Local briefs: Gonzaga dedicates Luger Field
Gonzaga University officially dedicated Luger Field, its soccer facility, on Thursday.
The field, which opened in the fall of 2008, has been named in honor of the Luger family, whose contributions made possible the complete reconstruction of the playing field and the addition of a practice field.
Luger Field is named for benefactors John and Donna Luger and in memory of the four Luger brothers – three Jesuits and a medical doctor. The Luger brothers – Howard Luger S.J., Dr. George Fletcher Luger, Paul Luger S.J., and Robert Luger S.J. – were Spokane natives who attended Gonzaga High School and Gonzaga University during the 1920s and 1930s, devoting their lives to improving their communities and exemplifying the values they developed at Gonzaga, according to a GU press release.
Basketball
Eastern Washington announced this week the hiring of a women’s assistant coach, Alex Earl, who was a four-year letter-winner for Arizona State. Earl spent last season as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colorado.
While at ASU, Earl helped lead the Sun Devils to four consecutive postseason appearances, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2009. She ranks in the top 10 in ASU history in all of the 3-point-shooting categories.
Golf
Four golfers from the Community Colleges of Spokane men’s team will continue their golf careers at four-year universities.
Evan Omelia is headed to Washington State. Omelia is a two-time all-conference first-team selection and was the 2014 Baden NWAACC player of the year with a 70.3 scoring average.
Cole Lorenzo has committed to play for Utah State. Lorenzo also is a two-time All-NWAACC first-team selection. He finished this past season with a 72.3 scoring average.
Cooper Wright signed a letter of intent to play golf at Idaho. Wright was also an All-NWAACC first-team selection.
Tof Chapin has committed to play for Texas Lutheran. Chapin was chosen as CC Spokane’s most improved player and given the Sheldon Maul Teammate Award this past year.
Track and field
Paula Gil-Echevarria will represent Eastern Washington University and Spain later this month at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Junior Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene after winning her country’s steeplechase title last weekend.
She will compete in the semifinals in Eugene on July 24. The finals are July 26. She came to EWU from Spain to compete as a freshman in the 2013-14 season.
She had a time of 10 minutes, 47 seconds last week after having a season-best time of 10:29.03 on May 2 in Corvallis, Oregon.
• Washington State has added two new assistant coaches to the cross country/track and field teams and added responsibilities to a third coach already on staff.
Julie Taylor and Allix Potratz-Lee were hired after previously working at Idaho.
Taylor, who was the head track and field coach at Idaho from 2011-14, will coach throws. Potratz-Lee will assist head coach Wayne Phipps with distance runners. Phipps was Director of Track and Field at Idaho before taking over as head coach at WSU on July 1.
Matthew McGee will add combined-events competitors to his current job of coaching jumping events.
Academics
The Gonzaga University women’s tennis team has received Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic honors and four Bulldogs were named scholar-athletes.
GU was honored for a 3.52 cumulative GPA.
Honored as scholar-athletes were: senior Hanley Caras, (3.67 GPA, nursing); junior Kylie Peek, (3.96, public relations); junior Alexandra Tallas, (3.53, sociology); and sophomore Melanie Yates, (3.86, biology).