Mid-Columbia athlete signs deal with Nike and agrees to turn pro in track and field
Kenneth Rooks, a College Place grad, has had a pretty eventful past year, and announced last week that he is turning professional in track and field.
The BYU standout signed a deal with Nike, which did not release the details.
Last June, Rooks won the NCAA title in the men’s steeplechase. Later in the month, Rooks won the same event in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
To win the U.S. title, Rooks had to overcome a fall early in the race before rallying back to pass the entire field in the victory.
Rooks also finished 10th in the World Championships.
Rooks, 24, had another season of track and field eligibility left, as well as another season of cross country.
He won two state high school cross country championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco while competing for College Place.
CWU Hall of Fame
Greg Olson, a Richland High graduate, will be honored in May by Central Washington University when he is inducted to the school’s athletic hall of fame.
Olson was a quarterback at CWU from 1983-86, and he was the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats from 1990-93.
Over the years, he’s been an assistant coach for numerous National Football League teams — including the Seattle Seahawks this past season.
Olson has also worked for the San Francisco 49ers, the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, the Rams (a stint with them in St. Louis, and two different times with Los Angeles), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and two different times with the Raiders (once in Oakland and once in Las Vegas).
Prep wrestling
Richland junior Portia Harker and Pasco junior Elisa Sanchez both dominated at the Davis Girls Invite tournament on Jan. 13 in Yakima.
Both wrestlers went 5-0 (and all five by pins) en route to their victories: Harker at 155 pounds and Sanchez at 115.
Harker was especially outstanding, spending just 6 minutes and 53 seconds in total on the mat.
Sanchez pinned Warden senior Brianalee Martinez in 1:26 in the 115 final.
Other tournament highlights included: Hermiston senior Elena Flores pinning Southridge sophomore Desirae Juarez in 4:56 in the 135-pound title match; Southridge junior Lexi Gideon defeating Pasco junior Alyson Lewis 17-12 in the 125-pound championship; Hermiston senior Kaiomi Morris pinning Grandview’s Sofia Tovar in 19 seconds for the 190-pound crown; Royal senior Emma Villa winning at 170 pounds once again; Hermiston senior Lindsey Perkins placing second at 235; and Grandview junior Giselle Razo placing second at 130.
▪ Kamiakin junior Mark Kucheryaviy won the 126-pound division at the Cheney Blackhawk Invitational boys wrestling tournament on Jan. 6.
Wapato won the team title with 227.5 points, while Kennewick finished second as a team with 172.5 points.
▪ Two wrestlers from Warden and two more from Connell won individual titles on Dec. 16 at the Cashmere Invitational.
Warden seniors Jose Arriaga (126 pounds) and Anthony Contreras (285) brought home championships for the Cougars.
For Connell, senior Dylan Buss (215) and sophomore Eliuth Serra (120) grabbed titles for the Eagles.
▪ Othello senior Elia Velazquez continues to dominate at her 190-pound weight class in girls wrestling.
Velazquez finished first at the Gut Check tournament in Kent on Dec. 29.
▪ Chiawana had three boys wrestlers who placed high at the Gut Check boys tournament on Dec. 29 in Kent.
Junior Daeton Johnson (138 pounds) and senior Jordan Tobias (150) both placed second in their weight classes for the Riverhawks.
Senior teammate Lane Hedrick grabbed a third-place finish at 285 pounds.
Coaching
Southridge lost two head coaches from this past fall.
Girls soccer coach Alessandro Llamas Ibarra has stepped down to become an assistant soccer coach at Columbia Basin College.
Girls cross country head coach Cheryl Yoke is retiring.
College volleyball
Cadence Taylor, a sophomore outside hitter, was named to the NWAC East Region first team all-conference squad this fall.
The Blackfoot, Idaho, product led CBC (which made it to the Elite 8 and had a 19-13 record) with 407 kills. She was second on the team in digs with 382.
Teammate Zuri Reeser (Stanfield) was named to the East second team. Reeser, a freshman outside hitter, had 362 kills this season. She also led the Hawks with 384 digs and 52 service aces.
And freshman setter Yajaira Meraz (Kamiakin) was named to the East Region third team. Meraz had 618 assists and 29 service aces.
College basketball
Freshman Matty Woolf (Chiawana) leads the Big Bend Community College women’s basketball team in assists, averaging 2.8 a game.
Woolf also averages 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Vikings.
College soccer
Richland High grad Hayden Crowley just completed her sophomore season at the University of Washington while playing for the women’s soccer team.
But Crowley announced last month that she was transferring to the University of New Mexico, where the forward plans on playing for the women’s soccer team and completing grad school.
Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.
