Newport product Steen comes to UCI

Amber Steen, the most decorated female cross country and track and

field runner to come out of Newport Harbor High, has transferred from

Arizona to UC Irvine, Anteaters’ Coach Vince O’Boyle said Friday.

Steen, who lost two seasons to injury at Arizona, will have at

least one cross country season of eligibility and one season of

indoor and outdoor track and field at UCI. She could also be granted

a second year of eligibility by virtue of a medical hardship waiver,

O’Boyle said.

“I’m more than excited to have the opportunity to coach Amber,”

O’Boyle said. “I recruited her out of high school and I’ve always

wanted to the opportunity to coach her.”

O’Boyle said Steen is healthy and in great shape, after building

endurance and strength coming off a navicular stress fracture in her

left foot at Arizona.

“She’s excited about running and I think this is going to be fun,”

O’Boyle said. “She has more than ability; she also has the desire and

heart to be a great athlete.”

The Anteaters begin official workouts Tuesday, but Steen has been

working out locally since mid-August, when she arrived after

completing a course in Tucson, Ariz.

Steen will represent the Anteaters at the season-opening UCI cross

country invitational Sept. 10 at Central Park in Huntington Beach.

Steen finished 11th in the 1,500 at the Pac-10 Conference

championships last spring (in four minutes, 28.53 seconds) and was

34th at the NCAA West regionals in cross country in 2004.

Steen was the Newport-Mesa Female Athlete of the Year as a senior

in 2000-01 after posting unparalleled credentials in both track and

field and cross country for the Sailors.

She won three CIF Southern Section Division II titles in track and

field and won two CIF Southern Section Masters meet titles. She was

third in the state in the 1,600 as a senior, though the injury had

already slowed her by that time, forcing her to scratch in the 3,200.

She was twice the CIF Southern Section Division II individual

champion in cross country and twice won the same title at the Sea

View League finals.

In winning the 2001 CIF Masters meet 1,600 as a senior, her time

of 4:43.75 was the best in the nation that season.

-- Barry Faulkner

Dent wins in four sets

* TENNIS: Corona del Mar High product Taylor Dent moved on in the

U.S. Open men’s singles draw with a 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory over

Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in the second round Friday in Flushing

Meadows, N.Y.

The victory sets up a third-round matchup Sunday with Australian

Lleyton Hewitt, the No. 3 seed, who defeated Jose Acasuso from

Argentina, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Dent, 24, a four-time winner on the Association of Tennis

Professionals Tour, and Hewitt have split their two head-to-head

matchups in Grand Slam tournaments this year.

Jorth strikes again

* WATER POLO: Clay Jorth, entering his senior season at Newport

Harbor High, scored his second goal in three games, but the United

States men’s junior national water polo team suffered a 15-5 loss to

Greece Friday, the second day of the International Six Nations

tournament in Cosenza, Italy. The U.S. fell to 0-3 in the tournament

with a 12-4 setback against Russia, also Friday.

Anteaters swept

* VOLLEYBALL: The UC Irvine women’s volleyball team fell in three

sets to visiting UNLV, 23-30, 22-30, 25-30, Friday in the UCI-Holiday

Inn Sunset Classic at Crawford Court. Kristin Kelley led the way with

12 kills and seven digs. Whitney Pavlik and Amanda Vazquez added 10

kills each and Christa Conom tallied 37 assists, but the Anteaters

fell to 3-2 this season.

Sun Devils edge UCI

* SOCCER: The UC Irvine women’s soccer team (1-2) lost, 3-2, to

host Arizona State in double overtime Friday night in nonconference

action.

Britney Webster and Megan Ortiz scored for the Anteaters. The Sun

Devils won it in double overtime when Elizabeth Bogus scored the

game-winning goal on a rebound following a shot by Lauren Niblett in

the 104th minute. Erin Henry had a career high 10 saves for the ‘Eaters.

Lions prevail in 3

* VOLLEYBALL: Michal Shortridge led the way with 18 kills as the

host Vanguard University women’s volleyball team defeated Holy Names,

30-26, 30-17, 30-22, in the first round of the Crowne-Plaza Labor Day

Volleyball Festival CUI tournament on Friday.

A few hours later Vanguard came back to defeat Texas Wesleyan,

30-21, 23-30, 30-32, 30-24, 15-7. Jaclyn Lee tallied 17 kills.

Vanguard scores win

* SOCCER: Andrew Elliot and Erik Portillo scored goals as the

Vanguard men’s soccer team defeated Robert Morris, 2-1, on Friday at

Biola.