Briefs: Matsuoka helps Dartmouth make history

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Former Corona del Mar High tennis standout Melissa Matsuoka helped Dartmoth win its first Ivy League title in program history Saturday.

Matsuoka won in singles and doubles as the Big Green defeated Harvard, 4-3. Dartmouth and Yale both finished with 6-1 conference records and share the conference title.

Matsuoka, a freshman playing at No. 3 doubles, teamed with Jeri Reichel to defeat their Harvard opponents, 8-5. She then defeated Harvard’s Kristin Norton, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 3 singles.

Yale earns the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament due to the head-to-head tiebreaker. Matsuoka and No. 56-ranked Dartmouth now wait and see if they receive an at-large bid when the 64-team bracket is announced May 3.

— From staff reports

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Harkins sets career mark at Santa Clara

Corona del Mar High product Taylor Harkins has set the Santa Clara women’s water polo career goal-scoring record.

Harkins, a senior at Santa Clara, has 166 goals after scoring twice in Saturday’s 9-6 loss to visiting UC Davis. The former record was set by Catherine Flynn, who had 161 career goals.

Harkins, a utility player, also leads the Broncos (13-18) with 51 goals this year. That total is followed by fellow CdM alumna Claire Eadington, a freshman who has scored 42 goals this season for Santa Clara and also has a team-best 38 assists.

The Broncos begin postseason play Friday at the Western Water Polo Assn. Championships. Santa Clara, a No. 3 seed, will play No. 6-seeded Sonoma State on Friday at noon at Hayward’s Chabot College.

— From staff reports

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Neuheisel to be roasted

UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel will be honored as the 2011 Sportsman of the Year when the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation roasts him at a special banquet Tuesday at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa at 6 p.m.

Neuheisel is entering his fourth year as UCLA’s head football coach. He is coming off a 4-8 record for the Bruins in 2010 and owns a 81-52 career record in 11 years as a head coach.

“We are very excited to have Coach Neuheisel,” OCYSF president Tom Johnson said in a press release. “He is a great speaker and promises to make the evening memorable for all of those who attend.”

As a player, Neuheisel began his collegiate career at UCLA (1979-83) as a walk-on. He earned the starting quarterback job during his senior season and led the Bruins to the Pac-10 title after a 0-3-1 start.

Since 1971, the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation has enjoyed a proud tradition of celebrating the accomplishments of sports figures as a means of raising funds for boys and girls in the Orange County community. Since its inception, the Foundation has donated well over $1.5 million dollars to youth sports in the county. This includes scholarships to college bound scholar-athletes, field trips and improvements to local sports facilities.

Neuheisel becomes the OCYSF’s 38th honoree to take the podium as the night’s honoree.

Ticket information can be found at https://www.ocysf.org.

— From staff reports