3 Tri-Cities area athletes are trying to make the U.S. Olympic team this week

There are three Tri-Cities area athletes to watch for at the upcoming USA Olympic Track and Field trials, which run June 21-30 in Eugene, Ore.

On the opening day, Friday, June 21, Walla Walla High School grad Dash Sirmon will be competing in the men’s javelin throw first round which starts at 2:30 p.m.

Sirmon is a sophomore competing collegiately at the University of Nebraska.

A little over an hour later, at 3:49 p.m., Kenneth Rooks is competing in the first round of the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Rooks is a College Place grad, and was a member of the BYU track and field team until last fall, when he signed a professional contract with Nike.

The finals will be held for both events on Sunday.

Then, on Monday, June 24, Pasco High graduate Marisa Howard will toe the line at about 6 p.m. in the 3,000-meter women’s steeplechase.

Howard’s maiden name is Vander Malle, and she’s represented the USA in both the 2019 and 2023 Pan Am Games.

If she qualifies for the steeplechase final, Howard will run for an Olympics roster spot on Thursday, June 27, at 7:18 p.m.

The Paris Summer Olympics are July 26 to Aug. 11.

College baseball

It’s not often that this area sees one of its college baseball players spend the summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League, probably the top summer college league there is.

But it’s certainly rare for the Mid-Columbia to have two of them. But that’s what is happening with Kennewick High graduate Danny Dickinson and Hanford High grad Hudson Shupe.

Dickinson had an incredible season for Utah Valley, being named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference as an infielder.

Just last week, Dickinson was named a second-team All-American by the Perfect Game organization. And he has been invited to the USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Camp later this month.

The sophomore’s stats were outrageous: a .367 batting average, 73 runs scored, 18 home runs, 53 RBIs, and a school record 32 stolen bases.

Dickinson is playing for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League.

Meanwhile, Shupe finished his first season at Gonzaga (he played his freshman season at Seattle University before transferring) with a .289 batting average, three home runs and 24 RBIs in just 37 games.

He started at second base in all 37 games. He missed a number of games after breaking his hand in the Bulldogs’ season opener against UCLA.

Shupe will spend the summer with the Orleans Firebirds.

Recruiting

I believe that Mom and Pop Young will spend a lot of time in the state of California this coming college basketball season.

That’s because older son Kobe Young (Chiawana) signed a letter of intent on May 3 to play men’s basketball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans.

Young spent the past three seasons playing for Boise State University, but he entered the transfer portal in March.

The 6-foot-7 guard, who played in 52 games for the Broncos, has two years of playing eligibility left.

Meanwhile, younger brother Donavin Young, spent his first season at a prep school in Missouri after graduating from Chiawana in June of 2023.

That extra year gave the 6-8 forward a chance to mature, and Kyle Smith took notice of him when Smith was coaching at Washington State.

When Smith took the Stanford head coaching job, he signed the younger Young.

• Chiawana shooting guard Kaia Foster has garnered four college offers so far for women’s basketball.

The 6-foot-2 Foster, who will be a senior when school starts this fall, has offers from the University of New Mexico, Idaho State, Seattle University, and UC San Diego.

There will be more to come.

College basketball

Sophomore Halle Wright (Prosser) averaged 7.1 points this past season for the Idaho State women’s basketball team. The Bengals finished the season with an 11-19 record.

Prep football

The annual Earl Barden Classic, the all-star football game for small-school athletes from Class 2A down to 1B, takes place this coming Saturday at East Valley High School in Moxee.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

The Mid-Columbia will have seven players on the East team.

They are TE/DE Bennett Brown of Royal, TE/LB Cody Brown of River View, WR/DB Case Christensen of Royal, OL/DL Nathaniel Clintion of River View, FB/DT Jackson Forsyth of Connell, RB/DB Alex Mendez of Othello, and WR/DB Kellen Riner of Connell.

River View head coach Kris Welch will be an assistant coach for the East team.

Omak’s Nick Sackman is the East head coach, while Nooksack Valley’s Craig Bartl will be the West head coach.

College softball

Annie Polster (Hanford) was named to the Cascade Collegiate Conference first team of the softball all-conference team.

The senior pitches for College of Idaho, and she was 16-10 this season with a 2.19 earned run average.

The right-hander struck out 105 batters in 147.1 innings of work. Opposing batters hit just .226 off of her.

The Yotes qualified for the NAIA tournament and finished with a 32-19 record.

This story was originally published June 19, 2024 at 10:18 AM.