After 30-45-8 First Year, Gulls Fire Coach O’Connell

Mike O’Connell, who coached the Gulls to a fifth-place finish in the Western Division in their first year in the International Hockey League, has been fired. The announcement was made Friday by General Manager Don Waddell.

Waddell said no replacement for O’Connell, 34, has been chosen, but the team plans to fill the vacancy soon. The Gulls finished the 1990-91 season 30-45-8, despite sitting in second place for much of the first half.

“Considering it was our first season, Mike did a very credible job in his first year as a coach,” Waddell said. “But, at this time, our organization just felt it would be better for us to head in a different direction.”

SURFING

Allen Johnson and Rick Lasch of Del Mar, Rick Irons of Mission Beach and Travis Molina of Encinitas were among 32 surfers who advanced into the fourth round of the $35,000 Body Glove Memorial Weekend Classic at Imperial Beach.

Kirk Tice of Huntington Beach and Kirk Slater of Cocoa Beach, Fla. eliminated tour standouts Marty Thomas of Sunset Beach, Hawaii, and Jeff Booth of Laguna Beach. Also advancing were San Diego’s Chris Menzie and Cardiff’s Colin Smith.

TRACK

UC San Diego’s Shannon Quigley improved on her shot put distance for the third consecutive year, but it was only good enough for fourth place at the NCAA Divison III women’s championships in Berea, Ohio.

Quigley won the shot put two years ago with a throw of 45-2 and finished second last year with a toss of 45-9. This year, she threw 45-10, but the winner, Stephanie Bostwick of Wisconsin-Oshkosh threw a 47-1.

Four Point Loma Nazarene athletes were named NAIA All-Americans after they placed in the top five at the national finals in Sevensville, Tex. Christian Andreasson was third in the triple jump (50-8 1/4) and Kwame Moore was second in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.3). For the second day in a row, Vanessa Couch broke the school record in the 3,000 (9:57.11) and finished third.