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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EV’s Meyer captures national freestyle title

At an earlier Greco-Roman and freestyle national wrestling tournament this summer, Trey Meyer decided to concentrate on one discipline.

The decision paid off when Meyer of East Valley captured a freestyle national championship at 152 pounds at the Asics/Vaughn Cadet championships in Fargo, North Dakota.

Meyer, who will be a junior in the fall, went 6-0 including two wins by pin and three by technical fall. He posted a 9-7 decision in the final.

His high school coach, Craig Hanson, was there to witness Meyer’s feat. Hanson is the director of coaches for Team Washington.

“He looked outstanding,” Hanson said. “He went to the Cadet duals earlier in the summer and wrestled so-so in Greco and undefeated in freestyle and made the all-tourney team. So he decided to concentrate on freestyle the rest of the summer.”

Hanson said Meyer improved from match to match.

“He made nice adjustments in each match,” Hanson said. “In the finals it was a super match. The score may have been 9-7 but Trey was in control the whole time.”

Hanson said Meyer is just the ninth wrestler in Washington history to win a national title. Hanson has coached Meyer since he was 5 years old.

A handful of other area wrestlers fared well, too.

Heavyweight Tate Orndorff (University) placed third in both disciplines to earn All-America status.

Bryan Wais (North Central) placed fourth in Greco-Roman. Dalton Young of Lakeside (Nine Mile) took fifth in both disciplines.

Cierra Foster (Post Falls), who will be a junior in the fall, became the first national female Cadet freestyle champion from Idaho.

Foster won at 124 pounds at Fargo, N.D., becoming an All-American. She went 3-0, winning by pin in the final.

She also competed in the Junior division at 124, going 2-1 and finishing second.

Foster placed third in the Idaho high school state tournament last winter against boys.

Basketball

The summer season ended for two of the top area girls teams, and they had to go to San Diego to face off once more.

For a second straight year, the Sandpipers Black captured the Midsummer Night national title at San Diego, topping the Spokane Stars Elite 62-53.

A pair of Gonzaga Prep standouts, Otiona Gildon and Laura Stockton, led the Sandpipers with 25 and 24 points respectively. Madison Hovren (Central Valley) led the Stars with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Stars beat the Sandpipers two weeks ago in the title game at the Summer Heat tourney at the Warehouse.

“They got us at the Warehouse and fortunately we got them pretty good in San Diego,” Sandpipers coach Kerry Pickett said. “To win back to back year at San Diego isn’t easy.”

The Sandpipers finished the season 38-5. The Stars were 35-8 with three losses to the Sandpipers and two wins against them.

Hovren averaged a double-double, 18.1 points and 11.5 rebounds, in eight games at San Diego.

The Stars defeated the Lewis and Clark Tigers 53-52 in the semifinals. Riley Lupfer led LC.

The Stars also defeated the German U-17 national teams in the quarterfinals, 65-47. The German team started a front line that measured 6-foot-6, 6-5 and 6-3.

“I couldn’t be happier with the girls,” Stars coach Ron Adams said.

The Sandpipers had a splendid summer a year ago, finishing 50-2.

“To pull off an encore-type season at the highest competitive level is really amazing,” Pickett said. “I wasn’t really expecting that but the girls did it. Our role players really stepped up.”

Softball

Two Spokane Crash teams tied for ninth to share the highest finish by four area teams in the Amateur Softball Association 14-U A Western National championship during the weekend in Pasco.

Crash ’99, coached by Gary Blake, and Crash ’00, coached by Mike Kallsen, both had 2-2 records in bracket play after going 1-1 in pool play.

North Idaho Xtreme of Hayden, coached by Mike Chapman, tied for 17th, going 1-2 in bracket play, while Spokane Sliders, coached by George Comack, were 0-2 in bracket play and tied for 25th. Both also were 1-1 in pool play.

Nightmare Softball ’00 from Oregon City, Oregon, won the tournament, defeating Blaze ’99 from Beaverton, Oregon, 3-1 in the championship game after Blaze forced an extra game in the 28-team, double-elimination tournament.