O’Reilly named state’s best in track

Megan O’Reilly of Mt. Spokane High School has been chosen the Gatorade Washington Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year and becomes a finalist for the national award to be announced next week.

O’Reilly is a three-time state champion in the 3,200-meter run and holds the state high school record in the event at 10:05.81.

Her time of 16 minutes, 10.05 seconds in the 5,000 is the third-fastest all-time for a high school girl nationally and she holds the indoor prep record at 16:26.37. She was also a state cross country champion.

The award also takes in off-the-track accomplishments. O’Reilly, who will attend the University of Montana in the fall, had a 3.85 GPA and was a volunteer in the community and serves as a math tutor.

Baseball

The Spokane RiverHawks opened their West Coast Collegiate League season Friday with a 2-1 loss to the Falcons at Kelowna, British Columbia.

Paul Martin and Greg Biagi had two hits each and Brent Mertens had Spokane’s other hit and drove in the RiverHawks’ only run.

Spokane plays Kelowna again today, the second game of a six-game road trip.

Prep basketball

The rosters are filled and coaches set for today’s Washington All-State Girls Basketball games, pitting East versus West beginning at 1:30 p.m. at East Valley.

Among the coaches is 1A East coach Corey Baerlocher of two-time state champion Colfax. His West counterpart is Tom Kelly from White Pass.

B coaches are Gary Stamper from Mossyrock and Todd Kent from La Salle. Coaches for the 3A/2A teams are Chelan’s Dane Lewman and John Edwards from Lakeside (Seattle).

Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors.

Coaches who bring their teams will receive a special $20 team rate.

“Seattle Prep activities administrator and coach Jeff Pietz has been hired to teach and become the new girls coach next year at Lakeside in Nine Mile Falls.

He replaces Lora Cummings who resigned after guiding the Eagles to fifth place in the State 2A tournament in March.

“She’s pregnant with her second child,” said athletic director Tom Oliver, “and wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.”

Pietz, who has family in Nine Mile Falls, is a 1991 graduate of Reardan and 1995 grad from the University of Washington.

He has coached softball at Seattle Prep for 14 years, with five state teams, and assisted girls basketball – this year’s eighth-place trophy the school’s fifth in six trips since 1998 – as well as assuming activities administrator duties at the Class 3A school.

He will teach mathematics at Lakeside.