Nania wins first bass tournament of season

Joey Nania of Liberty Lake, the Junior Bassmaster Classic champion and three-time Washington state junior champ, started his 2008 season by winning the Inland Empire Bass Club’s season-opening adult event last weekend at Potholes Reservoir.

It was the third win in a row for Nania, 17, a junior at Central Valley High School, who closed the 2007 season with two wins.

Nania, who will fish 15-18 tournaments this season in attempt to qualify for two national and world junior championships, caught fish weighing 31.91 pounds during the two-day event at MarDon Resort, winning by more than 12 pounds.

He boated 17.23 pounds the first day and caught 12 fish in 15 minutes weighing 14.68 pounds the second day. His biggest fish weighed 4.45 pounds.

College scene

Sophomore Heather Bowman from Lewis and Clark was named the team’s most valuable player when the Gonzaga women’s basketball team passed out awards at its annual banquet last Sunday.

Coach Kelly Graves also announced that senior Michelle Elliott was the Katie Prichard Most Inspirational Player, freshman Courtney Vandersloot won the Fred Obde Hustle Award, junior Jami Bjorklund of University High was named the team’s best defender for the second straight season, and freshman Claire Raap was named the most improved.

•Sophomore tennis players Marie Demerath and Nico Riego De Dios have been selected the Eastern Washington athletics department scholar-athletes for March.

Demerath, who has a 3.34 grade-point average in communications, won the final six matches of a seven-match singles win streak and shared in four doubles victories in the month.

Riego de Dios, 3.37 GPA in exercise science, won three singles matches, two in Big Sky Conference competition, and shared in three doubles victories.

Football

Two members of State 4A champion Lewis and Clark, including two-time All-Greater Spokane League offensive lineman Isaac Fry, are among three GSL athletes who have signed letters of intent to play at Montana Western, Bulldogs coach Rich Ferris announced.

Fry, a 5-foot-10, 200-pounder who was voted the Tigers’ top offensive linemen in 2006 and ‘07 when he won All-GSL honors, will be joined in Dillon, Mont., by LC teammate Charlie Eglet, a 6-2, 210-pound tight end. Eglet had eight catches for 98 yards and one touchdown in 2007.

Also signing was Jonathan Binschus, a 6-3, 200-pound defensive end/middle linebacker from Rogers, who was the Pirates’ defensive MVP and team captain in 2007 when he recorded a school-record 150 tackles, including three quarterback sacks.

Golf

Neddy Martinez of Pasco has signed a letter of intent with Eastern Washington, women’s coach Marc Hughes announced.

Martinez was the Columbia Basin League player of the year as a junior and is two-time district champion.

Gymnastics

Alec Grebe, who competes for Spokane Elite Gymnastics, placed 15th at the Region II Men’s Championships April 12 in Beaverton, Ore.

Grebe, 12, a student at Evergreen Junior High, had an overall score of 51.55 out of a possible 60. His top mark was 9.40 on the vault. There were more than two dozen gyms that had competitors in Grebe’s age and level.

Juien Ditto of Spokane Elite also competed. He scored 47.70 with a top mark of 9.20 in the vault.

Chris Sarquilla is their coach.

Shooting

Five Spokane area shooters have been named to the 2008 National Sporting Clays Association Washington All-State Team for 2008.

Joining the team of 17 shooters from across the state are Landt Farms Sporting Clays shooters J.R. Snodgrass, Chris Yarboro and Dean Flager of the youth divisions and adults Stan Schultz and Michael Stoltz.

For information on the Landt Farms Junior team and development, contact Ted Snodgrass, 468-6776.

Tennis

Annamaria Gould, who attends Bishop Kelly in Boise, the No. 1-ranked junior player in Idaho, has committed to attend the University of Idaho and play for the Vandals, associate head women’s coach Tyler Neill announced.

Volleyball

Eastern Washington has signed Laney Brown from Waterville, Wash., and Emily Bekkering from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Brown is a 5-foot-7 setter who was named to the Associated Press 2B All-State second team and was a three-time all-league selection.

Bekkering is a 6-1 middle blocker.

•Hannah Nyrop, a 5-11 outside hitter from Kootenai of Harrison, Idaho, has signed a letter of intent to play at Lewis-Clark State College, the Warriors announced.

Nyrop, an all-around athlete, was a four-time North Star League MVP in volleyball and a three-time selection to The Spokesman-Review All-North Idaho first team. She was twice an all-state selection.

Miscellany

Tickets are still available for the Community Colleges of Spokane Hall of Fame induction banquet Saturday at the Red Lion River Inn, 700 N. Division.

A social hour at 5 p.m. will get the night started. Seven athletes, three coach/contributors and three teams are in the class of 2008.

For the $25 tickets, contact Nancy Zacher at 533-3630.