Locally: Spokane’s Briann January earns WNBA award
Briann January (Lewis and Clark HS) of the Indiana Fever has been awarded the August WNBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by State Farm for her community and youth outreach efforts throughout Indiana.
January committed to Indiana by participating in various PRIDE events, Get Fever FIT clinics and youth literacy initiatives. In celebration and support of inclusion and equality, January walked in the Indiana Pride Parade alongside fellow teammates, and visited the Indiana Youth Group.
During Indy Pride Week, January played in a charity softball game, raising money in support of local LGBT initiatives. A longtime spokesperson for the Hoosier Family of Readers program with the Indiana Department of Education, January also encourages parents to read regularly with their kids and tapes video PSA’s and audio books for the Call-The-Fever Program.
January has actively participated in the Fever’s breast health events for several years, including last month’s Breast Health Awareness Live Auction.
Junior golf
Team Inland Empire, 10 area golfers between the ages 11 and 13, recently earned the title of Washington State champions and advanced to the PGA Junior League’s West Regional.
The team is comprised of top players from each of the eight courses that compete in the Inland Empire League. They will square off against three other teams Sept. 25-27 at Chehalem Glenn Golf Course in Newberg, Oregon, with the winner qualifying for the national championships in November in Orlando.
Team members are Qualchan’s Hayden Gamanche and Brayden Miles, Manito’s Nate Plaster and Tommy Kimmel, Avondale’s Rhonin Edwards, Coeur d’Alene Golf Club’s Dominic Mosby, Spokane Country Club’s Alex Cooke, Esmeralda’s Cole Oster, The Fairways’ Nate Koohns and Indian Canyon’s Kami Twining.
Qualchan assistant pro Derek Siesser is the team captain. Steve Prugh, Michelle Grafos and Nick McCaslin serve as assistant coaches.
College scene
Former Gonzaga women’s basketball forward Sunny Greinacher signed to play professional basketball in her home country of Germany.
Greinacher will play with Herner TC in the German First Division, which is located 30 minutes from her hometown of Essen.
Greinacher was a three-time academic All-Conference recipient and graduated with a degree in psychology. She also was named twice to the first-team All-West Coast Conference and was also named to the All-Freshman team in 2012.
• Tracy Melville, the State 2B/1B cross country champion for Lind-Ritzville/Sprague and the State 2B 3,200 champion in track for Lind-Ritzville, adds quality depth to a Western Washington women’s cross country team seeking its seventh trip to the NCAA Division II Nationals in eight years. The Vikings, who placed 12th nationally last year, return three of their top seven, including junior Sofia Mariks from Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls).