Sunday Locals: Women’s Olympic boxing trials to be in Spokane

The top 24 female amateur boxers in the country in three weight classes, including two from Western Washington, are expected to be in Spokane Feb. 13-19 to compete in the inaugural U.S. Olympic Trials in women’s boxing.

The sport will make its debut in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Northern Quest Resort & Casino will be the site for the week-long double-elimination event. The winner of each weight class – flyweight (112 pounds), lightweight (132) and middleweight (165) – will advance to the 2012 Women’s World Championships May 21-June 3, in China, where they must finish in the top eight to advance to the Olympics.

The field is expected to include Queen Underwood of Seattle, a five-time national champion, in the lightweight class, and Alex Love from Monroe, Wash., one of the top three finishers in the National PAL Championships, in the flyweight class.

Baseball

Left-handed pitcher Kelly Fitzpatrick from Mt. Spokane and versatile James Robinson from Colfax are among 12 players from the state who Washington State coach Donne Marbut has signed to national letters of intent.

The others are outfielder Tyler Carlson (Enumclaw), right-handed pitcher Maxwell Dammeier (Mercer Island),  shortstop Shea Donlin (Woodinville), centerfielder/right-handed pitcher Mitchell Gueller (Rochester), and right-handed pitcher Christopher McDowell (Mount Vernon).

Also, infielder Patrick McGrath (Woodinville), infielder Matt Mendenhall (Kennewick), outfielder Austin Pernell (Kent), right-handed pitcher Jacob Schroeder (Ferndale) and shortstop Trek Stemp (Kennewick).

Fitzpatrick has an 11-2 career record for the Wildcats and was a first-team All-Greater Spokane League selection last spring when he struck out 79 batters.

Robinson, who has played shortstop, pitched and caught for the Bulldogs, is a three-time All-Bi-County 2B selection who helped lead Colfax to second place in the state as a sophomore.

Basketball

Team St. Luke’s from Spokane didn’t collect any wins in the Turkey Shootout wheelchair tournament in Salt Lake City two weekends ago, but four of its athletes collected some special recognition.

Kyle Bocook, 15, from Lakeland High School; Mikila Salazar, 15, West Valley; and Josh Brewer, 16, Central Valley, were selected to play in the tournament all-star game.

And William Robbins, 16, from Springdale, was named one of the top six performing athletes in the tournament that had 60 players.

• Sydney Emory, a 5-foot-8 senior guard at Central Valley, has signed a national letter of intent with Humboldt State, the NCAA Division II school in Arcata, Calif., announced.

Last year as a junior, Emory averaged 10.6 points per game and led the Greater Spokane League in 3-pointers, making 47 of 113, including tying the school record of seven in one game. She’s also an 85 percent career free-throw shooter, the Humboldt announcement noted.

• Danielle Beltrame, a shooting guard at Deer Park, signed a letter of intent with Oregon Tech, an NAIA Division II school in Klamath Falls, Ore., the family announced. Beltrame played at Mt. Spokane as a junior.

College scene

Kelli Tikker, a Lewis-Clark State senior from Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, collected a couple of honors last week.

Tikker, who transferred from Gonzaga University after her freshman year, was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete for a second straight year. To qualify, an athlete must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.5.

Tikker, an outside hitter, and Nicole Graybeal, a senior middle blocker from North Central and Spokane Falls CC, were selected to the AVCA All-Northwest Region team. Tikker, who led the Warriors in kills, was named to the first team after being honorable mention as a junior. Graybeal, an NAIA All-American last season who was plagued by injuries early this season, received honorable mention on the all-region team.

• Alli Winters, a Southern Virginia freshman from St. John-Endicott, had career bests of 16 points, 10 assists and five steals in the Knights’ 106-94 win over Meredith College last Tuesday in their home opener.

In seven games, Winters, the point guard charged with running the up-tempo offense for the Knights (5-2), has averaged 9.6 points and 4.2 assists while shooting 36.7 percent on 3 pointers. She had five 3s in her 16-point game.

• Senior Lindsey Petroni, a volleyball player from Mead, and junior Jeff Minnerly, a football player from Ferris, are the Eastern Washington athletic department Scholar-Athletes of the Month for November.

Petroni, who has been the starting libero for EWU for two straight seasons, has a 3.57 GPA in accounting.

Minnerly, a starting defensive back for the Eagles, has a 3.83 GPA in accounting and information systems.

Golf

Sean Walsh, a highly regarded golfer from Keller, Texas, signed a national letter of intent with Gonzaga University, Bulldogs men’s coach Robert Gray announced.

Walsh, who tied for fourth in both the Texas Cup Invitational and the AJGA Lubbock Junior in 2011, is ranked 108th in the Polo rankings for juniors and 48th in the Class of 2012.

Golfweek ranks him 81st in the Class of 2012, 15th in the state of Texas and fifth in the Class of 2012 for the state of Texas.

• The West Coast Conference announced that Cal State Bakersfield will join the conference as an affiliate member in women’s golf beginning with the 2012-13 season.

That will keep the WCC with the minimum six teams required to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

Gonzaga is one of four charter members in the golf configuration with Pepperdine, San Francisco and Santa Clara. BYU joined this year.

Bakersfield will replace Seattle University, which is moving to the Western Athletic Conference following this school year.

Rowing

USRowing Junior Rower of the Year Rebecca Burns, a coxswain from Annapolis, Md., signed a national letter of intent with Washington State, Cougars women’s coach Jane LaRiviere announced.

Burns earned the award in overwhelming fashion after leading both junior and masters teams for the Annapolis Rowing Club, closing out the summer by winning three gold medals at the USRowing Masters Championship.

Swimming

Idaho coach Mark Sowa announced the addition of four women to the Vandals’ roster, one of whom will arrive in January. 

Kirah Monks, a distance freestyler who graduated last spring from her Whitby, Ontario, secondary school and has qualified for the Canadian Olympic Trials, will arrive first.

Joining her in the fall will be Sami Hendricks from Sumner, Wash., sister of current Vandal Katie Hendricks, and a state-meet placer; Janelle Stacy from Ketchikan, Alaska, a high school state meet qualifier and four-time high point recipient for her club team; and Jamie Sterbis from Brookings, S.D., a butterfly specialist who is a state champion and state Swimmer of the Year.

Volleyball

Allison Meehan, a much-honored senior from Post Falls, signed to play for North Idaho College, Cardinals head coach Kandice Kelly announced.

Meehan, whom Kelly said “can be a setter, a right side or a middle,” helped lead the Trojans to second place at the Idaho 5A state tournament, where she was named to the all-tournament second team.

The Trojans’ MVP and co-captain received first-team All-North Idaho honors and was first-team All-Inland Empire League two years in a row.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and is a Key Club member. 

• Ashley Jibby, an outside hitter and All-Inland Empire League 5A first-team selection from Post Falls, signed to play for Concordia University, an NAIA school in Portland, Post Falls athletic director Craig Christensen announced.

Jibby was a key member of the Trojans’ State 5A runner-up team.