Community college: OCC runner-up for state honor

Orange Coast College, which boasted state titles in women’s water

polo and women’s cross country, finished second in the 2001-02 California

Community College All-Sport standings.

Coast was the first school in the history of the All-Sport standings

to post top-eight state finishes in 10 sports during a single academic

year.

The All-Sport standings are fashioned after the sport supremacy awards

used by several conferences in the state to honor their top all-around

program. The All-Sport standings are similar to the Sears Directors’ Cup

awarded to NCAA four-year schools. Points are awarded to the top eight

schools in each of the 23 sports sanctioned by the Commission on

Athletics.

Mt. San Antonio College was the All-Sport standings champion.

The OCC Pirates were the leaders on the women’s side, earning 39

points from their finishes, mainly from water polo, coached by Don Watson

and Mike Giles, and cross country, coached by John Goldman.

In addition to the water polo and cross country state titles, the OCC

women also included Coach Chuck Cutenese’s volleyball team, which was the

state runner-up, and Coach Mike Thornton’s basketball team, which was one

game away from reaching the Final Eight in Stockton.

The OCC men featured Cutenese’s men’s volleyball team, which finished

second in the state, Coach John Altobelli’s baseball team, which advanced

to the Super Regional, and Goldman’s cross country squad, which was fifth

at state finals.

The Pirates’ crew program, in which the men’s varsity eight won all

but one regatta, is not sanctioned by the COA.

Coast was one of only three schools to earn two state titles in the

2001-02 athletic year.