Art Warren is returning to the role of athletic director at San Pasqual High, a position he held for three years before moving into administration. He takes over for Merideth Marcus, who replaced Warren in 1997. Marcus retired this month.

Warren, 57, a 1969 graduate of Escondido High, has served as coach, teacher and administrator at various schools in the Escondido Union High School District since the 1970s. He was also the baseball coach at MiraCosta College.

“We at San Pasqual have been fortunate in that we have had a long history of successful athletic programs, (and) I feel it is directly related to the fact that we have not experienced the high turnover in athletic directors that some other schools have,” Warren said. “Since the school opened in 1973, we have had four ADs (Bill Green, Gordon Marsh, Warren and Marcus). That consistency is of great importance to an athletic program.”

After a heart attack a year ago, Warren decided to leave administration and return to the classroom – “The reason I got into the teaching to begin with,” he said. He taught health and was an assistant athletic director.

Warren has coached baseball, basketball, girls volleyball and football at the freshman, JV and varsity levels at Orange Glen, San Pasqual and Escondido high schools.

A graduate of United States International University – formerly Cal Western and now Alliant International University – Warren was a member of the school's 1973 NAIA national championship baseball team, where he was voted the team's most valuable player.

Warren said he plans to serve as athletic director for two years and train the next person before he retires.

“Replacing Merideth will be a challenge,” Warren said. “She was always so on top of everything, always a step ahead of everyone in the thought process and was an organizer extraordinaire.”

Olympic hopefuls

North Coast Aquatics held a send-off party this week for five of its swimmers who will compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials and one athlete who already has qualified for the Summer Games in Beijing.

Tanya Krisman, Jessica Schmitt, Allison Knight, Kendyl Stewart and Gloria Benefield are off to the U.S. Olympic Trials, which begin this weekend in Omaha, Neb.

Anna Pold already has qualified for the Olympics as a member of the Estonian national team.

Head coach Jeff Pease said this was the most athletes North Coast Aquatics has sent to the trials in one year.

Coaches needed

San Pasqual High is accepting applications for varsity and junior varsity girls water polo and junior varsity boys water polo coaches and a varsity girls basketball coach for the 2008-09 school year. Varsity experience is required for the varsity positions. Fax résumés to (760) 480-3112 or e-mail Athletic Director Art Warren at awarren@euhsd.k12.ca.us.

Summer football

The Alex Spanos All-Star Football Classic, featuring last season's top high school seniors, will be played at 7:30 p.m. July 11 at Mt. Carmel High.

The game will pit a team of North County players against a South squad made up of athletes from East County, South County and City Conference schools.

Poway's Damian Gonzalez will coach the North. Eastlake's John McFadden will coach the South.

No contact

This summer's No-Contact Period in the San Diego Section is from July 21 to Aug. 3.

High school coaches and their athletes are not allowed contact during those two weeks.

The next step

Poway High's Tynan Murray, who quarterbacked the Titans football team to an undefeated season and San Diego Section Division I title and qualified for the state track meet in the high jump, has accepted a scholarship to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Murray said he plans to play both sports in college.

“It's the right fit for me,” Murray said. “I really wanted to be able to do both sports, and this is the chance.”

Murray, who was named the Union-Tribune North Zone Athlete of the Year, also qualified for the section finals in diving.

Other local high school athletes continuing their careers in college:

BASEBALL: Clairemont's Michael Oropeza, Division II Harding in Searcy, Ark.

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