Villanova women have won three straight NCAA titles.

A fourth seems likely. By Ron Rett INQUIRER STAFF WRITER As is their custom at this time of year, the women of Villanova will take a run at history today in the NCAA cross-country championships at Indiana University in Blooming-ton. Over a course that will put a premium on downhill running, the Wildcats will try to become the first team in the 12-year history of the meet to win the national championship for a fourth year in a row. The only team ever to have won three NCAA titles in succession, Villanova is heavily favored. The Wildcats have been No.

1 in the NCAA cross-country coaches' poll all season long, and they will go into this competition as Big East, Eastern College Athletic Conference and NCAA Region II champions. Villanova owns a 25-meet winning streak that dates to 1988, so no woman on the current roster ever has experienced the agony of defeat as a Wildcat. Another kind of success Were that not enough, the last three NCAA individual championships have gone to two Villanova runners. Vicki Huber led the pack in 1989 before Sonia O'Sullivan took the 1990 and 1991 titles. But Marty Stern isn't terribly exercised about the Wildcats' success.

The coach would prefer to let his athletes get excited about another shot at shattering precedent, perhaps to help them do it more easily. "The glory of winning four in a row means absolutely nothing to me," Stern said last week, "but maybe it will to my grandchildren when I retire. If we win the NCAA, the last thing on my mind will be 'We won four in a That sentiment hardly is shared by Nnenna Lynch and Cheri Goddard, seniors who ran for Villanova's first championship team. They have never seen their team lose a crosscountry meet. They don't plan to see it today.

"This would definitely be the most special one," Lynch said. "Even last year, when we were the first team to win three, it didn't seem that big. But for some reason, it's going to hit me this year." Another chance for Zajac In last year's race in Tucson, O'Sullivan won by about 20 meters over runner-up Carole Zajac, a teammate who had led most of the way. The 20-year-old Zajac, 98 pounds but hardly a weakling, won the NCAA Region II competition in 16 minutes, 28.2 seconds this fall, finishing a few strides ahead of Lynch. Although he lost four members of last year's championship team to graduation, Stern managed to keep the Wildcats competitive by recruiting a pair of freshmen who have contributed big immediately.

They are Megan Flowers of Fort Worth, Texas, and Jennifer Rhines of Liverpool, N.Y., each of whom will bear watching in seasons to come. Flowers, a 54 athlete who won her state's high school cross-country championship four years in a row, has finished no lower than fifth place in any of Villanova's five meets this season. Rhines, a 5-3 two-time high school all-American, has fin- 'Nova girds for playoff on Youngstown's turf Arkansas is favored to defend its title in the men's competition, which will be contested over 10,000 meters, with challenges expected from Providence, Wisconsin and Arizona. Today's will be the first appearance by a team of Villanova men in the meet since 1983. The Wildcats' best entries are Terrence Mahon, the IC4A champion of last season, and Louie Quintana, the IC4A champion meet the Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl.

If the Aggies or Seminoles could beat Miami, they would proba bly win the national championship. Texas coach R.C. Slocum said the Aggies deserve more respect, especially since their Pigskin Classic win over Stanford gives them one more victory than any other team. "It's disappointing to be one of three undefeated, untied teams in the country and ranked fourth," Slocum said. "I think a lot of credit has to be given when you win every game and not have a slip up." Idle Notre Dame (8-1-1) moved up two spots to No.

5, and Florida (8-2) rose three notches to No. 6 after beating Vanderbilt. the Yankee Conference champion, had already found out it was going to host a game. The Blue Hens are scheduled to play ninth-ranked Sam-ford (Ala.) on Saturday. The draw worked out so that Delaware and Villanova won't have a chance to meet before the national championship game.

Talley has said that his team, winners of four straight, is hitting the playoffs on a much higher note than in 1991. Another good sign for 'Nova: Youngstown State's two losses were to Northeastern and James Madison, neither among the top Eastern teams this fall. Also, the Penguins like to run. And the Wildcats are superb at stopping the run. "Right now, we may be their worst nightmare," Talley said.

"By the same token, they're not the easiest team to play either." But this will probably be as easy as it gets for the Wildcats. Before the brackets were announced, Talley said the team he really wouldn't want to see is top-ranked Citadel, a wishbone outfit that beat Arkansas to open its season. As it turns out, the winner between Youngstown State and 'Nova will play the winner of Citadel and North Carolina NCAA Division l-A All games on Saturday. FIRST ROUND Alcorn State at Northeast Louisiana Samford at Delaware Appalachian State at Middle Tennessee State Eastern Kentucky at Marshall North Carolina at Citadel Villanova at Youngstown State Eastern Washington at Northern Iowa McNeese State at Idaho QUARTERFINALS Saturday. Dec.

NE Louisiana-Alcorn St. winner vs. Delaware-Samford winner Middle St. winner vs. E.

Kentucky-Marshall winner N.C winner vs. Villanova-Youngstown St. winner E. Washington-N. Iowa winner vs.

McNeese St. -Idaho winner By Mike Jensen INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Groans rolled out of Villanova's locker room yesterday afternoon as the Wildcats found out they were slated to travel to Youngstown State on Saturday for a first-round NCAA Division I-AA playoff game. Most of the 'Nova players listening to a conference call in the crowded room thought they were going to get a home game. But then quarterback Tommy Colombo, sitting over in a corner, started nodding his head. The Wildcats know Youngstown State.

They know they can beat Youngstown State. This wasn't all bad. The Penguins (8-2-1, ranked No. 7 in Division I-AA) are the defending national champions. They started their playoff run last season at home, against Villanova, on a day when the winds kicked up to 40 m.p.h.

It was a day when, in the last two minutes, Youngstown State's quarterback threw a miracle fourth-down pass that was first tipped, then caught, setting up a last-second 33-yard field goal to give Youngstown a 17-16 victory. "I remember a lot of hitting," said Villanova linebacker Curtis Eller. "It was a great game, the best game of the year. Everything was so fast." While Villanova (9-2, No. 10 in Division I-AA) had hopes of being one of the eight schools awarded a home game, coach Andy Talley wasn't counting on it.

The four top seeds Citadel, Northeast Lousiana, Northern Iowa and Middle Tennessee State automatically got home games. And then the bid committee is known to lean heavily toward the schools that guarantee the biggest crowds. Delaware (9-2, No. 8 Division I-AA), For Horn. Delivery Can 665-1234 PhW 1-eoo-52IK8 in NJ I-80O-222-2765 in PA 664-6033 In 04.

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You know what I mean? Every Sunday, Inquirer Sports blends the best of the old and the new into Outdoors, a feature dedicated to life outside of walls. Stephen J. Morgan writes about hunting, fishing and thelike. Michael Bamberger writes about everything from climbing to moose calling to mountain fables. Add an outdoor calendar, helpful information and a unique sensibility about places where the winds blow and you have Sundays in Inquirer Sports.

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