Northwest Notes Sept. 28, 2011
Bertsch signs with
Rocky Mountain
Tori Bertsch, a 5-foot-11 setter from Post Falls High, has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at NAIA Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont.
Bertsch, a three-year starter and 4.0 scholar athlete, led her team to consecutive state 5A tournament appearances. She was voted team MVP as a junior and holds the all-time assist record at Post Falls.
"Tori comes to us with a great deal of experience in the setting position and at 5-11 and a lefty, is certain to be a threat at the net," Rocky Mountain coach Laurie Kelly said. "She has been well-coached in high school and in club and has had some strong technical training. "
"Tori has a great court sense and understands the needs of the players around her," Post Falls coach Willow Hanna said. "She is competitive and knows what it takes to win. Couple this mental edge with Tori's skill and she is a great addition to the team at Rocky Mountain College."
Coeur d'Alene man wins
Jackson Hole Marathon
Heath Wiltse has completed 25 marathons in his career.
On Saturday, the Coeur d'Alene man picked up his first win over the 26.2 distance.
Wiltse, 36, topped a field of 122 runners in the Jackson Hole Marathon in Jackson, Wyo., in 2 hours, 51 minutes and 31 seconds.
Jackson is at 6,500 of elevation and Wiltse, who is the general manager at Peak Health and Wellness in Post Falls, was down four minutes with 4 miles left before rallying to win by 20 seconds.
"I had a really hard time breathing the whole race," Wiltse wrote. "A great experience to come from behind and beat out the race leader in the final sprint for my first marathon win."
Johnson to miss remainder
of season following injury
Eastern Washington linebacker Zach Johnson will have his season cut short for the second time in three seasons, the team announced.
Johnson had been playing this season with a chronic tear in his left patellar tendon and will have surgery as early as Thursday. It is the same injury that required surgery to repair on June 30, 2009, but Johnson missed that season after a bloot clot developed in his leg following the surgery.
Coach Beau Baldwin said the school will appeal to the NCAA in the offseason to grant him a sixth year to complete his eligibility. He will eventually have at least 19 games wiped out because of injury - 12 in 2009 and seven remaining regular season games this year.
Eastern (0-4, 0-2 Big Sky) hosts Weber State (2-2, 2-0) on Saturday.
Dickau, Fox to join
KHQ/ROOT brodcasts
Some familiar names to Gonzaga men's basketball will join KHQ/ROOT Sports play-by-play man Greg Heister courtside as former Bulldogs Dan Dickau and Richard Fox will provide color commentary.
Dickau, became Gonzaga's first Associated Press first-team All-American in 2002 after transferring from the University of Washington after two seasons. He averaged 18.9 points per game as a junior and 20.1 as a senior and was a two-time West Coast Conference first-team selection.
Fox transferred to Gonzaga from Colorado and started 17 of 28 games in 2003, averaging 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Fox spent 2008-10 as the color analyst on the Gonzaga Basketball Radio Network.
KHQ/ROOT will televise 16 games this season, beginning with the exhibition game on Oct. 28 against Carroll College.