Rogers Student International Champ
Spokane’s Dewey Welliver, 16, won the 139-pound class at the International Junior Olympic boxing tournament July 5-11 in Tijuana, Mexico.
Welliver, who will be a junior at Rogers High School this fall, defeated Juan Sanchez of Mexico in the finals in a unanimous decision. The victory landed Welliver a spot on the United States junior national boxing team. Welliver won his first two fights with knockouts, beating a Korean boxer in the first and one from Russia in the second.
Welliver, whose career record is 60-7, also won the 1998 National Junior Olympic championship June 21-28 in Marquette, Mich., to earn the right to compete in the international competition.
“I trained hard all year and never took time off,” Welliver said. “I was confident going in (to nationals) and thought I would be a good favorite.”
A year ago, Welliver lost in the national tournament semifinals.
Welliver hopes to compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, then turn professional.
His next event is the National Blue and Gold tournament Sept. 3-6 in Baldwin Park, Calif.
Academic awards
Twenty-five Eastern Washington University athletes were selected to Big Sky Conference All-Academic teams for the spring quarter with grade-point averages of 3.2 or better.
The athletes by sport with their majors:
Men’s track and field-Matt Bussman, physical education; Shawn Gumke, education; Anthony Haynes, social work; Chris Henderson, biology; Jeromy Hudson, mechanical engineering tech.; Matt Read, finance; Brent Twaddle, P.E.; Matt Zuchetto, pre-law.
Women’s track and field-Jennifer Bauman, nursing; Seville Broussard, communications; April Franck, history; Kathlyn Heilman, education; Angie Herdener, P.E.; Cristi Horning, biology; Amber Johnson, dental hygiene; Stephanie Kubalek, education; Marni McGregor, education; Tina Olson, biology; Kim Van Dalsem, business administration.
Men’s tennis-John Botaitis, business admin; Sean Hergert, P.E.; Jesse Erickson, art.
Women’s tennis-Christen Cook, English; Carrie Lovell, communications; Johnna Throm, reading.
Baseball
The Washington State Sluggers, a team comprised of 12-year-old Pony all-stars from Spokane, placed ninth out of 41 teams in the Capital Games National Invitational Tournament in Cooperstown earlier this month.
Kyle Henry was selected the team MVP, Jason Plecha the gold glove winner and Randy Folsom won the team batting title based on their performances in the tournament.
Former Spokane Indians distinguished themselves in recent minor league all-star games.
Infielder Emiliano Escandon, who played here in 1995, was named MVP of the Carolina League All-Star Game after doubling home three runs in the eighth inning as the Northern Division took a 5-2 victory. Escandon plays for the Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks, the host team.
Pacific Coast batting leader Jeremy Giambi (1996) won pre-game competition for most accurate throwing by an infielder or outfielder prior to the Triple-A All-Star Game at Norfolk, Va. However, Giambi, who carries a .372 average for Omaha, has not played since because he pulled a hamstring during the game. Another former Indians outfielder, Warren Newson (1986), joined Giambi on the PCL squad.
Whitworth College has added 10 players for next season, Pirates coach Keith Ward announced.
Three are high school seniors: All-Big Nine selections Scott Biglin, a center fielder, and pitcher Brandon Bogart, both from Pasco, and Aaron Kellar, a .473 batter and 8-2 pitcher from Shorecrest in Shoreline, Wash.
Among five community college transfers are two-time All-NWAACC outfielder Matt Armitage from Olympic and Mead High School and outfielder Nate Lynch from North Idaho and Central Valley.
The other three are pitchers Jason Bowie from Edmonds, Brandon Hansell from Walla Walla and Nick Spunich from Olympic and University High School.
Two other Pirates recruits are former Freeman prep standouts transferring from Division I schools, catcher Nick Schuerman, coming from Washington State, and Jeremy VanHoohris from Washington. Both red-shirted last season.
Basketball
Two former area high school standouts are among three players who have confirmed their admission to Whitworth College, where they’ll play basketball this winter, coach Warren Friedrichs announced.
Pat Luce is a 6-foot-6 forward who averaged 12 points and six rebounds while earning All-Greater Spokane League and all-area honors at Lewis and Clark. And Travis Meserve is a 6-foot All-Great Northern League guard from Chewelah, who averaged 18 points and 3.5 assists per game.
The third is Nathan Gazdik, a 6-1 all-conference guard from Sheridan, Wyo., who averaged 17 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.
Corby Schuh of Spokane, twice a second-team All-Greater Spokane League selection at Central Valley, has signed a national letter of intent with Central Washington.
Schuh, a 6-4 junior, is transferring from Everett Community College, where he averaged 24.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last season in earning first-team All-NWACC Northern Region honors.
Jackie Espinozo-Johnson, 34, of Spokane, Great Northwest Conference player of the year at Alaska-Anchorage in 1990-91, has been named defensive player of the year in the ACB league in Spain.
Fencing
Maria Duthie of the Spokane Valley led her team, Salle Auriol of Seattle, to the gold medal in the women’s epee team event at the National Fencing Championships two weeks ago in Austin, Texas.
Duthie also received the individual bronze medal in Division II women’s epee to earn her B rating, and was sixth in Division I-A women’s epee.
She outscored her opponents 45-12 in 12 bouts. Her only two losses in three days were to the eventual gold medal winners in the individual events. She’s ranked 45th in the nation.
