Ferris Wrestlers Take Second In Tourney

Ryan Ellis won the championship at 119 pounds, defeating a defending state champion from Montana, as Ferris finished in second place at Saturday’s 10-team Rocky Mountain Classic wrestling tournament at Sentinel High in Missoula.

Ellis used a single-leg takedown with 25 seconds left to defeat Jeremiah Watt of C.M. Russell 5-3. Ferris led the tournament after Ellis won, but Butte (Mont.) picked up enough points to edge the Saxons 160-153.

Ferris sophomore Aaron Sedler lost to Big Sky’s Mike Champ 4-3 in the title match at 275. Other Ferris placers were: Jack Claros, third, 98; Joe Claros, fourth, 105; Zach Moffatt, fourth, 145; Tyson Devlin, third, 160; Ty Williams, fourth, 171; and Chad Cluever, fourth, 189. Ferris coach Tim Owen graduated from Sentinel.

Gonzaga Prep sophomore Travis Pascoe was named the tourney’s outstanding wrestler after his 19-8 major decision over Hellgate’s Nate Tollefson at 171. Pascoe, 22-1 on the year, had two pins in three matches before the final.

G-Prep’s Nick Bliss, also 22-1, defeated Todd Schlaebitz of Frenchtown 5-2 in the 160 final.

University’s Conor Jordan (135) and Josh Vandevanter (152) and Clarkston’s Tyson Thivierge (189) placed second. Jordan lost to defending state champion Pat Owen of Polson (Mont.) 7-1.

U-Hi’s Tommy Owen placed third at 105 by defeating Joe Claros 8-1. U-Hi placed sixth in the team race, G-Prep eighth.

Track and field

Four athletes met NCAA track and field qualifying standards at Eastern Washington University’s Early Bird Open Indoor Track and Field Meet.

Washington State’s Ian Waltz surpassed the automatic qualifying standard in the men’s shot put, winning the event with a throw of 52 feet, 2-1/4 inches.

The three other athletes equaled the provisional qualifying marks in their events.

Hugo Nunos of Idaho won the men’s high jump, defeating EWU’s Andre Ervin on a tiebreaker. Both jumped 7 feet, 1 inch.

Eastern Washington’s Seville Broussard won the women’s high jump, equalling the provisional mark of 5-9-3/4.

The event took place in Thorpe Fieldhouse at EWU in Cheney.

College swimming

The WSU women’s swim team (3-2) defeated UC Santa Barbara 71-51, but lost to host 20th-ranked Reno 89-33 Saturday.

Sophomore Gretchen Chambers took the Cougars’ only first-place finish, winning the 500-yard freestyle. The Australian native won in 5:10.69. WSU competed without its top swimmer, Erin Eldridge, who is recovering from a wrist injury.

, DataTimes