Sports
6A
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Th e Observer
Former EOU
standout
takes job in
Hermiston
DAVIS
CARBAUGH
CARBAUGH’S CORNER
A one-of-a-
kind season
Megan Bunn was a two-
time All-American for
Mountaineers volleyball
W
hen the La Grande girls
basketball team fi n-
ished the 2020 season,
expectations were high for a 4A
state championship run. With
the travel arrangements already
planned, everything took a turn
for the worse as COVID-19 put a
stop to sports across the country.
More than a year later, the
Tigers joined Union’s boys, and
the Powder Valley boys and girls
teams in the group of Union
County squads to make post-
season runs. It’s no secret that the
pandemic-aff ected 2021 season
provided a number of challenges,
making these teams’ tourna-
ment runs even more impressive.
Starting the season in the spring
and playing seniors that already
graduated are just two of the chal-
lenges coaches in the area faced
this season.
La Grande was near fl awless
this year, going 10-0 in the regular
season and cruising by Madras
in the fi rst round of the 4A state
tournament on Tuesday, June 24.
Camryn Collman was unstop-
pable in the fi rst-round matchup,
scoring 43 points. Collman was
the glue for La Grande this year
and led one of the stronger Tigers
girls teams in recents years. She is
signed to play at the University of
Portland next fall.
Collman was joined by seniors
Ella Dunlap, Lauren Rinker,
Grace Perry and McKaylee Orton
in an upperclassmen-led eff ort.
Dunlap’s profi cient scoring and
rebounding in the paint balanced
Collman’s perimeter play to create
a well-oiled off ensive machine.
La Grande averaged over 60
points and won by less than 10
points only one time in the regular
season.
The Tigers faced their toughest
matchup of the year in the
4A Showcase Final Four, bat-
tling undefeated the Mustangs
of Hidden Valley on Thursday,
June 24. La Grande fell 48-40 in
a neck-and-neck battle. Despite
falling short, La Grande was one
of the more dominant teams in
the area and its group of seniors
should be applauded for leading
that eff ort.
For the Union boys, head
coach Odin Miller coached a
similar senior-heavy roster this
season. Led by off ensive standout
Keegan Glenn, six seniors guided
the Bobcats to an 8-3 regu-
lar-season record and a fi rst-place
fi nish in the 2A Blue Mountain
Conference.
Glenn regularly scored 30 or
more points in games this year,
while sharpshooter Vuk Koya-
dinivich often heated up from
beyond the arc with ease. Koyad-
inivich scored four 3-pointers in
Union’s 59-50 victory over Port-
land Christian in the fi rst round of
the 4A state tournament.
The victory was a milestone for
Miller and the Bobcats, marking
the program’s fi rst state tourna-
ment win since 2000. Before then,
a Union boys team hadn’t won a
state tournament game since 1950.
Now, there are spots to fi ll
next year for underclassmen who
toughed it out during a one-of-a-
kind basketball season in 2021.
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Joe Brogdon/Contributed Photo
Joseph alumna and Eastern Oregon University graduate Karianne Zollman recently earned an NAIA All-American in
the women’s javelin.
Closing out a career
Joseph alum Karianne Zollman ends chapter on EOU throwing career
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
so I knew I should be able to
get into the fi nals (with that
throw),” she said. “I wanted
to get a good average. This
was my last time competing.
I didn’t want it to be a fl uke.
Most of my throws were 40
meters (131-feet-3), and before
that, I was struggling to get
above 40 meters.”
Her average on fi ve marked
throws that day was 133-feet-
LA GRANDE — Some ath-
letes save their best for last.
But for Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity javelin thrower Kari-
anne Zollman, her best at the
2021 NAIA National Champi-
onships came fi rst.
Zollman, a Joseph alumna
who recently graduated from
EOU, wrapped up her col-
legiate athletic career by
earning All-American
honors in the women’s jav-
elin with a personal-best
eff ort at the national meet
May 26 of 141 feet, 4 inches.
It was a performance that
Karianne Zollman, EOU javelin
lifted her to sixth in the
thrower, in a pep talk to herself before
nation and resulted in her
competing in a national meet
second All-American in the
event.
She didn’t linger around
till the end, either, to uncork
10, including three throws
the PR throw, or build up to it.
above the 40-meter mark, all
Instead, she did so on her very
boosted by the initial eff ort of
fi rst attempt of the day.
the day.
“I get really amped up for
It’s not the fi rst time her
the fi rst throw, and I get really
fi rst throw has been her best at
nervous,” Zollman said. “I
nationals.
have to be very disciplined. I
In fact, she did the same
always have a pep talk with
thing in 2019. Then a junior,
myself. You can’t wait until the Zollman launched the javelin
next throw, you have to do it
140-feet-2 on her fi rst throw of
now.”
the day. At the time, it was her
Her conversation with her-
personal best. And like at the
self included a reminder that it
2021 nationals, it landed her an
was going to be her fi nal time
All-American nod, as she fi n-
on the javelin runway.
ished eighth that day.
