College Notebook: Bonner and Boundary county athletes excelled on campus this past semester
Lewis-Clark State College pitcher Jantzen Lucas gets ready to fire a pitch against Corban University (Oregon) earlier this season. The Priest River graduate went 2 2/3 innings giving up one hit, one walk, and striking out two batters in the outing.
(Photo courtesy LC STATE Athletics)
Connor Alexander, Lewis-Clark State College track and field
In his freshman track and field season at Lewis-Clark, Alexander set multiple new personal records. In his indoor season, Alexander ran 4:29.11 in the mile and 9:05.64 in the 3,000 meter at the Lauren McCluskey Invitational at the University of Idaho – both significant improvements since his senior year at Bonners Ferry. In outdoor, Alexander ran a blazing 15:49 in the 5,000 meter at the Sam Adams Classic and a season-best 33:48 in the 10,000 meter at the Whitworth Peace Meet.
Jantzen Lucas, Lewis-Clark State College baseball
In his sophomore season, the Priest River graduate appeared in 13 games and made one start for the Warriors. Lucas pitched 24 1/3 innings and posted a 6.29 ERA this past spring. He compiled 31 strikeouts and opponents only batted .258 against him. One of his best starts came against Oregon Tech where he pitched three innings giving up just two walks and struck out four batters.
Abigail Gorton, Lewis-Clark State College track and field
In her junior year, Gorton, who hails from Bonners Ferry, competed in three races this past outdoor season. She finished with a season-best time of 19:56.43 at the 2023 Whitworth Twilight and Alumni Meet. Gorton received Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors and Academic All-Cascade Conference honors.
Teagun Holycross, University of Montana track and field
Grizzlies Junior Teagun Holycross scored points for Montana in two events at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships this past spring. After a season full of finishes near the top, Holycross placed fifth in the 200-meter dash (21.26) and second in the 100-meter dash (10.42) at the conference championship meet. Both of these finishes were new personal records for the 2020 Priest River graduate.
Sara Hathaway, Lewis-Clark State College track and field
The Clark Fork High School standout ran the second fastest 60-meter hurdles time in Lewis-Clark program history (9.05) at the Lauren McCluskey Invitational. Hathaway placed 37th in the event at NAIA Indoor Nationals. In outdoor, she received all-conference honors for placing third in the 400-meter hurdles (1:04.79) and first as part of the 4x400 relay team (3:55.24); the Lewis-Clark 4x400 relay placed 18th at NAIA Outdoor Nationals. On top of that, Hathaway scored the fourth highest heptathlon in school history with 3,986 points at the Bucs scoring Invite. Hathaway's junior season accolades are as follows – National Qualifier: Indoor 60m hurdles, Indoor 4x400m relay, Outdoor 4x400m relay; All-Cascade Conference: 400m hurdles (third place), 4x400m relay (third place); CSC Academic All-District, Daktronincs NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Cascade Conference.
Camille Ussher, Spokane Community College track and field
The 2022 Bonners Ferry grad specialized in the 800-meter run for the Sasquatch this past outdoor season. Two weeks before conference championships, Ussher ran a new personal record time of 2:22.51 to place first at the 2023 Whitworth Last Chance Meet. At the NWAC championships, Ussher placed third with a time of 2:25.11.
Morgan Burt, Spokane Community College track and field
Former Bonners Ferry pole vault state champion competed in multiple indoor and outdoor events for the Sasquatch. She finished with a season-best vault of 9-7 the Whitworth Indoor Invitational.
If you know of any former Sandpoint, Clark Fork, Priest River or Bonners Ferry athletes who are competing in collegiate athletics and want to make sure they are recognized this upcoming season, please email moswald@bonnercountydailybee.com. A new bi-weekly/monthly column will run highlighting local athletes’ success on campus.