OCC women set to defend state title

Steve Virgen

With four of its top seven runners returning, the Orange Coast

College women’s cross country team has good reason to believe the

Pirates will successfully defend their state title. However,

first-year cross country coach John Knox is hesitant to make that

claim because he wants to wait and see how the 17 freshman develop.

The OCC men’s team will be strong as a group and are led by sophomore

Joel Guzman.

“It’s hard to repeat (as state champions in women’s cross

country),” said Knox, who coaches the OCC track and field team and

takes over for former cross country coach John Goldman.

Expectations are very high for the OCC women’s team, which has won

four out of the last five state championships. The Pirates won three

in a row, 1997, ’98 and ‘99, took a year off, and then reclaimed

their title last year, led by Michelle Icban, who finished second in

the state.

Icban returns as the favorite to win the individual state title.

Last spring, she won two state championships in track and field,

capturing titles in the 5,000 (17:40.64) and 10,000 (36:42.42)

meters. She also won Orange Empire Conference and regional

championships in both events and was named the conference’s distance

runner of the year, as well as OCC’s female athlete of the year.

“Michelle is a true leader,” Knox said. “She has the big target on

her back this season and everyone will be coming after her this year.

She’s the type of girl that can handle that. She’s ready.”

In addition to Icban, the Pirates will also have Roseann Peters,

Suzette Dinoso, Natalie St. Andre and Natalie Elliott returning.

Katie Mais, who is studying abroad in England, and Heather Huggins,

who transferred to Long Beach State, will not be returning. And, with

Lindsey Allen, who was a sophomore last year, gone, the Pirates will

be seeking a new No. 2 runner.

Freshman Ava Jones, from La Habra High, is expected to fill the

shoes of the departed Allen, Knox said. Knox also said OCC track and

field standout Julie Kroening might end up surprising people, as soon

as she settles herself into being a distance runner. She was a

heptathlete for the Pirates in the spring.

On the men’s side, OCC will have just three returners, and will

rely on its strength in numbers to compete for a conference title.

The Pirates’ top runner last season, Ryan Bousquet, who won the state

title last year, transferred to Arizona State, where he originally

began his college career.

Guzman will be the Pirates’ leader this season, Knox said.

Sophomores Matt Pooley and Gilbert Salas will also help provide

leadership for the young runners, including Salas’ younger brother,

Irwin, from Costa Mesa High.

Andre Brown, from Canyon Springs (Riverside), Irwin Salas and

Estancia’s Mike Casillas are freshmen who have been impressing Knox

as of late. The trio along with the rest of the men’s team, as well

as the women’s squad, trained in Big Bear earlier this month and the

time spent together has strengthened the bond in the program.

Additionally, assistant coach Dave Fier has been a big reason, the

OCC cross country program has been able to maintain success, Knox

said. And, new assistant coach Marco Ochoa has been a nice fit, Knox

said.

The teams will open up their season Sept. 14 at the Fresno Invitational.