“‘This is your last opportu-
The strong sendoff came
nity. Let’s go out having fun.
after a pandemic-canceled
Let’s execute to the best of our
2020 that would have been her
ability,’” she said of her per-
senior campaign, one in which,
sonal pep talk.
coming off an All-American
Having the big throw early
eff ort as a junior, she hoped to
took some of the pressure off
contend for a national title.
as she set out to end her career
COVID-19 not only altered
with a bang.
that, but put her in a spot where
“I was in the fi rst fl ight,
she was uncertain she would
“This is your last
opportunity. Let’s
go out having fun.”
compete in 2021.
“I wasn’t even sure I was
going to come back,” she said.
“I had a few classes, but I
didn’t have a reason to come
back in the fall or winter, so I
only showed up in spring term.
“The season before, I
was really trying to go for a
national championship. I had
a good base of work I had
done in the previous years.
Everything prevented the
access to gyms and stuff .
I couldn’t get as much as I
wanted, but toward the end
I worked my butt off .”
Throwing javelin runs
in Zollman’s blood, as her
older sister, Grace, had a
successful career and pur-
sued the sport profession-
ally, Karianne said.
“She was able to give
me a lot of help,” she said.
“It was also so cool to watch
her throw. I was inspired by her
throwing.”
Zollman briefl y dabbled in
the shot put, hammer throw
and weight throw at EOU, but
solely focused on the javelin
her senior season.
“I did not have that much
time, and I knew I could be the
most successful in javelin and
reach (nationals) in javelin,”
she said.
Her marks improved each
week during the 2021 season,
building up to that best — and
fi rst — All-American winning
throw at nationals.
“Coming back and fi n-
ishing, before this, it felt like
you had to stop in the middle
of a book,” she said. “The fi nal
chapter was not complete. I
didn’t care how it ended up. I
just wanted to put in the work,
and however it ended, great.”
HERMISTON — When it
comes to volleyball, Megan Bunn
has found success at every level.
Hermiston High School is keen
that winning attitude will con-
tinue as the Bulldogs’ new coach.
“Coach Bunn
has been successful
in volleyball every-
where she has been,”
Hermiston Athletic
Director Larry Usher
said. “We are confi -
Bunn
dent she will bring
that competitive spirit to the
Dawg House every day.”
Bunn, 23, will replace Becky
Wadekamper, who recently
stepped down after one season.
“Becky had gotten ahold of
me,” Bunn said. “I think she was
looking for some knowledge-
able coaches to take on and be a
part of the staff . I didn’t think she
was trying to recruit me as a head
coach. It was kind of a last-minute
decision for her. Life happens. She
let me know it was open and she
recommended that I apply. I guess
she saw some potential in me.”
A 6-foot outside hitter, Bunn
was a standout at Eastern Oregon
University, La Grande, where she
was a two-time NAIA All-Amer-
ican then an assistant coach for
the Mountaineers, who are a fre-
quent participant at the NAIA
Tournament.
While at Eastern, Bunn com-
piled 1,331 kills, the second most
in program history. She also had
1,011 digs to become the fi rst
player in program history with at
least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
She ranks sixth on the all-time
digs list.
Her senior year, she was
named to the NAIA Volleyball
National All-Tournament team
after posting three consecutive
matches of 20 or more kills.
At the 2019 NAIA Tourna-
ment, she broke the EOU record
for most kills in a match with 32
in a loss to Lindsey Wilson. She
fi nished the season with 455 kills
and 410 digs, making her a threat
no matter where she was on the
fl oor.
“I’ve defi nitely had a lot of
experience,” Bunn said. “I have
seen a lot of things, I have been
through a lot as a player, and I
have grown through that. I have
had success, but that has been
because of the coaches I have
had. Taking over a program, I
hope I can do as good a job as my
coaches.”
A 2016 graduate of Banks
High School, Bunn was a four-
time fi rst-team all-conference
selection in the Cowapa League.
She led the Braves to the state title
her senior year and was named
the Oregon 4A Player of the Year.
“I am young, and it’s a big
responsibility to take on,” said
Bunn, who also will teach fi fth
grade at Hermiston’s Desert View
Elementary School.
SPORTS SHORT
Alternate helmets returning to NFL in 2022
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The NFL is
bringing back alternate helmets in
2022, ending a nine-year hiatus that
started because of concerns about
player safety.
The league wrote to clubs in a
memo dated Thursday, June 24,
that it must be notifi ed of plans to
use alternate helmets by July 31
even though they won’t be used for
another year.
The memo was obtained by The
Associated Press.
The use of a second helmet was
dropped in 2013 over concerns
that wearing more than one helmet
might not be safe for players. As
those concerns have eased, clubs
have lobbied for a second helmet
because options for alternate jerseys
were expanded in 2018, the league
said.
The second helmet can be worn
only with so-called classic, alternate
or color rush jerseys, and all players
must be fi tted for both helmets
before training camp, the league
wrote in the memo.
The primary and alternate hel-
mets must be the same make, model
and size. The alternate helmets
must be worn in practice the week
of the game they will be used, if not
before.
The NFL began allowing throw-
back uniforms to commemorate its
75th season in 1994.
They gained popularity through
the years before the limit of one
helmet made alternate uniforms less
enticing because of the diffi culty
matching the base color of the pri-
mary helmet.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images, File
Running back Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos moves the ball
during a game against the Seattle Seahawks. The NFL is bringing
back alternate helmets in 2022, ending a nine-year hiatus that
started because of concerns about player safety.