CBC basketball teams head into Christmas break with strong starts to season

The Columbia Basin College men’s and women’s basketball teams have gotten off to busy starts this month.

Men’s head coach Anthony Owens has his team at 5-4, going 1-2 at a three-game NWAC Crossover tournament beginning this past week at Highline Community College in Des Moines.

Richland High grad Tyler Kurz is leading the Hawks in both scoring (20.5 points) and rebounding (7.9), while Jase Edwards (Central Valley) is averaging 11.6 points and a team-best 3.9 assists per game.

Other top players so far include Amar Rivers (Auburn) at 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds; Garrett Streufert with 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists; and Donovan Cooper (Utah) at 1.9 assists.

First-year women’s head coach Amy Sokaitis has her Hawks off to a 4-6 start, going 1-2 at a three-day, three-game NWAC Crossover at South Puget Sound in Olympia last week.

Aly May, a point guard from Fairbanks, Alaska, leads the Hawks in scoring at 10.9 points a game. She’s also second on the team in rebounding with 5.0 boards, and is third in assists with 1.7 a game.

Other leaders so far include Makenna Brandner (Tri-Cities Prep), with 7.0 rebounds; Jada Liulamaga (Yakama Tribal), with 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists; Emma Maxwell (Medical Lake), with 7.5 points; and Kiana Lizardo (Sammamish) with 2.7 assists.

The CBC men are done until after the first of the year, with an NWAC East opener at North Idaho Jan. 5 before opening at home against Treasure Valley on Jan. 8.

The CBC women have yet to play at home, and in fact have another small tournament Dec. 28-29 at Lower Columbia in Longview. The Hawks will open NWAC East after the first of the year, opening before the men at North Idaho (Jan. 5) and at home against Treasure Valley (Jan. 8).

College football

Pasco High graduate Sebastian Gutierrez completed his college eligibility on a high note when he was named a second-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association for NCAA Division II.

Gutierrez is a 6-foot-6, 295-pound senior offensive lineman at Minot State University.

He originally played as a tight end at Minot State, but in his second season was moved to the offensive line.

He played in 42 games over five seasons.

Prep wrestling

▪ Nine area wrestlers were named weight class champs in the girls’ portion of the Bob Mars tourney on Dec. 4.

Kennewick, which won the team title with 255 points, had two champions in Sara Correa Gambindo at 145 pounds and Nevaeh Vogtman at 140.

Other weight-class winners included Richland senior Hailey Jo Ahsmuhs at 190 pounds, River View junior Kadyen Anderson at 135, Chiawana junior Alexia Fabian at 110, Chiawana senior Mariah Hinojosa at 120, Richland junior Erin Kremer at 235, Sunnyside junior Alexxus Ramos at 115, and Pasco freshman Elisa Sanchez at 105.

▪ Chiawana had three individual champions in the girls portion of the Best of the West tournament in Pasco on Dec. 17-18.

Alexia Fabian (110 pounds), Mariah Hinojosa (115) and Alanna Haney (135) all earned titles for the Riverhawks.

Fabian beat Chiawana teammate Sierra Gonzales 6-0; Hinojosa pinned Othello’s Alexis Monday in 1:22; and Haney pinned Ephrata’s Rashann Olson in 5:12.

The trio are all off to great starts: Fabian is 8-0, Hinojosa is 10-0, and Haney is 9-1.

There were other local champions. Kamiakin’s Veronica Arroyo pinned Hanford’s Kiersten Canales in 2:33 to take the 105-pound crown.

Royal’s Alondra Morales pinned Emma Gambino of Flathead High School of Montana in 1:16 to win the 140-pound championship; Richland’s Hailey Jo Ahsmuhs pinned Moses Lake’s Katelyn Rodriguez in 18 seconds to take the 170-pound crown; and Pasco’s Mirella Morfin pinned Lucille Libby of Flathead in 5:10 to earn the 190-pound title.

College track

It’s December, but that doesn’t stop Northwest colleges from competing in track — indoor track.

On Dec. 11, The Podium — Spokane’s newest athletic indoor facility — played host to the Spokane Invitational, and a number of Mid-Columbia athletes shined.

Hanford High grad Joe Gauthier, running for Eastern Washington University, led the way with a first-place finish in the men’s 60 meters dash. Gauthier crossed the finish line in 6.77 seconds.

Gauthier’s teammate, Justin Roosma (Walla Walla Valley Academy), won the men’s 3000 meters event for EWU with a time of 8:19.08.

In the men’s high jump, WSU’s Mitch Jacobson (Walla Walla) placed second with a jump of 6 feet, 8 inches.

WSU’s Jared McAlvey (Walla Walla) placed second in the men’s 200 meters at 21.78 seconds; finished fifth in the men’s 60-meter hurdles at 8.46 seconds; and also placed sixth in the 60 meters dash with a time of 6.97 seconds.

Hanford High grad Nyenuchi Okemgbo, now competing at Boise State, finished second in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.71 seconds. Madelyn Knight (Walla Walla), competing for EWU, was fourth in the event at 9.05 seconds.

Central Washington University’s Austin Albertin (Kennewick) finished fourth in the men’s 400 meters with a time of 49.97 seconds; placing fourth in the women’s pole vault was EWU’s Halley Ruff (Walla Walla) at 12-foot-3.

Eastern Oregon’s Adam Kopf (Walla Walla) finished sixth in the men’s weight throw event with a mark of 48 feet, 3 inches. Northwest Nazarene’s Braden Swaney (Kamiakin) placed eighth at 44-9.

Braydon Freitag (Kamiakin), competing for EWU, placed seventh in the men’s pole vault with a mark of 15 feet, 1 inch.

EWU’s Katherine Petsch (Kamiakin), running unattached, finished seventh in the women’s 60 meters, with a time of 7.74 seconds.

CWU’s Makaylee Young (Hermiston) placed eighth in the women’s long jump with a mark of 17-3.