Lions add 5 recruits in softball

Vanguard University announced Sunday it has signed five softball

recruits, including Northern California products Melissa McNeely and

Tiffany Mortensen.

McNeely, an all-league third baseman, and Mortensen, a catcher and

outfielder, were teammates at Woodcreek High in Roseville.

Melissa Smith was an All-Marmonte League catcher at Thousand Oaks

High, while right-handed pitchers Lindsay Emmel (Atascadero High) and

Srista Mahan (Temescal Canyon High) round out the new additions for

Coach Beth Renkoski.

Smith plays club softball for the Southern California Diamonds

18-and-under Gold and is versatile enough to play first or third

base.

Emmel was all-league as a prep and can also play third base. She

has played on summer club teams including the Salinas Storm

18-and-under Gold and the Yosemite Stars.

Mahan was the Southwestern League Most Valuable Player last

spring, when she helped her team reach the CIF Southern Section

playoffs. She was also voted team MVP.

“This class of freshmen will make us stronger immediately as well

as in the future,” Renkoski said

Tars’ Fleming shines

* TENNIS: Jake Fleming, approaching his sophomore year at Newport

Harbor High, advanced to the round of 32 before falling Saturday at a

qualifying tennis tournament for the Diadora Pro, scheduled Sept. 20

at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

Fleming, 16, was beaten by Matt Ozuravich in three sets.

UCI sailors recognized

* SAILING: The UC Irvine women’s sailing team is ranked No. 13 in

the Sailing World college preseason rankings, while the Anteaters’

co-ed team is ranked No. 15.

The UCI women have the third best ranking of any team from

California, behind Stanford (No. 6), and St. Mary’s (No.9).

Yale tops the women’s rankings, followed by Harvard and Dartmouth,

respectively.

In the co-ed rankings, USC is No. 1, followed by Harvard and

Dartmouth.