Michelle Icban

Bryce Alderton

She prefers to run within the pack, but the results reveal an ironic

twist. More often than not, Michelle Icban finds herself ahead of the

competition, which means first place can’t be too far away.

The 19-year-old Orange Coast College sensation capped off her

two-year OCC career by breaking the meet 10,000-meter record to

repeat as state champion last month. Her time of 35:49.24 was more

than 28 seconds better than her nearest competitor.

Icban, who also repeated as state champion in the 5,000, said

competitors helped push her to new heights at Chabot College in

Oakland.

“They were running the same pace right behind me,” Icban recalled.

“That felt cool, that they were still with me past the 5K mark.”

Then Icban made her move, building an insurmountable lead that

would give her a personal best.

No matter the race, the strategy stays the same: run with the

group for awhile, then turn on the speed.

“I like to run with other people,” Icban said. “I’m not a person

who likes to run by myself.”

The Orange Empire Conference Runner of the Year in cross country

and track gains motivation from a variety of sources, including

coaches.

Icban won the 10,000 at the Southern California meet in 36:30,

three seconds off the Coast record. After the race, she made a

friendly wager with Coach Marco Ochoa that if she didn’t break the

school record at the state meet, he would quit his job.

She had worked up to breaking the school record for weeks

preceding the state meet, when her goal came to fruition.

“It was a joke,” Icban said about the bet with Ochoa. “But it

motivated and helped me. He said I was strong enough to [set the

school record]. The whole week I wanted it.”

The Cypress resident credits teammates such as Ava Jones and

Roseann Peters for helping to move her along throughout the season,

which culminated in the Coast women placing third at the state meet.

Peters placed third in both the 1,500 (4:37.57) and 800 (2:17.33)

while Jones took fifth in the 1,500 in 4:47.75 and sixth in the 5,000

(18:21.78) at the state championships.

“They have a lot of speed in the 1,500,” Icban said. “It was a

hard course and they pushed me. I owe them a lot.”

Jones and Peters also ran alongside Icban as she won the

individual state cross country title last fall. The trio helped the

Pirates win the state team title, as well.

A steady work ethic and determination have contributed to Icban’s

success, John Knox, her coach in both cross country and track,

explained.

“It all comes down to the girl that works hard,” said Knox, the

OEC Coach of the Year in men’s and women’s track and cross country.

“She is at every workout.”

Icban, who will continue her academic and athletic career this

fall at Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., maintains her march toward

competing in marathons someday.

“My goal in life is to be known as a runner,” she said. “I’ve only

competed in half-marathons, so I’d like to travel and train for the

full ones now.”

Icban has also trained the right way, managing to stay healthy

virtually all of her Coast career.

“She has not been injured the last two years,” Knox said. “She

runs smart miles ... not going crazy at the beginning of the season,

but, rather, building a good base and going from there. She is a

great team leader who puts everyone in front of herself and lets

things happen.”

Most often, Icban happens to leave the field in her rear-view

mirror.