NOTES AND QUOTES for a Monday in the Napa Valley:

UC Berkeley’s Natalie La Rochelle qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team trials by finishing third in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at USA Swimming’s Long Course Invitational in Atlanta Dec. 2. The Vintage High School graduate clocked 2:19.59, which is her fastest time this year for that event.

La Rochelle, a Napa resident, was 20th in the 200-yard IM (2:01.40), 28th in the 400-yard IM (4:23.13), and 89th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.56) at the 2007 Conoco Phillips USA Swimming Short Course National Championships earlier this month.

She was the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Swimmer of the Year for Vintage and the first swimmer from the Napa Valley Swim Team to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials (2004). She holds nine school records at Vintage and was named as the Swimmer of the Year by The Sacramento Bee.

Dana Vollmer, who also swims for Cal, said La Rochelle is a perfect example of hard work paying off.

In a journal for USA Swimming, Vollmer, an Olympian and world-record holder, said: “She is one of the most inspiring and motivating girls, as she finally got her Olympic trials cut in the 200 IM. Her exciting swim really motivated me. I love seeing that kind of passion. Congrats to her!”

La Rochelle qualified for the 2004 Olympic trials in the 200 IM. Next year’s trials will be in Omaha, Neb.

Napa High, which won the Monticello Empire League title and made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs, is ranked 15th in The Sacramento Bee’s final Top 15 Volleyball Poll, which was announced last week.

The Indians (21-10 overall) beat Franklin-Elk Grove (3-0) and lost to Lodi (3-1) in the playoffs.

Scott McCarron, a former Napa resident, teamed with Steve Elkington to tie for third place Sunday in Greg Norman’s tournament, the $2.8 million Merrill Lynch Shootout at the Tiburon Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla.

McCarron and Elkington’s birdie on No. 18 for a 62 in the final-round scramble format created a five-way tie for third. They each won $95,000.

The first round was a modified alternate shot format and the second round was a better ball format. The event had 12 two-man teams.

McCarron, who went to Vintage, has three wins and has earnings of over $9 million as a PGA Tour player.

Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa is first and Novato second in the final Redwood Empire football rankings for 2007, Cal-Hi Sports correspondent Harold Abend announced. Ferndale is No. 8.

The Oakland Athletics will play 26 spring training games in preparation for the 2008 season, including 23 games in Arizona, beginning with the Cactus League opener against Milwaukee on Feb. 28 in Maryvale.

In addition, Oakland will play two exhibition games against the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball on March 22 and 23 in Tokyo, Japan preceding the regular season opener on March 25 against Boston in Japan Opening Series 2008.

The A’s will play a total of 12 home games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, starting with the home opener against the Brewers on Feb. 29.

For ticket information, go to www.oaklandathletics.com or call (877) 493-BALL or (510) 568-5600.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.