Friday

April 24, 1998

Taylor's charged-up to play in the NFL

By BRAD WILLIAMS
HORNET SPORTS EDITOR

For the second straight year, the San Diego Chargers have signed a contract with a Sacramento State football player.

Last year, the Chargers selected quarterback Tony Corbin in the seventh round of the NFL draft. This year, they signed up one of Corbin's favorite targets: wide receiver Tyrone Taylor.

Taylor was not drafted but was picked up by the Chargers as an unrestricted free agent.

"This is what you would call a priority acquisition," said Charger receivers coach Mike Sheppard.

Sheppard said that the Chargers signed Taylor because of his versatility.

"We tend to find a lot of players that are overlooked in the West," Sheppard said.

About an hour after the draft was over, Taylor received a phone call from his agent telling him that the Chargers wanted to sign him.

"I was juiced," Taylor said. "I knew I could contribute to somebody's team."

Taylor has very little time to celebrate; he reports to mini-camp Friday. The mini-camp will last through mid-May. The Chargers' regular training camp begins July 23 at UC San Diego.

"If everything works out I'll probably be on special teams," Taylor said.

Even though Taylor will sign a contract, it doesn't guarantee him a spot on the roster. Taylor said he sees his major competition with the other free agent receivers, and not starters like Tony Martin or Charlie Jones.

Sheppard said that the Chargers will have 12 receivers at camp and keep six of them for the regular season.

The Chargers also drafted two other receivers: Mikhael Ricks from Stephen F. Austin in round No. 2 and Kio Sanford from Kentucky in round No. 7.

By and large last weekend's draft was a fairly predictable event. But in the days leading up to the draft, the Chargers were the main topic of discussion.

San Diego traded two first-round draft picks and two quality players to move from No. 3 to the No. 2 spot, to pick Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf.

The question remains whether the Chargers gave up too much to get Leaf. Taylor is about to find out first hand.

The Taylor family is no stranger to life in the NFL. Tyrone's father, Altie Taylor, was a star running back for the Detroit Lions from 1969-76 and with the Houston Oilers in 1976. Altie was also a collegiate All-American with Utah State.

One person who was not surprised with Taylor's signing was Hornet football head coach John Volek.

"He's done an outstanding job here," Volek said.

As a walk-on transfer student from Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, Taylor earned a scholarship during spring practice of his first year as a Hornet and was selected by his teammates to be a team captain.

During his two-year career at Sac State, he pulled in 73 receptions for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns. Taylor is ranked seventh all-time in career receiving yards for a Hornet.

He also returned 41 kickoffs for 978 yards and two touchdowns in his Hornet career, and received an all-Big Sky Conference honorable mention selection in 1997.

"We definitely have the ability to develop talent that can go to the top level," Volek said.

"The NFL pays attention to anyone who plays football, but when you're in the10th power-rated league they pay more attention. The level of competition is going to make them look."

Taylor said he wasn't the only Hornet receiver being looked at by the NFL. He said that both Carlos Smith and Sheridan Mitchell were contacted by other teams.

Some NFL teams are showing interest in some Hornets for the draft in 1999. Coach Volek said the San Francisco 49ers contacted him the day on Monday inquiring about future prospects.

"This program will win championships when we can have more players like Tony Corbin, Daimon Shelton (drafted by Jacksonville in 1997) and Tyrone Taylor in it," Volek said.

Sky's the limit for pole vaulter

By CHRISTY GRATTAN
HORNET STAFF WRITER

She has a toned, muscular frame. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a pigtail, her face is aglow with color that can only come from daily training.

One glance is all that's needed -- there's no doubt that sophomore Tracy Dahl is an athlete.

Dahl is one of three women on the Sacramento State track and field team blazing a new and exciting trail that is women's pole vaulting. For Dahl, pole-vaulting has become a way of life.

Dahl began pole-vaulting at Del Campo High School, where she was recruited by CSUS track and field head coach Joe Neff.

Neff remembers watching Dahl compete on the night of her high school prom.

She had to clear a certain height to qualify for the next competition. Her date was anxious to get going as they were running late and had a lot invested in the evening.

Dahl refused to leave until she made the qualifying mark.

"I like that girl. She has her priorities in order," Neff recalled saying to himself at the time.

The CSUS track and field coach said he saw in Dahl what it takes to be an accomplished athlete in an event like pole vaulting -- speed, strength, and an aggressive and competitive attitude.

That was two years ago, when Dahl was clearing the bar at eight feet. She is now up to the 11-foot mark. Neff is confident she can go a few feet higher.

The national pole vaulting record for women is 14 feet, 7 inches.

"Mentally, it is really hard," Dahl said. "Sometimes the worst days end up being your best."

Dahl is a criminal justice major and is minoring in psychology, and hopes to combine the two as a criminal psychologist.

She has a very busy schedule at CSUS.

She currently is taking 17 units and holding down a part-time campus job in addition to practicing track 10-15 hours per week. On the weekends, she works another part-time job and also schedules in a nice, long run. In addition to pole vaulting, Dahl also runs cross-country.

The 2000 Olympics will be the first games to feature women's pole vaulting as a track and field event and this is only the second year it is offered through CSUS as an event.

"It's a brand new sport to women and it's exciting to finally be allowed to compete in it," Dahl said.

Pole vaulting involves running a short distance -- about 60 to 80 feet -- placing and using a pole correctly to hurdle over a bar 10 to 16 feet high and landing successfully on a mat on the other side.

Neff compares pole vaulting to flying -- but without a plane.

"Timing is the most important thing," said Dahl. "You need to know when to plant."

Dahl is confident in her ability in vaulting where strength, speed and timing are concerned, but she is currently working on her "rock-back."

