Kiley Neushul, a former Dos Pueblos star, scored the go-ahead goal to lead the U.S. past Italy. COURTESY PHOTOS
The 2020 U.S. winter polo team that will head to Tokyo.
A go-ahead goal by Kiley Neushul, a former Dos Pueblos High star, helped Team USA punch its ticket to next summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo by edging Italy 10-9 in the championship game of the FINA Women’s Water Polo World League Super Final in Budapest, Hungary.
Also on the team were her younger sister, Jamie, and former San Marcos High star Paige Hauschild.
The Americans, who have won six straight World League Super titles, will be bidding for their third-straight Olympic Gold medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Neushul, who helped Team USA win the gold at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, scored her goal in the second quarter to put the Americans ahead 3-2.
Italy tied the score again at 5-all in the third quarter, but Team USA pushed ahead for good behind the play of Makenzie Fischer, who led all scorers with four goals.
Neushul also scored twice in an 8-6, semifinal victory over The Netherlands. She finished with six goals in the tournament.
Her sister, Jamie, scored in a quarterfinal win over China while Hauschild, a sophomore at USC, netted another goal in a victory over Hungary.
Kiley Neushul, who led Stanford to three NCAA championships (2012, 2014, and 2015), was second in scoring for Team USA earlier this year with 12 goals at the FINA Intercontinental Tournament, leading it to the gold medal. She also led the squad with 13 goals in their run to the FINA World League Super Final title in 2017.
WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES
THREE LOCAL PLAYERS NAMED
A trio of Santa Barbarans – Sawyer Rhodes, Piper Smith, and Abbi Hill – have been selected to compete for USA Water Polo at the 30th Summer Universiade which will be held in Naples, Italy on July 2-14.
Rhodes, a former Santa Barbara High star, was one of 13 players chosen to the men’s squad. Smith, a UC Irvine freshman from San Marcos High, and Hill, who graduated this month from Dos Pueblos High, were tabbed to the women’s team.
Rhodes, a former U.S. Youth National Team player, earned NCAA All-America honorable mention last fall after scoring 25 goals in his sophomore season at USC. He ranks as Santa Barbara High’s all-time leading scorer with 370 career goals.
Smith, who led San Marcos to the 2018 CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship, scored 41 goals this year to earn All-Big West Conference second-team honors. She also made the league’s All-Freshman Team.
Hill is following in the footsteps of her sisters, Sami and Kodi, by committing to play for UCLA next year. Both of her sisters also competed in the U.S. National program, with Sami earning a gold medal with the 2016 Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro.
Abbi Hill has also twice competed with the USA Senior Team, helping it win gold medals at the FINA Intercontinental Tournament both in 2018 in New Zealand as well as last March in Australia.
TRACK AND FIELD
SCARVELIS TAKES 8TH
Stamatia Scarvelis, a Dos Pueblos High graduate, completed her collegiate career for the University of Tennessee by placing eighth in the women’s hammer throw and 17th in the discus at the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Austin, Tex.
Scarvelis threw the hammer 221 feet, nine inches, and went 173-2 in the discus.
NATYCAA CUP
SBCC PLACES 12TH
SBCC recorded its second-highest finish in the NATYCAA Cup, taking 12th out of 86 schools in the 2018-19 athletic supremacy contest for California community colleges.
Mt. San Antonio won its seventh straight title in the CCCAA National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators all-sports competition, edging Riverside 162-159. Northern California schools grabbed the next four spots. Fresno City was third at 152, followed by Sierra (146.5), American River (143.5) and San Joaquin Delta (143).
Schools are awarded points based on their finishes in the State Tournament. The Vaqueros were 12th with 93.0 points, tying Ventura for top WSC honors.
SBCC women’s teams reached the top five in the state in the sports of water polo, golf, soccer, and tennis. Men’s golf took state runner-up honors behind College of the Canyons.
