Locally: Spokane’s Michael Hochwalt wins 200-meter medley at USA Swimming Junior National Championship
Michael Hochwalt of Spokane Waves Aquatics won the USA Swimming Junior National Championship in the 200-meter individual medley, qualifying him for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials.
Hochwalt, 17, has qualified in four events: 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 200m butterfly and 200m backstroke.
Hochwalt, a resident of Colbert, has committed to Arizona State.
Pullman’s Jake McCoy, 17, of Cougar Aquatics also earned his first Olympic trial qualifying time in the 400-meter individual medley.
The 2024 USA Olympic Trials will be held next June in Indianapolis, ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Academics
The Greater Spokane League has announced the spring winners of the NECA/IBEW GSL Award in association with the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The NECA/IBEW 2023 Spring GSL Athletes are:
Central Valley: Nicole Bissell, track and field, and Rodney Minette, track and field.
Cheney: Tess King, track and field, and Tyler Benson, soccer.
Clarkston: Maddie Kaufman, tennis, and Tucker Rowan, baseball.
East Valley: Makenzey Gillespie, track and field, and Weston Fracz, soccer.
Ferris: Katelin Terry, fastpitch softball, and Mohaimen Alsabahi, soccer.
Gonzaga Prep: Juliet McFarland, tennis, and Graham Cleveland, track and field.
Lewis & Clark: Katherine Evans, track and field, and Parker Ereaux, baseball.
Mead: Lizzie Hardy, tennis, and Mitchell Holliday, baseball.
Mt. Spokane: Willow Almquist, fastpitch softball, and Jackson Hale, track and field.
North Central: Mia Sebesta, fastpitch softball, and Spencer Mahn, baseball.
Pullman: Gwyn Heim, tennis, and Max McCloy, baseball.
Ridgeline: Savannah Smith, softball, and Ryan Koppenhaver, track and field.
Rogers: Ellabelle Taylor, track and field, and Kai Harker, tennis.
Shadle Park: Brie Whitcomb, fastpitch softball, and Kole Pettey, soccer.
University: Addy MacArthur, track and field, and Logahn Adame, track and field.
West Valley: Jenna Dubois, golf, and Jayden Barta, track and field.
• Academic success continues to be synonymous with Eastern Washington women’s basketball, as the team has earned a Special Mention from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
Eastern earned a 3.15 cumulative team GPA during the 2022-23 season. The award marks the second under the guidance of head coach Joddie Gleason.
Eastern was one of four Big Sky programs to earn Special Mentions, including Montana State, Montana and Portland State. Earlier this year, Eastern placed 10 student-athletes on the Big Sky Winter All-Academic list.
Eastern has a history of success with the WBCA academic awards, appearing on the Top-25 list 17 times, most recently in 2018 when it was 18th .
Golf
Billy Bomar of Post Falls fired a final-round 65 to reach 11-under par and finish second at the Senior Oregon Open, held at Wildhorse Resort and The GC at Birch Creek in Pendleton, Oregon, Aug. 1-3.
Ryan Malby of Kalispell, Montana, won by four strokes over Bomar, with a three-round total of 201 (15-under par) over the two par-72 courses.
Dave Christenson, who tied for 16th overall and 11th among professionals at 1-under par, was the only other local pro to finish in the top 20. Jeff Sweat was the top local amateur at 14-over par.
The top local team was Mark Gardner, John Lefriec, Sweat and Bob Witte in 14th place.
Shooting
The Spokane Junior Rifle Gold team finished 13th at the Civilian Marksmanship Program National Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio, on July 12.
The team of Garret Pearsall, Tanner Krebs and Ensley Breeden scored 2,330 out of a possible 2,400 points in the 3-position competition. Jack Burns was the alternate.
Sean Kegley led five SJRC shooters in the individual competition, finishing 35th out of 259 competitors.
Soccer
Emily Marcouiller has joined the Washington State women’s soccer coaching staff as an assistant coach.
Marcouiller has served as a head coach, senior women’s administrator and club academy director.
She served one season as Florida Southern College women’s soccer assistant coach after spending two seasons as the women’s soccer head coach for Spring Hill College.
Marcouiller has also served as the Girls’ Academy Director for Tennessee Soccer Club in Nashville, Tennessee.
Track and field
Three national age-group champions were crowned among more than 100 local athletes who competed in the USATF Junior Olympics National Track and Field meet in Eugene, Oregon, July 24-30.
Evan Bruce of Lewis & Clark won the 1500-meters and 3000-meters, Dominick Corley of Mead won the 100-meters and Rathdrum’s Winston Schroder won the boys pentathlon.
Schroder also took third place in the javelin, and Bruce’s team finished second in the 4x800 relay. Corley was on a second-place team in the 4x100 relay.
Bruce and Corley compete for Spokane Speed Academy, which reported 14 athletes gained All-American status by finishing in the top eight of their age group.
Silver medalists were Gabe Branstetter, 4x800 relay; Trevor Cogley, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay; Abby Crossley, steeplechase; Boden Gardner, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay; Shawn Jones, 4x400 relay and 4x800 relay; Allan McKeraghan, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay; Ben Morales, 4x800 relay.
Morales also won bronze in the 3000 meters.
Other All-Americans were Nikko Alexander, 4x400 relay; Elloise Bolles, 4x400 relay; Rashaun Engel, 4x400 relay; Eamon Gamon, 4x400 relay; Teancum Jensen, discus; Carissa Hinton, 4x400 relay; Rhyan Madden, 4x400 relay, Kinlee McLean, 4x400 relay; Paige Perkins, steeplechase; and Jeffrey Whitman, 4x400 relay.
Valley Flash reported eight All-Americans in 11 events. Aaron Wright, won silver in the 1500-meters and Jordan Oswald won bronze in the 1500.
Other All-Americans for Valley Flash were Danny Hughes, 5th place boys triathlon; Kyla Roberts, 4th place girls 800m; Oswald, 4th place boys 800m; Mackenzie Munn, 4th place girls 2000m steeplechase and 5th place girls 3000m; John Troxel, 8th place boys 2000m steeplechase; Addy MacArthur, 6th place girls discus and 5th place girls shot put; Taylor Manfred 8th place girls shot put.