Sunday Locals: Burandt skis to age-group gold, silver medals

Elyse Burandt of Spokane, a member of the Spokane Ski Racing Association, won the gold medal for Alpine ski racing at the USSA Marriott Junior Olympics at Big Sky Montana that ended last Monday.

Burandt, 14, prevailed in a field of 80 of the best 13- and 14-year-old ski racers from the Western United States to claim the overall combined title. She also won the silver medal in the giant slalom, missing the gold by one-tenth of a second.

The finish allows Burandt to be invited to U.S. ski team projects where she will train with the best racers in the country.

Michael Estrella, also of SSRA, finished fifth in the overall combined for boys. He finished 13th in super-G, 13th in giant slalom and 15th in the slalom. Nic Dixon of Spokane Valley and SSRA finished 18th in the giant slalom and 36th in slalom.

Kenny Collins of Schweitzer Alpine Racing School finished 31st in the giant slalom and Mathew Duchow of SARS was 40th in the super-G and Cory Diehl of Sandpoint finished 53rd in the giant slalom.

College scene

Barry Britt, a junior at Idaho, helped Canada to a second-place men’s finish at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships last weekend at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Britt, from Hampton, New Brunswick, placed sixth overall, and fifth among Canadians, on the 8,000-meter course in a time of 24 minutes, 54.21 seconds. He was fourth overall on the same course in the 2011 NACAC meet.

The United States scored 14 points to claim the team title. Canada scored 23.

• Griffon Jones of Cheney, a senior forward on the Dixie State men’s basketball team, was named to the All-Pacific West Conference team.

The former Community Colleges of Spokane star capped his two-year Dixie State career by averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in his senior season. He started all but one game in his Red Storm career and recorded double-figure scoring in 18 of 27 games, including a season-best 19 points in the NCAA Division II tournament against Seattle Pacific. Jones finished sixth in the PacWest this season in blocked shots (0.8 per game) and 10th in rebounding.

In two years at DSC, Jones finished second in career blocked shots (41), third in rebounds (310) and games started (55) and fifth in points scored (616).

• Two Lewis-Clark State basketball players from the Greater Spokane League were named to Frontier Conference All-Academic teams with grade-point averages of 3.0 or better.

Loree Hill, a sophomore from Central Valley, who is majoring in elementary education, was named to the women’s team. Spencer Drury, a sophomore from University majoring in kinesiology, was selected to the men’s team.

Letters of intent

Washington State track and field: Matthew Swanson, North Vancouver, B.C., middle distances; Byron Howell, Garfield of Seattle, sprinter; and Kelsie Taylor, Naches Valley, thrower.

Eastern Washington women’s golf: Taylor Anderson, Moscow, Idaho, helped lead the Bears to back-to-back Idaho 4A state championships, finishing second in 2010 and fourth last spring, and was fifth in the Washington Junior Golf Association state championships. She tied for first in the Idaho state junior in 2009.

Idaho women’s soccer: Elexis Schlossarek, Delta, British Columbia, central midfielder, youngest player named MVP of the Canadian Provincial tournament.

Miscellaneous

Tickets are on sale for the 31st Orland Killin Dinner, Dance and Auction that highlights the annual Killin Weekend at Eastern Washington University April 27 and 28.

The dinner, dance and auction, beginning at 4:30 p.m., will follow the Red-White spring football game on April 28.

The weekend begins on April 27 with the coaches golf tournament at the Fairways Golf Course and the 41st annual Pelluer Invitational track and field meet beginning at noon. On April 28 will be a volleyball scrimmage at 11 a.m. and soccer scrimmage at noon preceding the Red-White football game at 2 p.m.

On-line ordering of tickets and more information is available at www.goeags.com. There is no charge for the track meet or scrimmages, but cost for the dinner is $100 per individual, or $700 for a table of eight. For information on the golf tournament, contact John Graham at (509) 359-6918.

Net proceeds from the weekend benefit Eastern athletics.