Ochoa to guide Orange Coast

Marco Ochoa, an assistant for Orange Coast College’s men’s and

women’s cross country teams, which both won state championships a

year ago, will take over as head coach for both squads this fall,

announced Monday by Athletic Director Barbara Bond.

Ochoa, an assistant at Coast for the past two seasons, replaces

John Knox, who guided the men’s and women’s teams for two seasons.

Knox will assist Ochoa, but focus more of his energy coaching the

school’s track and field teams.

Ochoa steps in to lead programs steeped in success.

Orange Coast women’s cross country teams have won six of the last

seven state titles, three in a row and 11 overall while the men’s

squad won their first crown since 1999 and third overall in the

program’s history.

A graduate of Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., where he was a

two-time NAIA All-American, Ochoa was an elite runner for more than

10 years. He finished fifth in the marathon at the 1996 United States

Track and Field trials and was a member of the 1997 U.S. world

championship marathon team that competed in Athens, Greece, host city

of the upcoming Olympics.

Ochoa coached at Santa Ana College from 1992-96.

Three locals help Team USA to gold medal

* YOUTH ROLLER HOCKEY: Three players from Velocity, a youth roller

hockey team made up of 12-year-olds from Costa Mesa and Newport

Beach, helped contribute to the United States 12-and-under team claim

the gold medal at the World Inline Cup held July 7-12 in London,

Ontario.

Costa Mesa’s Brett Olinger and Darren Nowick, from Huntington

Beach, were named co-defensive Most Valuable Players for Team USA,

which went 12-0 through the tournament, including 10 straight

victories in the medal round.

The U.S. defeated Ontario, 4-3, in the gold medal game in front of

1,500 fans. Team USA had a 4-2 lead before Ontario scored with seven

minutes remaining. The U.S., which also featured Velocity player

Taylor Aronson, killed several power plays, including a 5-on-3

situation in the final seconds.

The U.S. outscored the opposition, 105-24, while tallying 141

assists during the tournament.

Success for the U.S., though, wasn’t limited to the 12-and-under

team. The U.S. captured four world championships and five

second-place finishes during the tournament.

Parada scores 10 in Sacramento loss

* PRO BASKETBALL: Former UC Irvine center Adam Parada scored 10

points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Sacramento Kings’ 117-108

loss to the NBA Stars in the Summer Pro League at the Pyramid in Long

Beach Sunday.

Parada was 5 of 11 from the field while J.R. Smith led the Stars

with 31 points. Kevin Martin paced the Kings with 28 points.

In Sacramento’s 91-87 win over the Los Angeles Clippers Friday,

Parada had five points and seven rebounds. Martin led the Kings with

24 points and Chris Kaman scored 18 for the Clippers.

The Kings conclude play in the Summer Pro League against Dallas at

5:15 p.m. today.