Sunday Locals: Spokane bowler Sean Heath wins 2 PBA events

It’s not everyone who can say the most exciting time they spent on trip to Hawaii was in an alley and not on the beach.

Sean Heath can.

Combining a vacation with his wife and parents with a bowling trip, Heath capped the stay by winning two Professional Bowlers Association tournaments in a span of four days.

First, the veteran Spokane bowler won the West/Northwest Region Hawaii Open in Kailua, defeating Vayle Floria of Cerritos, Calif., 248-225 to earn $2,000. It was his first PBA title in 20 years. His last came in Seattle in 1991.

But he wasn’t finished. Three days later, Heath beat J.T. Jackson of Tarzana, Calif., 222-193 to capture the PBA West/Northwest Region Hickman Air Force Base Open, collecting another $2,000.

“It was exciting,” said Heath, 45, a Spokane Bowling Association Hall of Famer. “It was really pretty neat to do it in front of my mom and dad.”

Noted wife Julie of her husband, who accomplished the rare feat of winning Washington State Men’s Bowling Association all-events titles in both handicap and scratch divisions in 1998: “This is his greatest accomplishment and one that has not been done by any bowler in this area ever.”

Basketball

Two standout Community Colleges of Spokane women’s players, Brooke Randall and Korrie Bourn, will continue their careers at Eastern Oregon, the Sasquatch announced.

Randall, from Eastmont of East Wenatchee, Wash., leaves CCS as the school’s all-time leader in career points (998), single-season points (599) career average (16.91) and season average (19.97). She was a first-team All-Eastern Region and second-team All-Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges tournament selection as a sophomore.

Bourn, from Winthrop, Wash., averaged 15.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore and was a first-team All-Eastern Region and second-team All-NWAACC tournament selection.

• The Spokane-based Northwest Blazers won seven games and the 17-U Elite All-Star Division at the 14th annual Arizona Elite Spring Classic last weekend in Tempe, Ariz.

The event draws some of the West Coast’s top elite prep athletes for the tournament during the only live recruiting period allowed by the NCAA, noted Blazers coach Steve Klees.

Area players on the team that draws from Washington, Idaho and Oregon: Jade Redmon, Mead; Brooke Reilly, Mt. Spokane; Chelsea Waters and Karlee Wilson, both Lewiston; Kelsey Moos, Reardan; and Jamie Weisner, Clarkston. Klees and Darcy Weisner, Clarkston, are the coaches.

College scene

Alexandra Daggy, a three-sport athlete at Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, where she earned 11 varsity letters, found success in a new sport at Amherst (Mass.) College in her freshman year – crew.

Daggy rowed on the second Varsity 8 for the Minutewomen, who earned a silver medal for a second-place finish in the Atlantic-10 Rowing Championships last week.

The week before, Daggy and her boat had second- and third-place finishes in the Knecht Cup hosted by Villanova.

• The Gonzaga women’s golf team, which earned its highest finish in the West Coast Conference tournament last week by placing second, achieved more firsts with the announcement of the All-WCC team.

Brad Rickel was named coach of the year and sophomore Victoria Fallgren and freshman Tai Jade “TJ” Kliebphipat were first-team selections. It’s the first time GU has had the coach of the year and two first-team picks.

Also for the first time, all five Bulldogs were recognized. Senior Sage Suffecool and juniors Stephanie Corey and Jessica Howe received honorable mention. Suffecool and Corey also earned honorable mention in 2010.

• Travis Johnsen, a Gonzaga sophomore who had the school’s highest finish in the history of the WCC Men’s Golf Championships, placing fourth last week, was named to the All-WCC first team.

Football

Zac Hill, North Central’s 6-foot-5, 205-pound quarterback who led the Greater Spokane League in passing last fall, plans to play at Whitworth, it was announced.

Hill completed 153 of 290 passes for 1,738 yards and 13 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in his senior season.

High school scene

Winners of the Greater Spokane League’s highest individual honor, Scholar/Athlete Awards, were recognized at a luncheon last week at the Spokane Club.

A male and female student, who excel in the classroom, community and athletics, are selected from each school.  The 2010-11 winners:

Central Valley – Ashleigh Seely, 4.0 GPA, 10 varsity letters in cross country, track, color guard/dance and cheerleading; Jarod Maynes, 3.91 GPA, four varsity letters in wrestling.

Ferris – Lauren Earthman, 3.9 GPA, 10 varsity letters in cross country, track and basketball; Riley Stockton, 3.9 GPA, eight varsity letters in basketball, football and baseball.

Gonzaga Prep – Audrey Hiatt, 3.993 GPA, eight varsity letters in cross country and track and field; Riley Poppy, 3.8 GPA, four varsity letters in tennis.

Lewis and Clark – Hayley Hendricksen, 3.886 GPA, 10 varsity letters in softball, volleyball, tennis and basketball; Kenji Bierig, 3.2 GPA, eight varsity letters in cross country and track and field.

Mead – Jordan Hurley, 4.0 GPA, six varsity letters in track, soccer and basketball; Paul Miller, 4.0 GPA, six varsity letters in football and baseball.

Mt. Spokane – Megan Nelson, 4.0 GPA, eight varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and tennis; Eli Deitz, 4.0 GPA, seven varsity letters in cross country and track.

North Central – Tara VanWeerdhuizen, 4.0 GPA, four varsity letters in basketball; Jacob Ecklund, 3.87 GPA, nine varsity letters in football, wrestling and soccer.

