A8 BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022
SPORTS
Former BHS volleyball players
to continue careers in college
BAKER GIRLS GOLF
BY IAN CRAWFORD AND
JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
Two former Baker High
School volleyball players have
signed letters of intent to con-
tinue their careers in college.
Lacy Churchfield, a se-
nior who was a first-team all
Greater Oregon League selec-
tion last fall on the Bulldog
team that advanced to the
Class 4A playoffs, on Tuesday,
April 19, signed her letter of
intent to play at Pacific Uni-
versity in Forest Grove.
Katrina Fast, a 2021 grad-
uate of Eagle Cap Innovative
High School in Baker City,
started her college career as
the starting setter for Iowa
Lakes Community College in
Estherville, Iowa, in the fall
of 2021.
Fast recently signed a let-
ter of intent to transfer to
Warner Pacific University in
Portland, her parents’ alma
mater.
Lacy Churchfield
The signing ceremony
took place in the Baker High
School gymnasium before
several of Churchfield’s
friends and family.
Calm but visibly happy,
Churchfield put her name
to paper, setting in motion a
four-year commitment to Pa-
cific University.
“It’s a really big commitment,
it’s for the next four years,”
Churchfield said. “I’m gonna
go play volleyball, I’m really
excited. I’m leaving Baker, ob-
viously it’s a really big impact in
my life, but I’m excited to move
on to the next step.”
She thanked her family,
friends and coaches, as well
as Buell Gonzales Jr., the
Baker School District’s ath-
letic director.
Churchfield said she plans
to pursue a double major in
business and exercise science.
Katrina Fast
Fast had a strong start to
her college volleyball career,
leading Iowa Lakes Commu-
nity College with 969 assists
in 39 matches, ranking fifth
Ian Crawford/Baker City Herald
Baker High School senior Lacy Churchfield, center, was joined by family members on Tuesday, April
19, 2022, as she signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Pacific University in Forest Grove in the
fall of 2022. Churchfield was flanked by her mom, Stephanie, right, and her younger sisters, Taylor,
above, and Paisley.
Ian Crawford/Baker City Herald
in the Iowa Community Col-
lege Athletic Conference. She
also had 267 digs, 22 kills, 27
blocks and 58 service aces,
the latter also ranking fifth
in the conference. Fast was
named the honorable men-
tion team for the conference.
She also excelled academi-
cally. Fast, who is a presidential
scholar, was a first-team aca-
demic athlete in the conference.
“My season went really
well,” she said. “I made some
really good friends.”
Fast said she had hoped to
transfer to a university closer
to home this year, although
she wasn’t necessarily plan-
ning to return to Oregon.
But then, a few weeks
ago, she received a text mes-
sage from Warner Pacific’s
new volleyball coach, Kim
Lissinna.
“She was looking for a
setter who could run a fast-
paced offense,” Fast said.
Fast was interested — her
parents are both Warner Pa-
cific graduates, and she was
excited about the prospect of
playing at the NAIA level, a
step up in competition from
a community college confer-
ence.
Lilly Wilson hits a drive during the Baker Invitational golf tournament
on Monday, April 18, 2022, at Quail Ridge Golf Course.
Bulldogs place
second at home
invitational
Makenna Shamion, at 118.
Lilly Wilson carded a 116
and Gretchen Morgan 129.
The Baker girls golf team
Sofia Hanson, who played
placed second, led by Emma
nine holes in the JV tourna-
Baeth’s second-place indi-
vidual finish, as the Bulldogs ment, shot a 65.
On a day that started over-
hosted a tournament at Quail
cast and windy but improved
Ridge Golf Course on Mon-
with sunshine and gentler
day, April 18.
Baeth, one of three seniors breezes when players teed
honored on Senior Day, shot a off at noon, Baker had a
99 on the hilly, par-70 course team score of 444, behind La
Grande at 423.
in south Baker City.
Weiser finished third at
Homedale’s Tea Uranga was
the individual champion with 453.
a round of 78.
Baker’s girls and boys teams
La Grande’s Emma Bell and will compete in a tournament
Marissa Lane tied for third
Friday, April 22, at Buffalo
with rounds of 101.
Peak Golf Course in Union.
Baker’s other individual
The Baker boys will host a
scores included seniors Cait- tournament Monday, April
lin Lien, who shot a 111, and 25, at Quail Ridge.
BY IAN CRAWFORD
icrawford@bakercityherald.com
Contributed Photo
Katrina Fast, a former Baker High School volleyball player, has
signed a letter of intent to play for Warner Pacific University in Port-
land in the fall of 2022.
Within two weeks, Fast
had signed a letter of intent.
“It usually doesn’t happen
that fast,” she said.
“As a player, Katrina will
bring a lot of energy and fire
into our setting,” Lissinna said
in a press release from War-
ner Pacific. “I played as a set-
ter and therefore am a setter’s
coach, and hold my setters and
recruits to a high standard.
“Watching Katrina play, I
was impressed by her abil-
ity to run an offense, and the
speed at which she can do it.
She will be a great fit into our
style of play.”
Fast said she’s eager not
only to return to Oregon, but
to have a chance to play close
to home — Warner Pacific
is in the same conference as
Eastern Oregon University,
so she will have matches at
La Grande.
Then
NOW
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