Shock shake up roster

The Spokane Shock shuffled their arenafootball2 roster Thursday by signing defensive lineman Justin Warren, releasing defensive backs Nick Denbeigh and Willie Freeman, and trading offensive lineman Seth Cook and wide receiver Davin Dennis.

Warren, a 6-foot-3, 227-pound former Texas A&M linebacker, is expected to play in this weekend’s home opener against the Stockton Lightning.

During his four-year career with the Aggies, Warren collected 278 tackles, including a team-leading 93 in 2006, his senior season.

Warren was also a two-time All-Big 12 Conference linebacker.

“We are excited to have Justin Warren join our team,” Shock coach Adam Shackleford said. “We have been pursuing him for a long time because he has proven to us that he is every bit as good as his statistics from Texas A&M.”

Warren signed a contract with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2007 before being released because of an injury.

Cook was traded to the South Georgia Wildcats and Dennis to the Peoria Pirates for future considerations.

Denbeigh (Lewis and Clark High) played at Eastern Washington University.

Spokane hosts Stockton on Saturday.

Track and field

Washington State University graduate Julie Pickler won the women’s heptathlon with 5,990 points at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.

Pickler also won the event in 2006.

Abbie Stechschulte of Indiana was the top college finisher with 5,661 points.

Washington State’s McKenzie Garberg broke the school women’s hammer throw record with a toss of 196 feet, 3 inches. Garberg, a senior from Benton City, Wash., surpassed Andrea Thornton’s school record throw of 195 feet set in 2001.

WSU’s Phil MacArthur (Selkirk High) took fifth place in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 199-0.

WSU’s Ricky Moody finished fourth in the men’s decathlon with 7,787 points. Former Texas All-American and collegiate record-holder Trey Hardy won the event with 8,381 points. Moody was third among collegians.

Miscellany

The University of Washington athletic department appointed Eric Radovich as the newest public address announcer for Huskies football games.

Radovich, the third full-time football announcer for Washington since the 1940s, has served as the public address announcer for the women’s basketball team since 1989 and for the men’s team since 1995.”It is such an honor to follow the legendary voices of Wendell Broyles and Lou Gellerman behind the mike at Husky Stadium,” said Radovich, who has served as the backup public address announcer for the Seattle Mariners since 1991.