Rogers – Kayee Xiong, 4.0 GPA, three varsity letters in volleyball; Therone Tillett, 3.93 GPA, five varsity letters in football, basketball and soccer.

Shadle Park – Kendra Knutsen, 4.0 GPA, five varsity letters in basketball and volleyball; Darren Bunke, 3.4 GPA, four varsity letters in wrestling.

University – Amy Thornton, 4.0 GPA, 10 varsity letters in track, soccer and basketball; Thomas Wakem, 3.97 GPA, eight varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball.

Swimming

Led by Coleman Allen, who traveled to two events, nine members of the Spokane Area Swim Team recently competed at three national championship events.

Allen (Lewis and Clark) placed ninth in the 100-meter butterfly and 10th in the 200 fly at the Canadian World Trials in Victoria, B.C.

Allen’s 100 time of 55.24 seconds was six-hundredths of a second shy of earning him a spot on the Canadian World Youth team. The UNLV recruit is a 2012 Olympic trials qualifier.

Allen was one of eight SAS swimmers who attended the YMCA National Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Spokane placed 19th out of 220 teams.

The SAS finalists: Allen, third 200 individual medley, second 400 IM, fifth 200 fly; Amani Amr (Shadle Park), 13th 100 backstroke, 14th 200 back; Ben Lovell (LC), fifth 50 freestyle; ninth 100 fly; ninth 100 free; Emri Moore (Mead), 18th 200 free, 16th 1,000 free, 17th 200 fly; Emily Renzini (Mt. Spokane), 15th 200 fly.

Amber Amr (Shadle) and Melissa Peplinski (University) swam the 200 medley relay that placed 13th.

Christine Renzini (Mt. Spokane) competed in the 100 and 200 back and 100 fly.

Michelle Kazuba (East Valley) placed first in the 200 breaststroke, fourth in the 100 back and 11th in the 100 breast at the Can-Am Disability National Championships at the University of Minnesota.

Tennis

Kylie Peek from Park City, Utah, ranked 135th nationally by TennisRecruiting.net, signed a national letter of intent with Gonzaga University, women’s coach D.J. Gurule announced.

Peek, who has been attending the Advantage Tennis Academy in Irvine, Calif., has won doubles titles four times in the Intermountain regional and is also ranked third in the Mountain region.

Volleyball

Sam Hill, North Central’s 6-foot-3 second-team All-Greater Spokane League middle blocker, has given an oral commitment to play at Baylor, it was announced.

• Stephanie Logan from Pullman, the two-time Great Northern League most valuable player, is among six recruits who have signed letters of intent with Washington State, new Cougars coach Jen Greeny announced.

Logan, also a two-time Sportsmanship Award winner at the State 2A tournament as Pullman won back-to-back titles, is among three freshmen to sign. The other three are transfers.

Joining Logan in the freshman class are Ver’leea Hardaway, a highly regarded 6-1 middle blocker from Mission Viejo, Calif., and Shawn Lum, a 5-6 defensive specialist and two-time first-team all-league selection from Westchester, Calif.

The transfers are Megan McManus, a 6-foot setter who was her conference’s player of the year last season, and Krystal Robinson, a 6-foot all-conference outside hitter, teammates at Grossmont (Calif.) High who are both transferring from Grossmont College, and Maile Scarpino, a 5-5 defensive specialist from Hawaii who is transferring from Hofstra University.

• Splash Volleyball U-15 of Spokane won the bid to represent the Evergreen Region at the National Volleyball Tournament in Atlanta June 27-30.

Team members : Hannah Absalonson, Northwood Middle School; Mayson Douglass, Kellie Egan, Kristen Peterschick and Brianna Evans, all Mead; Sara Mackin, Gonzaga Prep; Marie Pariseau and Emily Romasko, both Lewis and Clark; Kinsey Pease, Cheney; and Kaela Straw, Freeman. Levi Coe and John Reid are the coaches.

Wrestling

Sixteen wrestlers from the area ages 8 to 18 had top-six finishes, including one championship and seven earning second place, at the Cliff Keen Reno World Championships April 8-10.

Ridge Lovett, a fourth-grader at Seltice Elementary who competes for Post Falls Wrestling, won the championship in the 10-and-under 64-pound division.

Post Falls Wrestling had seven of the medalists, Viper Wrestling of Spokane three.

Earning silver medals were: Rylan Rogers, Clarkston, 6-U 60 pounds; Hepburn Cruz, Lewiston, 6-U 70; Kenon Brown, Potlatch, 8-U 85; Bryan Wais, Team Spartan (Spokane), 12-U 92; Austin Wilson, Post Falls, 15-U 157; Tyler Booth, Post Falls, 18-U 152; and Cole Jesienouski, Post Falls, 18-U 160.

James Ost, Post Falls, won the bronze medal in the 18-U 145-pound class.

Other placers: Isaiah Stevens, Viper (Newman Lake), 8-U 85, fourth; Cody Johnson, Post Falls, 15-U 175, fourth; Bryce Parson, Lewiston, 15-U 115, fourth; Aaron Brown, Viper (Spokane Valley), 18-U 140, fifth; Rome Borley, Post Falls (Rathdrum), 8-U 46, fifth; Trey Meyer, Viper (Spokane), 12-U 96, fifth; and Lorenzo Gonzalez, Team Spartan (Spokane), 8U 75, sixth.