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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2018)
A9 WEDNESDAY February 21, 2018 GOLD! Three county wrestlers bring back medals from state championships Two golds and a bronze By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain allowa County wrestlers put in a fine perfor- mance at this year’s state championships, return- ing from Portland with two gold and a bronze medal for their efforts. Cole Farwell of Enterprise High School and Steven Beck- man of Joseph/Wallowa took top spots in their weight classes while Austin Brockamp returned with bronze for a third place finish. Shane Lund of Enterprise finished fourth. Joseph coach Tim Kiesecker’s squad placed fifth in a field of more than 20 teams. “Everybody won at least one match,” Kiesecker said. “I couldn’t be more proud. It’s the first year I remember that everyone did what I thought they could and should do.” Beckman, who won his second consecutive championship at 106 pounds without breaking a sweat, took his performance in stride. The junior spent a total of about three minutes mat time, pinning his opponents inside of one minute each. “I felt a little different this year,” he explained. “Last year I was so nervous I wasn’t even really there. I was relaxed this year.” Beckman made a vow to himself to win a state champion- ship before graduation. No one in his weight class had won three state championships. “I’ve got two,” he said. “Why not go for a third?” Beck- man got serious for a moment before adding that he wanted to spend more time helping his teammates. “I want to wrestle more as a team, we have a good team, and we did well this year, but we can do better,” he said. Enterprise coach Troy Farwell was also pleased with the performance of his Outlaws squad, who finished 10th at the championships. “Considering it’s state, and the top eight wrestlers in every class competed, we wrestled pretty well,” he said. Cole Farwell, who won his second consecutive champion- ship at 126 pounds, was happy to end his wrestling career on a high note. He won all his matches by fall with his last wrap- ping just before the end of the first round. He said that his last opponent wrestled defensively, which made it easier for him to apply the pressure and force an easy win. Farwell noted he had a different attitude about the cham- pionships this year. “I’ve been through this before,” he said. “I felt more calm and relaxed going in this year. He has no regrets about the end of his high school career. “My goal when I started was to win one state champion- ship. I’ve won two now, so I’ve exceeded my goals, both for the championships and the season,” he said. Overall, Coach Farwell accounted the season a success. “We had a pretty good year,” he said. I judge my team as a whole, not on individual stats, but on whether we wrestle over .500 or not, and we did that this year.” W ABOVE: Steven Beckman of Joseph/Wallowa receives honors for the top spot in his weight class at state 1A/2A wrestling champion- ships in Portland Feb. 16-17. Beckman won his second consecutive champion- ship at 106 pounds without breaking a sweat. LEFT: Enterprise High School senior Cole Farwell receives his award for plac- ing first in the 132-pound weight class at the state 1A/2A wrestling champion- ships in Portland Feb. 16- 17. The Outlaws placed 10th in a field of more than 20 teams. Contributed photos Everybody won at least one match. I couldn’t be more proud. It’s the first year I remember that everyone did what I thought they could and should do.” — Tim Kiesecker Joseph wrestling coach 3:55.88: WOU’s Ribich continues to set records Claimed fastest 1000 meters time in NCAA Div. II history By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Contributed photo David Ribich, left, of West- ern Oregon University com- petes in the Dempsey Indoor track meet at the Universi- ty of Washington in Seattle, Wash., Jan. 13, 2018. Just how far can 2014 Enterprise High School graduate David Ribich climb? Ribich, a senior track star at Western Oregon University, has set a number of records in the Great North- west Athletic Conference and several WOU records. He’s also been recognized as NCAA’s Div. II National Athlete of the week, including twice this month alone. Get Your Finances In Shape! Even before 2018, Ribich jointly held the Div. II all-time record as the anchor of the WOU Men’s Distance Relay Medley team and holds Div. II records in the 1000 and 3000 meter races. He has also won a national championship in the 1500 meters. The first of the two national recog- nitions is for running the fastest 1000 meters time in NCAA Div. II history. Ribich clocked in at a smoking 2:21.38 at the University of Washington Pre- view on Jan. 16. Ribich bested runners from such Div. 1 standouts as Stanford, Oregon and Washington on the way to victory. Ribich’s second recognition is for running a sub-four-minute-mile at 3:58.88. While 500 professional and college runners have also hit the mark, Ribich’s time is the fastest Div. II time in the last 30 years and the second-fast- est in Div. II history. The WOU senior went to the event with the idea of breaking the barrier. His time in the 1500 meters converted to a 3:57 mile time. A roommate paced the race for him. Ribich and the two planned for Ribich to hit the halfway mark at 1:59 and achieve the same time to finish the race. The runner hit the halfway point at 2:00 flat and kicked up his speed a notch. “It worked a little differently than we thought it would, but we got the end result we wanted,” Ribich said. Over the Feb. 10-11 weekend, Rib- ich set another Div. II national record, this time running the 3000 meter race in a blazing 7:50.8. He wasn’t planning on notching the mark. “With the 3k, I was really surprised to run in the 7:50s,” Ribich said. How does Ribich stay motivated as one of the top runners in the nation? He said that the idea of turning his dream and passion into a career helps with his humility and motivation. He also said his eight-year journey with the support of Wallowa County cit- izens helps keep his eye on the prize. “I’m hitting these records and win- ning titles, but I don’t place too much emphasis on it,” he said. “I just keep working hard and doing the daily things to keep progressing in the sport.” You Don’t Have To Do All The Heavy Lifting! Open a Win-Win CD and Watch Your Savings Grow! Monthly $200 Drawing Annual $2,500 Drawing! Restrictions apply, ask us for details. www.communitybanknet.com Member FDIC Joseph 541-432-9050 Enterprise 541-426-4511 Wallowa 541-886-9151
