Rathdrum’s Brandon Palaniuk qualifies for Bassmaster Classic

Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum is the only angler from the West to qualify for the 2011 Bassmaster Classic – the Super Bowl of professional bass fishing – Feb. 18-20 at Bayou Segnette State Park in Louisiana.

Palaniuk, 23, a member of the Panhandle Bassmasters, is a heavy-equipment operator who’s earned $60,000 as a pro angler.

His ticket to the big stage was winning the BASS Federation Nation Championship at Louisiana’s Red River in October. He was in a boat with fellow Idahoan Bill Golightly of Preston. Golightly did not qualify for the Classic.

Bowling

A field of 85 will take part in the third annual Otto-Bowl on Saturday at Valley Bowl.

Proceeds of the event named for the late Jim “Otto” Hanson, who died in 2008, go to the Mike Jarvis Bowling Scholarship for deserving high school seniors who have participated in bowling programs throughout the Spokane area. Hanson and the late Jarvis were longtime friends who were active in the bowling community.

The Otto-Bowl is unique in the fact that a bowler must use only one ball during each of the six games.  In other words, no special spare ball will be available to change to for that nasty split. There will be cash awards for both scratch and handicap bowlers.

Tony Trethewey won the first event and Tarra Pointer won last year.

College scene

Lewis-Clark State College, in conjunction with the Warrior Athletic Association, has created the LCSC Warrior Athletic Hall of Fame and will hold its first induction ceremony May 7 by honoring former longtime baseball coach Ed Cheff as the first inductee.

The shrine will honor former Warriors coaches, athletes and supporters, with induction ceremonies every other year. Cheff, easily the most recognizable figure in LCSC’s athletic history, will be the lone inductee in the inaugural event at a dinner at 7 p.m. at the Lewiston Red Lion Hotel. Tickets will go on sale around March 1.

Cheff, who retired last summer after coaching the Warriors for 34 seasons, led LCSC to an unprecedented 16 NAIA World Series titles and is the NAIA’s all-time leader in victories at one school. He had a 1,705-430-2 record.

Cheff and has been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and received the ABCA’s Lefty Gomez Award for his lifetime contributions to amateur baseball.

• Cora Kellerman, who was sidelined during the 2010 season by a rare heart disease, received two awards when the Eastern Washington volleyball team was honored at a banquet last weekend.

Kellerman, a junior who underwent three surgeries during the season and is expected to be back on the court in the fall, was recognized by her teammates with the most inspirational player and teammate of the year awards. Despite her condition, Kellerman attended every practice and all home games, providing leadership and motivation from the bench.

Other awards went to senior Chenoa Coviare, most valuable player; senior Jacque Brown, Eagle Award from the coaches, which goes to the player who best exemplifies the qualities valued by the team; and redshirt freshman Ashley Wright, most improved player.

•   Barry Britt, a sophomore men’s cross country runner at Idaho, was selected to represent Athletics Canada at the North America, Central America and Caribbean Cross Country Championships Feb. 19 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Britt, from Hampton, New Brunswick, who earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference and all-region honors in the fall, is one of five selected to the Canadian team for the 8,000-meter event. He finished seventh overall, and sixth among Canadians, at the country’s cross country championships in November.

This will be the fourth time Britt has donned a Canadian uniform, but the first as a senior competitor. The first three came in junior events.

Football

Eastern Washington University fans and friends are invited to a luncheon Wednesday at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino in conjunction with national letter of intent signing day.

Members of the national champion EWU coaching staff, including head coach Beau Baldwin, will be on hand to provide video and commentary on the players the Eagles sign that morning.

The luncheon begins at noon and costs $15 per person. Space is limited and prepayment is required by today. Information may be obtained and reservations made via  http://ewu.site-ym.com /events/event_details.asp ?id=143675.

Softball

Jessica Lupinacci, a senior at Coeur d’Alene High School, has signed a letter of intent to play at North Idaho College.

Lupinacci, an infielder, was a first-team All-Inland Empire League selection last season and was a part of the Vikings team that placed second in the state championships in 2008.