Briefs: Two ‘Eaters sign

Matt Whitehouse, a junior pitcher for UC Irvine in 2013, has signed with the Cleveland Indians on Friday and has been assigned to the Mohoning Valley Scrappers, their short-season Single-A affiliate in the New York-Penn League.

Whitehouse was chosen in the 19th round by Cleveland in last week’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft after going 5-6 with a 3.29 earned-run average for the Anteaters.

The Scrappers are scheduled to open their season on Monday.

Dominique Taylor, a junior center fielder for the Anteaters in 2013 who was taken in the 15th round last week, signed on Tuesday with the Kansas City Royals. His minor league assignment is not yet known.

— Barry Faulkner

*

Smith shines for USA

Former UC Irvine All-American middle blocker David Smith had 18 points to help the United States men’s national team defeat France, 22-25, 25-22, 24-26, 30-28, 15-9, in World League play on Saturday at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Opposite Carson Clark, another former UCI All-American, also contributed to the victory, which improved the team coached by former UCI head man John Speraw to 3-1 in World League action. The Americans also defeated France on Friday. Team USA split its two matches with Argentina last weekend to open World League play.

The Team USA roster also includes setter Brian Thornton, another former UCI All-American, while Matt Fuerbringer, a product of Estancia High, is an assistant coach for Team USA.

The Americans will be off until they play host to Bulgaria on June 28-29, in Reno, Nev.

— From staff reports

*

Cheer camp coming

The Costa Mesa High world-ranked cheer program is hosting its annual youth cheer clinic.

The camp will run Aug. 12-15 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The cost will be $75 and includes a T-shirt, snack and instruction. The camp is for girls in pre-K through eighth grade.

For information, contact Kori Johnson at CMHScheer@aol.com.

— From staff reports

*

OCC ranks 10th

Orange Coast College finished 10th in the National Assn. of Two-Year Colleges Athletic Administrator Cup Championship, which rates California’s community college athletic programs based on an overall points system for the 2012-13 school year.

The Pirates produced 128.5 points, 59 fewer than winner Mt. San Antonio.

Riverside (157.5), American River (150.5), Cerritos (147.5), Fresno City (146), Santa Rosa (193.5), Sierra (139), Golden West (136.5) and Palomar (129.5) round out the top 10.

The Pirates’ state championship in women’s cross country contributed 20 points, while men’s golf (19), men’s cross country (18), women’s swimming (16) and men’s swimming (15) also added to the total.

Mt. SAC had 11 programs produce at least 14.5 points, including state titles in men’s and women’s basketball and men’s soccer.

— From staff reports

*

UCI runners lauded

The UC Irvine women’s cross country program has earned a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA based on its Academic Progress Rate.

The Anteater team’s score ranked among the top 10 percent in its sport for 2011-12, the most recent year in the report. This is the third consecutive year that the UCI women’s cross country program has earned the award.

A total of 976 Division I teams from 268 schools, out of 346 Division I colleges and universities, were recognized with the award for 2011-12.

“The NCAA’s quintessential student-athlete exhibits dedication and commitment both on the playing field and in the classroom,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert in a statement. “These teams and programs truly embody the overall values of the NCAA, and have exceeded standards to post fantastic academic scores. We are delighted by such a clear example of our membership’s commitment to providing well-rounded experiences to student-athletes.”

Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The rate measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-2012 academic years.

— From staff reports