Locally: Spokane’s Brad Walker named USA Track and Field Coach of the Year
Brad Walker is an acclaimed pole vaulter, recognized as one of the best in the world during his heyday.
Now the Spokane native has been acknowledged for his coaching.
Walker was named the 2022 USA Track & Field Nike Coach of the Year last week after seeing two of his protégés battle for gold at the top of the world in women’s pole vaulting.
Katie Nageotte, who Walker started coaching in 2018 while he was an assistant coach at Washington State University and she was a volunteer assistant for the Cougars, and Sandi Morris, who Walker took under his wings in 2020, staged an epic duel during the year.
They met nine times, with Morris winning eight, including the World Indoor championship in Serbia in March. Nageotte finished second. In July, Nageotte, the reigning 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion, won the World Outdoor gold in Eugene, Oregon. Morris won silver.
The USATF announcement read in part, “When athletes you coach take the top two spots in a single event at the year’s two global championships, something is definitely going right.”
Now in chiropractic school in Atlanta, Walker was a three-sport athlete at University High School – football, basketball and track and field – before graduating in 1999.
“Brad improved from 14 feet as a junior to 16 feet as a senior,” said Reg Hulbert, his pole vault coach at U-Hi.
Walker cleared 16 in the state meet, good enough to tie for first, but because he had one more miss than the winner, “he ended up second,” Hulbert recalled. “He was so mad. It was not a happy day.”
Walker went on to the University of Washington, where his pole vault career blossomed. He was a four-time All-American, winning two indoor NCAA championships during his Husky Hall of Fame career.
He was a five-time U.S. outdoor champion, setting an American record at 19 feet, 9¾ inches in 2008 that stood until 2019, and a four-time U.S. indoor champion. Walker was also a member of Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Games.
Basketball
Another tribute to Briann January.
A year ago, Arizona State retired the No. 20 jersey of their Hall of Fame former women’s basketball player and assistant coach from Spokane (Lewis and Clark HS). This weekend, Dec. 2-4, the Sun Devils’ women’s basketball program will inaugurate the Briann January Classic in her honor.
The three-team event at Desert Financial Arena will include Massachusetts, who the Sun Devils will play Dec. 2, and Missouri, who they’ll play Dec. 4. UMass and Missouri will play Dec. 3
College scene
Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy was named Big Sky Conference football Freshman of the Year and 14 Vandals teammates picked up honors when all-conference teams and award winners were announced.
Eastern Washington had eight players honored, led by punter Nick Kokich, a second-team choice.
McCoy, named a quarterback on the third team, ranked first in the league for passing efficiency and passing TDs and threw for 2,378 yards and 25 scores. He is a finalist for the national Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the top freshman in the FCS.
Other Vandals and Eagles:
First team: Hayden Hatten, UI, WR; Jermaine Jackson, UI, PR. Second team: Anthony Woods, UI, RB; Juliano Falaniko, UI, DE; Paul Moala, UI, OLB; Fa’Avae Fa’Avae, UI, ILB; Marcus Harris, UI, DB; Ricardo Chavez, UI, K. Third team: Efton Chism III, EWU, WR; Freddie Roberson, EWU, WR; Logan Floyd, UI, OL; Tommy McCormick, UI, DB; Marlon Jones Jr, EWU, DB; Sean McCormick, UI, special teams. Honorable mention: Gunner Talkington, EWU, QB; Wyatt Hansen, EWU, OL; Beau St. John, UI, OL; Ayden Knapik, UI, OL; Joshua Jerome, EWU, DE; Leo Tamba, UI, DE; Mitchell Johnson, EWU, DE.
• Olivia Mayer, a Whitworth junior forward from Gonzaga Prep, was the Northwest Conference women’s basketball player of the week for Nov. 14-20 after averaging 22.5 points and 15 rebounds as the Pirates split two road games. She made 50% of her field goals and all 16 free throws.
• Whitworth was selected to repeat as Northwest Conference men’s basketball champion in the coaches’ preseason poll. The women’s coaches tabbed the Pirates for seventh and gave the nod for first to last season’s runner-up, Puget Sound, ahead of defending champion Whitman.
Football
Chuck Latimer, a 21-year official who has been the Inland Empire Football Officials Association’s lead assigner for nine years, received the organization’s top honor at its recent banquet, the Larry Becker/Chic Sale Award.
Recognized for his dedicated service to scholastic football, officiating and the IEFOA, Latimer has worked three state high school finals and three semifinals in his career.
Other awards: Tyler Baldwin, outstanding first-year official; Ryan Eucker, outstanding second-year official; Tim Peterson, official of the year; Rick Watson, Rob Bartlett and Thomas Kirkpatrick, Golden Whistle Award (for doing at least one varsity game at each of the five crew positions).
IEFOA officers: Ron Schafer, outgoing president, passed the gavel to Tyler Zyph. Other board members: Dan Barker, vice president; Bobby Robertson, Jeremy Rash and Luke Raynor.