SAN DIEGO SPORTS ET CETERA : Noriega Beats Tennessee’s Flach in NCAA

Third-seeded Jose Luis Noriega, a sophomore from USD, downed 57th-ranked Doug Flach, a freshman from Tennessee, 6-4, 6-2, Thursday in the second round of the NCAA men’s individual tennis championships in Indian Wells.

At 9 a.m. today, Noriega will play 42nd-ranked Mike Brown, a junior from Arkansas, who was a 6-0, 6-2 winner over Johan Hoegstadt of Utah Thursday. If he wins, Noriega will play a quarterfinal match in the afternoon.

Noriega and senior J.R. Edwards lost their first-round doubles match to Mitch Michulka and Michael Penman of Texas, 6-4, 6-4.

FOOTBALL

Richard Brown, a former San Diego State and Rams linebacker, has signed with the Chargers as a free agent, the team announced.

Brown, 6-feet-3 and 240 pounds, played with the Rams in 1987 and 1989 after four seasons with the Aztecs. He did not play football in 1988 after being cut by the Rams in training camp. He played 13 games last season, including two starts at inside linebacker.

TRACK

Michelle Conley of UC San Diego finished fourth in a school record 35:30.23 in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division III women’s track championships. Conley’s old record was 36:39.

SURFING

Coronado’s Mike Johnson and San Diego’s Jake Jaeckels were among five San Diego surfers advancing to the fourth round at the $40,000 Body Glove Surf Classic at the Imperial Beach Pier. Other local qualifiers include San Diego’s Paul Friese and Del Mar’s Lonny Brothers and Allen Johnson.

GOLF

The San Diego State men’s golf team is tied for eighth with a score of 284 after one round of the NCAA West Regional championship at New Mexico State. The Aztecs’ Tim Dodd shot a 68 and is three strokes behind leader Bill Helm of Texas El Paso. SDSU’s Kevin Riley shot a 69, and Doug Karney and Mike Jun shot 75s. Arizona leads with a score of 273.

San Diego State’s Joann Walker shot a second-round 77 and is at 157 after two of the four rounds of the NCAA women’s championships at Arthur Hills in Hilton Head, S.C.

UCLA’s Christy Erb, a graduate of USDHS, is tied for 10th at 150. Elizabeth Bowman, who graduated from Bonita Vista and now attends UCLA, is at 157.

Stanford’s Adele Moore and Texas’ Michiko Hattori lead at 146.

UC San Diego is 15th after three days of the NCAA Division III men’s tournament at Jekyll Island, Ga. UCSD’s Mike Reinhart shot 76 and is in 11th place at 224. The Tritons’ Devin Thomas is 31st at 229, and Bobby Meyerson is 68th at 236. Methodist leads the team competition at 875, and Methodist’s Robb Pilewski is low individual at 214 after a 69.

BASKETBALL

Greg Graham was promoted to assistant coach by San Diego State Coach Jim Brandenburg. Graham, 34, was a part-time assistant on the Aztecs’ staff last year. He succeeds Maury Hanks, who accepted an assistant’s position at Drake last month.