Rocking-back is the technique in which the vaulter has to bring his or her legs up and back as they go over the pole.

In order to get to the next level Dahl needs to master the rock-back.

"I'm not the best track person by far," she said.

There is a lot of flexibility required to pole vault; athletes with a gymnastics background tend to fare better.

Dahl does not have gymnastics experience, so she needs to work on her flexibility. In addition to vaulting, her training also involves swimming, weight training and running.

Dahl placed third in pole vaulting at both the indoor and outdoor conferences held last year in March and May.

"I didn't see a lot of third places walk out of there," Neff said.

Neff believes Dahl and her fellow vaulters will be factors at the national level in another year or two.

The pole vaulters and the rest of the track and field team can be seen flying at the next home meet to be held May 2.

Baseball blows lead against Fresno State

Although the Sacramento State baseball team (19-27) just missed winning their 20th victory of the season Tuesday afternoon, much of the pitching staff was able to get quality time on the mound as the Hornets lost 6-5 to the visiting Fresno Sate Bulldogs in 10 innings.

Sac State starter Bryan Ballenger pitched well before being knocked for three runs in the fourth inning. He was replaced by T.J Harris, who was the first of six relievers out of the bullpen that, for the most part, took care of business against the fierce Bulldog lineup, scattering five hits over the next six innings.

"The object was to get guys (pitchers) some innings," said Hornet pitching coach Jim Barr. "We try to keep the pitching staff active, especially this time year when it's crunch time. Everyone has to get tuned up."

Fresno State's shortstop Jason Fanconi had a monster day. Fanconi went 5-for-5 at the plate and accounted for two of the six runs scored by the Bulldogs.

Sacramento State opened up the scoring in the third inning, when Josh Payne tripled, scoring Camilo Gutierrez from second.

The Bulldogs responded with three runs in the top of the fourth, but Sac State rallied back.

In the bottom half of the fourth, Mike Ford found the alley in left-center field for a double, which sparked a three run inning to put the Hornets on top 4-3.

"As far as intensity, the players were really into it," said coach Barr.

"The guys stayed up for the entire game."

But in the ninth inning, the Bulldogs tied the score when Fanconi singled home pinch hitter Dan Duke from third. Fresno State won it in the top half of the 10th, as they manufactured the game-winning run to hand the Hornets a non-conference loss.

The Hornets now look toward their remaining Big West Conference schedule, including the upcoming series against Pacific this weekend.

The Tigers visit Sac State for the second game of the three-game series on Saturday afternoon.

"Overall you want to win every game but this time of year we tell players to focus on conference," said coach Barr. "We don't want to just get to the (regional) tournament. We're in first and we want to hold on to it."

Men's volleyball falls at national championships

AUSTIN, TX -- At any other time, the chance to party in Texas would have been welcome for the Sacramento State men's club volleyball team.

But, unfortunately for the Hornets, the extra time in Texas meant a premature end to their hopes for a second-straight national title, as Sac State was knocked off in the first round of the National Collegiate Club Volleyball National Championships last Saturday at the University of Texas.

The third-ranked Hornets, who were looking to nab their third title in four years, fell to No. 5 Washington State 4-15, 15-7, 15-10.

Norm Silliman, one of the team's top passers and hitters, suffered a severe groin injury in the second game, and the Cougars took advantage of the opportunity.

"That hurt us really bad," Sac State club president Dave Proffitt said. "They really picked it up after that."

Silliman's absence forced the Hornets to go to two passers on Washington State's serve, to which the Cougars responded with improved serving and increased confidence. The combination was too much for the Hornets to handle, and Washington State cruised in the final two games.

"They started serving tough and the crowd got really into it," Proffitt said. "Everything was just against us, it seemed like."

The Hornets were hoping for a rematch with top-ranked UC Berkeley, which lost to Graceland College of Iowa 11-15, 16-14, 15-10 in the championship match. The Bears defeated the Hornets twice earlier this season, including in the Northern California Collegiate Volleyball League championship match.

Graceland, which was ranked second heading into the tournament, defeated Washington State in the semifinals 15-6, 15-4. Proffitt said Graceland, led by tournament MVP Mike Stowell, would have been a big challenge for the Hornets.

"Graceland was pretty tough," Proffitt said. "(Stowell) was dominating player. Don't be surprised if you see him in 2002 Olympics."

Sac State was playing well before Silliman's injury, winning six of seven matches in pool play. In Thursday's action, the Hornets fell to Ohio State 6-15, 15-13, 17-15, but rebounded to thrash Duke 15-9, 15-6 and Northern Illinois 15-12, 15-7.

Sac State continued to roll in Friday's play, sweeping Georgia Tech, Arizona State and Kentucky. ASU took one game from the Hornets, but Sac State was too much in a 12-15, 15-7, 15-7 victory.

"I thought we played well, really strong," Proffitt said. "It takes just one little thing to make all of the dominoes fall down."

If the Hornets can take any consolation from their trip, it is that they at least enjoyed their time away from the tournament: "We pretty much got our party on," Proffitt said.

Softball splits doubleheader with Northridge

NORTHRIDGE -- The Sacramento State softball split a doubleheader with CSU Northridge Thursday, losing 5-0 in the opener and winning the nightcap 4-1 in a Big West Conference battle.

The Hornets (13-13, 23-20) received two hits and one RBI apiece from Katie Cichy and Nanci Block in the second game, and Jill Haas added a home run.

In the opener, Matador starter Tara Glaister held Sac State to singles by Haas and Lori Mattson to record the shutout. Glaister struck out six and walked only one.

The Hornets will travel to New Mexico State tomorrow for a doubleheader.