Sports Shorts Sports Shorts (December 14, 2005)

BALLOUCHY HONORED . . . Gunn High grad Mehdi Ballouchy, considered one of the top playmakers in college soccer, was named a first team NSCAA/adidas Men's Division I All-American on Friday. Ballouchy, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, is the first native Moroccan student ever to attend Santa Clara, where he is currently a junior. Ballouchy started 21 of 22 matches for the Broncos, and tied for the team lead with seven assists. His only goal was the game-winner against Saint Mary's in overtime.

OAKS' CORNER . . . The 22nd-ranked Menlo College women's basketball team opened California Pacific Conference play with a 56-39 victory over visiting Holy Names on Friday. The Oaks (1-0, 5-2) also beat visiting Notre Dame de Namur, 50-40, in a nonconference contest on Saturday. The Oaks overcame a dismal shooting effort in the first half to grab the come-from-behind victory. Kepua Lee scored a game-high 23 points for Menlo, while Shannon Riley added 13 and Ashlynn Dolcini grabbed 15 rebounds. Against the Division II Argonauts, Menlo opened the game with a 20-1 run and led 24-5 by halftime. Nicole Johnson scored a season-high 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting . . . The Menlo College men's basketball team split its first two contests, losing to Holy Names, 79-74, in a Cal Pac Conference opener on Friday and then coming back to beat Notre Dame de Namur, 74-57, in a nonconference game on Saturday. James Gilkey scored 17 points to lead the Oaks (0-1, 4-2) against the Argonauts. Menlo shot just over 59 percent for the game, including a 71 percent effort in the first half. The Oaks never trailed. Bryon Wesley added 14 points, while Damian Carter had 13 points and Aaron Gentry contributed 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Gilkey also scored 17 in the loss to Holy Names, while Gentry and Carter combined for another 27. Jay Eitel had 13 points. The Oaks host Simpson on Saturday at 6 p.m.

WORLD RECORD . . . Former Stanford standout Markus Rogan set a world record in the 200 back on Thursday, the first day of the European Shot Course Championships in Trieste, Italy. Rogan, an Olympic silver medalist in 2004 with Austria, swam the event in 1:50.43.

COACHING CORNER . . . Palo Alto's new baseball coach, Joel Kaufman, is looking for assistant coaches for both the varsity and JV teams in addition to a head JV coach. He can be reached at palybaseball@pacbell.net . . . Woodside Priory is looking for a varsity swim coach. Contact Mark Stogner, Director of Athletics at 851-6107 or mstogner@woodsidepriory.com . . . Sacred Heart Prep is looking for a baseball coach for the 2006 spring season. Interested candidates should forward their resume with a letter of interest to Anthony Thomas, Athletic Director, Sacred Heart Prep, 150 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton, 94027 . . . Menlo-Atherton is looking for coaches for the 2005-06 school year: wrestling, track and field assistant (shot and discus), girls' varsity and JV lacrosse, and frosh-soph softball. Those interested should contact M-A Athletic Director Pam Wimberly at 322-5311 (ext. 5706) or e-mail resumes to pwimberl@seq.org

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