Sports Extra! 6/30/11

Zornes golf tourney draws 55 entrants

Fifty-five golfers hit the Colfax links Saturday for the fourth annual Peter Zornes Memorial Golf Tournament.

Organized by the Zornes family and the WSU veterinary school, the tournament is the main funding source for a neuroscience scholarship in honor of Peter Zornes, a 2003 WSU graduate and 1999 grad of Oakesdale High who was killed in a double homicide/suicide in Pullman in December 2005.

Kathy Zornes, Peters’ mother, said she this year’s turnout was “outstanding.”

“It’s one of the ways that we can help this project that I think Peter started on,” she said. “This is what he wanted to do with his life.”

The four-man scramble tournament was won by the Kimball family of father Doc, brothers Jeremy and Gerik and sister Lindsey, who combined to shoot a 54 over the 18-hole tournament.

Runners up were the Bayer CropScience team of Al Sartini, his son Matt and wife Ashley and family friend Kerry Blake, who just missed the top slot with a combined 55.

Ryan McSweeney topped Ben Andrus in a marathon putting contest which started before tournament play and resumed afterwards. McSweeney prevailed.

Andrus was one of five golfers drawn to take a shot at the $100,000 shootout. The prize goes to entrants who can sink an ace from 165 yards. Saturday’s shot was staked out on the ninth hole.

Andrus put his shot closest to the cup to take home a Nike putter prize.

John Phillips of Four Lakes won the chipping contest.

Ken Fox, formerly of Oakesdale and now of Lewiston, won a five day vacation in Palm Springs when his ticket was drawn in the raffle.

Dustin Deford took home the Friend of the Tournament honor, given each year to a person who volunteers their time to help put the tourney together.

This year’s $1,000 Peter Zornes scholarship was awarded to Rachel Wanty, a third-year neuroscience student at WSU. Wanty plans to enter the university’s vet school after completing her undergraduate degree. Wanty has a three-year grade point average of 3.99, with a 4.0 in her core science classes.

A Colorado native, Wanty has also declared a second major in Spanish, hoping to bridge the language barrier between stable owners and their primarily-immigrant employees in her home state.

Wanty is president of the WSU neuroscience club, serves on the honors college student advisory council and plays the oboe in the student symphony.

EWU’s Martin scholar-athlete for sports year

Matt Martin of LaCrosse, one of four captains on Eastern Washington University’s championship football team for division one, was named the EWU scholar athlete for the 2010-2011 school year.

Martin, who made a home appearance at the LaCrosse Farmers’ Fest last week, graduated with a double major, finance and communication studies, and a minor degree in economics. He graduated with a 3.72 grade average.

Martin started 19 games at tight end for the Eagles and finished with 39 catches for 349 yards.

The Big Sky conference selects one senior man and one senior woman from each member school for the scholar athlete awards.

Julie Piper, EWU basketball player from Roseburg, Ore., was named the for the other Big Sky scholar athlete award. She graduated with a 3.74 grade average. Piper finished with 1,171 career points and is in the top 10 for six all-time hoop performance categories at Eastern.

Colfax will start swim lessons

Registration for swim lessons is underway at Colfax City Hall. The lessons will begin Tuesday, after the Fourth of July holiday Monday, and continue five days through Saturday. Registration fee is $20.

Swim lessons will be offered in weekly sessions through July with sign-ups at city hall done the week prior to each weekly session.

Youngsters must be at least four years old or 40 inches high to participate. Instruction is offered at four different skill levels.

Pierce conditions lifted

An order exonerating Gilbert Ward Pierce, 60, St. John, from pre-trial release conditions was issued last Thursday, June 23, after the court determined formal charges have not been filed under the 72-hour rule. Pierce was released on his own recognizance June 20 after being arrested June 18 on a probable charge of vehicular assault at the St. John boat races. Conditions set by the court as part of the Monday release order were lifted with the exoneration order.