Valley sports briefs: Youth track team seeks help

The Valley Vipers youth track and field team is headed to the Junior Olympics from July 27-Aug. 3 in Houston and looking for help to get there.

A carnival to help with travel costs will be from 4-9 p.m. Saturday at Bicentennial Park on Sunnyside Avenue, south of Herndon, in Clovis. There will be games, raffles, bounce houses, food and shaved ice.

The team features the nation’s top-ranked Sami Ikuma (steeplechase) and Rhea Foster (long jump). Carys Hall, a fourth-grader, won bronze in the 800 at last year’s meet, and Clovis North’s Mikaela Smith, who swept the section Masters 400 and long jump and set a school record in the 400, is also on the team.

Porterville High alum earns academic honor

Porterville High grad Coriann Snyder, a sophomore at Long Beach State, was named an Academic All-American by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches.

Snyder also received the Outstanding Award for a GPA of 3.71 to 4.00.