Local steeplechasers will have their moment in the Olympic spotlight this weekend

This coming weekend, Olympic track and field fans will get a chance to see the region’s two steeplechase runners compete for a Gold medal.

Pasco High grad Marisa (VanderMalle) Howard will have her first-round heat go off at around 1:05 a.m. Pacific time early Sunday, Aug. 4.

All times are Pacific.

College Place grad Kenneth Rooks gets his chance in the first round at 10:04 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5.

If Howard advances to the women’s final, the race starts at 12:14 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

And if Rooks advances to the men’s final, the race begins at 12:43 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7.

College signings

Chloe Bafus, who played for the Walla Walla Community College women’s soccer team last fall, has signed a letter of intent to play for The Evergreen State College in Olympia starting this fall.

▪ Columbia Basin College men’s soccer standout Alejandro Guzman has signed a letter of intent to play this fall for The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

▪ Kamiakin graduate Gracie Rainsberry was a standout last fall for the Braves girls soccer team. She will be competing for Eastern Oregon University’s women’s soccer team this fall after signing a letter of intent.

▪ Columbia Basin College has three of its men’s basketball players who have signed letters of intent to play at the four-year level: Latrell Barker is headed to Mid-American Nazarene; Jayden Martinez (a Chiawana grad) is headed to Walla Walla University; and Ta’Veus Randle will play for NCAA D-2 school Adams State in Colorado.

▪ Valarie Echevarria is headed to Eastern Oregon University to wrestle for the women’s team starting this fall. Echevarria is a Riverside High graduate from Boardman, Ore.; and has attended Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton.

▪ Walla Walla Community College’s Ricardo Contreras signed a letter of intent to play men’s soccer this fall at The Evergreen State College.

▪ Nick Gutierrez, a Pasco High grad who played men’s basketball at both Columbia Basin College and Hannibal-Lagrange University in Missouri, has transferred to The Evergreen State University to play hoops there in Olympia.

▪ Peyton Ricard, a Kamiakin High grad who has spent the last few seasons playing at Yakima Valley Community College, has signed a letter of intent to play at Corban University next season.

▪ Kamiakin graduate Peyton Arland will be playing women’s volleyball this fall for Bushnell University.

▪ Kevin Jimenez, who starred for the Walla Walla Community College men’s soccer team, will move on to Olympia to play for The Evergreen State College this fall.

▪ Haylee Johnson, who graduated from Kennewick High School in June, will play both women’s basketball and track and field for Eastern Oregon University this coming school year. Johnson will run the hurdles for the Mountaineers.

▪ Leata Senio finished her season this spring playing for the Walla Walla Community College softball team. But she’ll be playing next spring with Corban University.

▪ Madisen Douglas, an Othello grad who recently competed for Spokane Community College, has signed a letter of intent to run track and field at Eastern Oregon University.

Hockey

Right winger Sergei Drozd spent one season (2009-10) with the Tri-City Americans. The 34-year-old recently signed a one-year contract to play for Ynnost Minsk of the Belarus Ekstraliga.

▪ Brooks Macek recently signed a one-year contract extension with Yekaterinburg Automobilist of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. Macek — who played for the Tri-City Americans from 2008 to 2011 — scored 23 goals and 24 assists in 67 games last season for the Russian team. This will be Macek’s sixth season with Automobilist.

▪ Igor Bacek, a left winger who played one season with the Tri-City Americans in 2005-06, signed a one-year deal with the Hannover Indians in the Oberliga Nord in Germany. Bacek, 39, will spend his eighth season playing for Hannover.

Youth baseball

Richland National placed second at the Washington State Little League tournament on Saturday, July 27, falling to Pacific 3-2 in the championship game.

There were 13 teams in the tournament, which was held at the Bombing Range Sports Complex in West Richland.

Richland National had a 5-2 record in the tourney.

Offers

Columbia-Burbank’s Quincy Scott, who will be a senior this fall, has garnered three offers to play men’s basketball. So far, as there should be more.

Scott, the Coyotes’ outstanding shooter and rebounder, now has offers to play at Eastern Oregon University, Evergreen State University, and Northwest College in Kirkland.

Scott has helped lead Burbank to the state 2B tournament for three consecutive seasons.