Golf
Bonners Ferry High’s Sarah Walter has signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Portland.
Walter finished in the top three at four Class B state tournaments, including second this spring. She carries a 4.0 grade-point average and was valedictorian of her class. The fifth annual Dan O’Brien Golf Scramble, benefiting the University of Idaho men’s track and field team, will be Aug. 15 at the UI golf course.
Teams will receive a free team photo with O’Brien, the world decathlon champion. Cost is $50 per player for the five-person scramble. Hole sponsorship is $100. Entry deadline is Aug. 10.
Info: (208) 885-0210.
The North Idaho Building Contractors Association best-ball tournament will be Sept. 11 at the Highlands in Post Falls.
Cost is $55 per player for the four-player event. Hole sponsorship is $150, $250 for No. 1 and No. 18.
Info: (208) 773-2021.
Soccer
The Spokane Skyhawks premier U-12 team placed second to the Oregon state champions in the 170-team Oregon International Rotary Tournament last weekend, beating one of the two international teams in the field, Panama, en route to the title game. Joe Blumel is the Spokane coach.
Softball
Two players who helped Community Colleges of Spokane to the NWAACC championships this spring, shortstop Shannon Zahrowski and pitcher Holly Vanwert, have signed national letters of intent with Central Washington.
Zahrowski, from Rogers, and Vanwert, from Mead, are two-time All-NWAACC selections. Vanwert was named most valuable player in the NWAACC tournament and Zahrowski was a second-team all-tournament selection.
Synchronized swimming
A 25th-place showing out of 32 teams in the 14-15-year-old division was the top finish for Spokane Silver Mermaids entries at the National Age Group Championships earlier this month in Buffalo, N.Y.
Miranda Crossley, Sheila Doyle, Nichole Ehnes, Aleksandra Lazovic, Leah Kliment, Jennifer Numata and Stephanie Wright competed in the team event.
In trio, Kliment, Numata and Wright were 28th; Crossley and Lazovic were 30th in duet; and Lazovic 33rd out of 41 in solo.
The Silver Mermaids will conduct an Intro to Synchro clinic for swimmers 8 and older at the Shadle Park pool. Cost is $25. Pre-registration is required.
Swimmers must know basic strokes. Sessions will be July 27, July 28, July 30, Aug. 3 and Aug. 4, from 4:30-6 p.m. A swimmer must attend all five.
Info: 838-4549, 325-5546 or 326-1179.
Track and field
John Traynor Jr., a history teacher at Gonzaga Prep, is the Bullpups’ new boys track coach.
Traynor, an assistant last year, replaces Tony Maucione, who retired after 20 years. Maucione is staying on as the cross country coach and will assist with the track program.
Coeur d’Alene High sprinter Brenda Nipp is among eight University of Idaho women’s track and field recruits.
Others are: Colleen Case, discus, Orofino; Tiffany Hagood, high jump, Clinton, Wash.; Traci Miller, discus, Puyallup; Rebecca Da Silva, hurdles, Blackcreek, British Columbia; Heather Dennis, sprints, Chilliwack, B.C.; Andrea Lamont, distance runs, Leeton, New South Wales; New Mexico transfer Nicole Willis, hurdles/heptathlon, Bothell, Wash.
Eighteen members of Spokane’s Performance Athletic Track & Field Club advanced from the Region XIII Junior Olympic Championships last weekend in Salem, Ore., to the nationals July 28-Aug. 2 in Seattle.
The qualifiers by age group with their regional places:
Young men-Shuron Harvey, 2nd 100, 2nd 200, 2nd 400.
Young women-Micelle Gemmill, 3rd 200; Eylsia Hanna, 3rd discus.
Intermediate boys-Desmond Brown, 1st 200, 2nd 100; Jacob Sani, 3rd, 1,500; Kevin Safran, 3rd 400 hurdles; Robert Hahn, 2nd high jump; David Crogan, 3rd discus.
Intermediate girls-Brianna Hill, 3rd 100; Adrienne Isgrigg, 1st 300.
Youth girls-Tyeshia Harvey, 2nd high jump.
Midget boys-Ben Green, 1st 800, 1st 1,500; Kris Higgins, 3rd long jump.
Midget girls-Holly Bailey, 1st 800; Jackie Garriel, 3rd 800; 4x800 relay, 1st (Bailey, Garriel, Courtney Robinette and Brienne Miller).
Bantam boys-Peter Miller, 1st high jump, 3rd 800, 3rd 1,500.
Miscellany
Eastern Washington University has announced the signing of 12 more student-athletes to letters of intent.
The signers:
Men’s track and field-Kurt Kraemer, Hanford, and Mike Thorniley, Olympia, Mt. Hood Community College.
Women’s track and field- Monique Hall, Tumwater, Wash.; Aimee Aldendorf, West Valley of Spokane; Autumn Deda, Flathead of Kalispell, Mont.; and Robbi Schwarz, Chehalis, Wash.
Men’s golf-Kyle Schwahn, Central Valley; Scott Sargeany, Bremerton; and Aaron Stewart, Woodinville, Wash.
Women’s golf-Emily Vlleland, Ritzville.
Men’s tennis-Shane Stiner, Bellingham and Skagit Valley CC.
Women’s soccer-Kyla Hamilton, Lakewood, Wash.