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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
Polk County Sports SCHEDULE SATURDAY, JUNE 3 Softball: OSAA 5A State Playoffs, Championship (at Oregon State Softball Complex): TBA. — Schedules Subject to Change QUICK HITS WOU pitcher earns all-region honors MONMOUTH — West- ern Oregon freshman Kade Mechals was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawl- ings NCAA Division II All- west region second team. Mechals, a relief pitcher, posted seven saves during t h e 2 0 1 7 season. Mechals record- ed a 1 . 5 9 ERA in 22.2 in- nings with 37 Wakem strike- outs. Mechals held oppo- nents to a .173 batting av- erage. Mechals was named first team all-region by the National College Baseball Writers Association and the American Baseball Coaches Association. J u s t i n Wa k e m a n d Brady Miller received sec- ond team honors by the NCBWA. Wakem hit .368 at the plate. Miller went 5-2 on t h e p i t c h e r ’s m o u n d, throwing 57 strikeouts over 54 innings. Western Oregon fin- ished the season with a 31-15 record overall and won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regu- lar season and tourna- ment titles. YMCA to hold family fun run INDEPENDENCE — The Monmouth-Indepen- dence YMCA will hold a family fun run June 10 in celebration of Olympic Day. Registration and check- in begins at 8:30 a.m. The start will take place at the Independence Dog Park, but parking at Riverview Park is recommended. There will be a long course (5-kilometers) and short course (one mile) avail- able. “We are excited to take part in Olympic Day and inspire kids and families in the Monmouth and Inde- pendence communities,” said Kathy Martin-Willis, the event coordinator. “The Monmouth-Indepen- dence Family YMCA is proud to support the Olympic Movement and encourage children and families to lead healthy, active lives.” For more information: 503-838-4042. Cross Creek men’s club results Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 31, 2017 11A COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD Ribich wins national title Junior places first in the men’s 1,500-meter run By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer BRADENTON, Fla. — There was no dive to the fin- ish this time, but Western Oregon junior David Ribich showed he has a flair for the dramatic. Ribich added an individual national title to an impressive resume, taking first in the m e n ’ s Ribich 1 , 5 0 0 - meter run at the NCAA Divi- sion II Outdoor Track and Field National Champi- onships on Saturday. Ribich finished in 3 min- utes, 49.64 seconds. Kyle Medina of Chico State took second in 3:49.86. The race started out with a slow pace, going out in a 67 for the first lap, but Ribich was content to stay situated in the lead group. By the time they started the final 400 the pace had picked up considerably — finishing the final lap in a 55, Ribich said. The junior had been at or near the lead throughout the race and had the field right where he wanted them. “I knew I had the fastest PR in the field,” Ribich said. “I also knew I had the fastest 800 time in the field, so I was confident in my kicking abili- ty.” Ribich held off Medina for the win. And finally, after months of nonstop training that began last August, Ribich could exhale and take in the moment. “It’s surreal to get the title,” he said. “This win it’s like relieving pressure off my shoulders.” The pressure he felt didn’t come from coaches or team- mates. Rather, it was the self-in- duced pressure to take ad- vantage of a chance to give back to the sport he’s fallen in love with — and to in- spire others that they can do the same. — Ribich’s ability to handle pressure started young. Ribich wanted to be in the spotlight in junior high — just not as an athlete. “I wanted to be an actor,” Ribich said. “My mom and I took acting classes when I was in junior high. We would drive an hour and a half f ro m En t e r p r i s e t o L a TYLER PATTERSON AND GENEVA REINHEARDT/for the Itemizer-Observer Western Oregon junior David Ribich won the men’s 1,500-meter final on Saturday. Track and field • Western Oregon’s track and field team competed at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Champi- onships Thursday through Saturday in Bradenton, Fla. • Wesley Gray placed 17th in the men’s triple jump final (48 feet, 11¾ inches). Sheila Limas De La Cruz took 21st in the women’s javelin (126). • Teammates David Ribich and Dustin Nading took first (3:49.64) and sixth (3:51.50) in the men’s 1,500 final. • Olivia Woods took third in the women’s 800 final with a time of 2:07.38. Grande to take classes.” The peak of his acting ca- reer was when he played a king — although probably not the take the director of the play originally envi- sioned. “The king was supposed to be this macho role and I was maybe 4-foot-5,” Ribich said. “The queen was a sen- ior in high school and Dragons advance to state semifinals By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer STAT SHEET 2 www.polkio.com GENEVA REINHEARDT/for the Itemizer-Observer Dustin Nading and David Ribich celebrate after taking sixth and first in the men,’s 1,500-meter run on Saturday. PREP SOFTBALL DALLAS — Cross Creek’s men’s club results for May 23: Two Man Best Ball Gross: 1 (tie), Eldon Rivers-Brian Reed and Lee Gamaney-Rocky Kygar, 37. Net: 1, Wayne Weathers- John Mangini, 29; 2, David White-Vern Smith, 30; 3, Dave Voves-Ken Ross, 31. The number of na- tional titles that Western Oregon runner David Ribich won during the track and field season. Ribich was part of the distance med- ley relay team that took first at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Indoor Championships, and he placed first in the 1,500- meter run at the outdoor championships on Satur- day. Ribich, a junior, also runs cross-country for the Wolves. around 5-foot-10, but I just embellished the role. It was more like Lord Farqua from Shrek.” The acting career never took off, but his belief that small-town life doesn’t mean you have to have small-time dreams foreshadowed what would drive him throughout his running career. See RIBICH, Page 12A LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Dallas’ softball team celebrates during its 3-2 victory over Lebanon in the state quarterfinals on Friday. Editor’s note: Dallas’ semifinal game against Sil- verton was Tuesday after press time. Visit www.polkio.com for updat- ed results. DALLAS — Beating a league opponent once can be a challenge. Twice is even more difficult. How about four times? “It’s hard to play any- body three times,” coach Brandi Jackson said. “Four times almost never hap- pens.” But that’s exactly the sit- uation Dallas’ softball team faced in the state quarterfi- nals on Friday against Lebanon. Just like the first three times, the Dragons came out on top, defeating the Warriors 3-2 to advance to the semifinals against Silverton. The win didn’t come easy. With two outs in the first inning, Dallas mis- played a pop out, allowing a Lebanon batter to reach first. The next Simmons batter hit a two-run home run to put Lebanon up early. “I told the girls that they (Lebanon) are going to hit the ball better in the past and they are going to put pressure on our defense,” Jackson said. “That blooper behind second base was catchable. We would have been out of the inning, but the next batter hits that home run.” Finding themselves in an unfamiliar spot — playing from behind — the Drag- ons never got antsy. “There was a sense of calm,” pitcher Kaelynn Si m m o n s s a i d . “ We’v e played and practiced so www.facebook.com/pages/Polk-County-Itemizer-Observer/205062686252209 much and we’ve worked so hard that we remembered to keep calm. Coach kept telling us to play to win and not to play not to lose.” Dallas chipped away at the lead. An RBI single from Han- nah Locke in the second inning cut the deficit to 2- 1. Jayden Wynia scored from third and then Sim- mons drove in what turned out to be the winning run with an RBI single in the fifth inning. “We haven’t played from behind a lot,” Jackson said. “That takes a special team to come back and not get down, especially when they haven’t faced that in a while.” The turning point on de- fense came in the top of the sixth. With a runner on base and one out, Lebanon hit a ball to center field. Dallas made the catch and Lebanon’s base runner took off toward third. See DALLAS, Page 12A www.twitter.com/PolkIOSports
