September 20, 2007

Athletics:
Oeding named conference men's and women's coach of the year

After becoming the first coach to ever direct two championship water polo teams on the same day, Long Beach City College water polo coach Chris Oeding doubled again as the 2006-2007 South Coast Conference Coach of the Year for both men and women (shared the honor) as voted in the conference’s athletic directors meeting Sept. 19 at Cerritos College.

Oeding tied in voting with Mt. San Antonio softball coach Kelly Ford as the SCC Co-Women’s Coach of the Year and outdistanced three other candidates as the SCC Men’s Coach of the Year.

Oeding earned the women’s SCC coaching award for the second time in three years (2004-2005). It’s also the third year in a row that a LBCC coach picked up a SCC coaching honor as Vikings’ baseball coach Casey Crook won for 2005-2006.

Under Oeding’s leadership, the Long Beach men’s water polo team captured its second straight state title, finishing 31-3 overall. Oeding coached five All-American players including tourney MVP Milos Skaljac.

On Nov. 18, 2006 in Fresno, Oeding’s men’s title followed his earlier direction of the LBCC women to a 6-5 overtime win over Riverside for the women’s championship. The Vikings finished 32-4.

Oeding, who also serves as LBCC’s swimming and diving coach, coached the men’s team to fifth at the state swim meet in May.

Ford coached the Mounties softball team to the state championship with a 54-5 overall record to earn a share of the women's honors with Oeding.

Other men’s coaching candidates were Cerritos soccer coach Benny Artiaga, LA City basketball coach Mike Miller, and El Camino first-year baseball coach Nate Fernley. Cerritos softball coach Kodee Murray, who coached an all freshmen team to a school record 39 wins, was the only other women’s sports candidate.

- Robert Lewis, SCC