Bolich Ready For Return To Nationals

Mt. Spokane senior Andy Bolich is heading back to the National High School Rodeo Finals after repeating as a two-time state champion.

Bolich repeated as champion in bareback and saddle bronc riding at the Washington State High School Rodeo Finals in Pasco. Last year, he finished 19th out of 275 bareback competitors at nationals.

This year’s national finals, the 50th anniversary of the event, are July 20-26 in Gillette, Wyo. Besides national honors, contestants vie for college scholarships.

Baseball

Moscow High School graduate Josh Yarno has joined Baltimore’s Sarasota, Fla., farm team in the rookie Gulf Coast League after signing a one-year contract.

Yarno, a 6-foot, 205-pound right-handed pitcher drafted by the Orioles in the fifth round of the amateur draft, said he will be tried first as a starter but may move to the bullpen.

Yarno, who had a 4-1 record and 2.87 earned-run average his senior season, said the Orioles gave him a signing bonus and money to cover college after his baseball career ends.

A dozen Spokane 11- and 12-year-olds are raising funds to travel to Cooperstown, N.Y., next month to participate in a week-long tournament.

Rick Jones is coach of the Spokane All-Stars, who will be among 40 teams expected for the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament. The team will play at least seven games.

The Atlanta Braves will conduct an open tryout at Spokane Falls Community College on Tuesday at 9 a.m.

The tryout is for players ages 15-22 and high school players are encouraged to attend. American Legion players need written permission from their coach or post commander. Players must provide their own equipment. No shorts, half shirts or tank tops will be allowed.

Info: Kurt Kemp, (541) 607-9074.

Basketball

Miranda Payne of Wellpinit has been selected for the state of Washington and Spokane Tribe of Indians team that will participate in the U.S. Eastern Regional Junior National Championships July 6-12 in Columbus, Ohio.

Payne was selected after participating in a USA Junior Nationals one-day competition.

Teams from LaCrosse/ Washtucna, Liberty and Pullman won titles in the AAU Pacific Northwest High School Championships in Yakima.

LaCrosse/Washtucna defeated Waterville 42-36 to win the B girls championship; Jeremy Engle’s 17 points led Liberty past Pateros 54-45 in the B boys title game; and Pullman got 24 points from Ryan Harms in a 75-68 win over Highland for the A/2A boys title. Riverside was fourth.

College scene

Football player Jeff Ogden and volleyball player Lora Botha, who led their teams to championships, have been selected as Eastern Washington University’s recipients of Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete Awards.

The award recognizes one senior male and one senior female from each school who achieved outstanding success in the classroom as well as the playing field.

Ogden, who earned three All-America awards and has signed a free-agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL, had a 3.47 grade-point average in health education. Botha, a second-team all-conference selection, had a 3.41 GPA in physical education.

Jaimie Lee of Spokane (Ferris) has been selected as Notre Dame’s female recipient of the Big East/ Target Scholar-Athlete Award.

She will receive $2,000 to be used toward tuition for graduate or professional studies. She’s also a finalist for the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which carries another $2,000 award.

Lee was a two-time Big East player of the year in volleyball and an honorable mention All-America.

Spencer Piston of Spokane (Lewis and Clark), a freshman at Grinnell College, played No. 1 singles and doubles for the Grinnell, Iowa, school’s men’s tennis team.

Piston and his partner finished second in Midwest Conference doubles play for the third-place Pioneers. Piston had a 10-6 record in singles, 9-10 in doubles.

“Spencer was a nice surprise for our program,” said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. “Any time a first-year player has a winning record at No. 1 singles it is extremely commendable.”

Golf

Nicole Materne of Spokane tied for second in the Players West Golf Tour’s Green Tree Michelob Open last week at Victorville, Calif.

Materne, who has won twice on the women’s tour, shot an even-par 219 for 54 holes, with her 1-over in a windy second round tying for the lowest score of the round. She opened with a 75 and finished with a 3-under 70 to earn $1,100.

The third-annual Medical Lake/ Airway Heights Open Tournament will be July 17 at The Fairways.

Tee times for the scramble begin at 9 a.m. Cost is $30, which includes greens fees and a chicken lunch, among other things. Carts are $20 and are optional.

Info: 299-7781.

In-line hockey

Five teams from Spokane and one from Coeur d’Alene will advance to the USA Roller Hockey Nationals July 15-Aug. 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, after qualifying in the Northwest Regional Championships.

There were two divisions, one using the conventional hockey puck, the other, called North American, using a ball. Regional champions and runners-up in divisions in which there were more than one entry:

12-and-under North American-1, Nampa, Idaho, Blades. 2, Spokane Red Devils. 14U puck-1, Spokane Bales Construction. 2, Coeur d’Alene Mully’s Hockey Hut. 16U puck-1, Spokane Fitness Fanatics. 2, Nampa Blades. 16U-NA-1, Nampa Blades. 2, Spokane Mean Machine. Senior puck-1, Tacoma Blues. 2, Spokane Inland Mortgage.

Volleyball

Monica Abrahamson of Rogers, a two-time All-Greater Spokane League middle hitter, has signed a national letter of intent to play for Seattle Pacific.

Abrahamson, also a second-team all-league selection in basketball, led Rogers into the district volleyball playoffs her junior and senior years.

Former Whitworth coach JoAnn Atwell-Scrivner has coached SPU, an NCAA Division II school, 12 years.

Miscellany

Colville High School activities coordinator and baseball coach Randy Russell has accepted the activities coordinator job at Flathead High in Kalispell, Mont.

Russell, formerly baseball coach at Whitworth College, said his family has many ties to the Kalispell area.

Colville won the Great Northern League’s all-sports trophy this year.

The 14th annual University of Idaho Vandal Stride for Gold fund-raiser will be Oct. 10.

The 1-hour event is the only major fund-raiser for women’s athletics at UI. In the first 13 years, more than $450,000 has been raised. This year’s goal is $55,000.

Participants solicit pledges for walking laps around the track or engaging in aerobics activities.

Info: Sue Winn, (208) 885-2692 or e-mail her at Swinn@UIdaho.edu.