Briefs: Caldwell on national training team
Newport Harbor High product Cody Caldwell was recently selected to participate in the U.S. men’s junior national training team in Colorado Springs, Colo.
He is among 18 players competing for 12 roster spots on a team that will compete at the NORCECA junior continental championship, Aug. 25 through Sept. 2 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Caldwell, a 6-foot-7 outside hitter, was a member of the 2011 U.S. youth national team that finished third at the Under-19 Pan Am Cup in Mexicali, Mexico. He had 14 kills in that tournament.
Named National High School Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine, Caldwell just completed his freshman year at Loyola of Chicago.
The top three teams from the NORCECA tournament will qualify for the 2013 Federation International de Volleyball Men’s Junior World Championship.
— From staff reports
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Belen on TV
Former UC Irvine women’s basketball player Kiara Belen will compete in Cycle 19 of America’s Next Top Model. The show premieres on Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. on the CW with the first-ever “College Edition.”
“I think being an athlete helped me on the show,” Belen said. “My athleticism and competitiveness gave me an edge, but knowing how to be coached was vital to my success. I’m excited for the show to begin and to have the opportunity to represent UC Irvine.”
Belen will join 12 other women as they battle it out to earn the prestigious title of “America’s Next Top Model” and compete for a career-launching prize package that includes a fashion feature in Nylon Magazine, as well as $100,000 cash and campaigns with Nine West and Smashbox Cosmetics, in addition to a modeling contract with LA/NY Models and being named the face of “America’s Next Top Model” perfume Dream Come True.
During the premier, fans will be encouraged to tweet support or send a message to Kiara at @ _KiaraBelen
Belen played for the Anteaters from 2008-2012, appearing in 100 career games. The forward was the only player to have started all 30 games last season, when she averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. The defensive specialist posted a career-high 17 points last season at Northern Colorado. She graduated with a degree in sociology.
Former UCI student-athletes have been successful in reality television competitions with men’s basketball player Aras Baskauskas winning Survivor: Panama in 2006 and women’s golfer Selaneé Henderson finishing as the runner-up in the Golf Channel’s Big Break Atlantis last month.
— From staff reports
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Crumlich an All-Star
Former UC Irvine baseball standout D.J. Crumlich made the National League team for the New York-Penn League All-Star Game, contested Monday at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.
Crumlich, a ninth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in June, represented the State College (Penn.) Spikes. The National League affiliates topped the stars from the American League, 8-1.
Crumlich, the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior shortstop in 2012, entered the All-Star Game as a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh inning. He went hitless in two at-bats and played the final three innings at third base.
Through Tuesday, Crumlich was hitting .263 with one home run and 15 runs batted in and five stolen bases for the Spikes.
— From staff reports