On location: Spokane’s Neil Everett signs a multi-year extension with ESPN
From employee and intelligence services
Neil Everett isn’t going anywhere, at least not quite yet.
The ESPN fixture for more than two decades, with deep Spokane roots, has signed a new multi-year agreement to remain with “The Worldwide Leader” and anchor on the network’s 11pm Pacific “SportsCenter” which is made up of Los. comes to go on Angeles.
Everett’s buddy, Stan Verret, and Ashley Brewer, who will be relocating from ESPN’s Connecticut headquarters to LA, also signed new contracts when ESPN announced that it is “consolidating” the lineup at its Los Angeles manufacturing center.
That news came after published speculation that Everett would join other personalities who recently broke up with ESPN after their contracts expired.
“The on-air chemistry that Neil and Stan have cannot be made,” said Rob King, ESPN Senior Vice President, SportsCenter and News. “It’s as authentic as it gets and we look forward to having her as part of our team in the years to come.”
“When Stan said he would stay, I had no choice,” said Everett, a 1980 Lewis and Clark HS graduate. “We are connected at the hip. It’s also a great gig, so I’m glad Stan decided to stay. “
Born in Portland, Oregon as Neil Everett Morfitt, he grew up in Spokane and was a two-sport athlete – soccer and basketball – for LC. He was an undersized all-city guardian in football who admits to being the “king of the cut-back block”. His stepfather, Dave Robertson, was a longtime high school basketball coach at Shadle Park and Gonzaga Prep.
Everett left Spokane to attend college in Oregon, initially at Willamette University before moving to the University of Oregon, where he graduated in 1984. While in Eugene, his mother Jackie, a high school teacher, died of cancer at the age of 45. The use of his middle name as a professional surname pays homage to her.
Everett began broadcasting in the small coastal town of Florence, Oregon, but left the industry to move to Hawaii and serve as a sports administrator at Hawaii Pacific University for 15 years.
However, he could not send out of his blood and began to retire while keeping his main job. He was hired as a presenter for ESPNews in 2000 and moved to California in March 2009 to begin his current position.
He may be gone, but you can tell he’s proud of his Northwest roots. On broadcasts, he frequently mentions Spokane, Gonzaga, Washington State and its Oregon Ducks.
baseball
Drew Richardson, a 2019 graduate of Shadle Park HS, who played two years at Wenatchee Valley College and was named by the school to the Northwest Athletic Conference’s Top Performers list for 2021, has signed a letter of intent with Central Washington and will work for the Wildcats this fall.
The 6-foot first baseman / right-handed pitcher appeared in all 26 games for the Knights in 2021, hitting .292 with 11 of his 28 hits for additional bases, including three home runs, and 19 RBI. As a relief pitcher, he made six single-start appearances, had a 0-1 record, two saves and an ERA of 4.96. He allowed 16 hits in 16 1/3 innings and knocked out 19 while walking four.
College scene
Gonzaga newbie Mary Scott Wolfe defeated her freshman teammate, Cassie Kim, 3, and 2 in the 36-hole final to win the Pacific Northwest Golf Association’s 119th Amateur Championship on Friday at the Home Course in DuPont, Washington.
Wolfe of Beaverton, Oregon, who qualified eighth for the match play, took 19 holes to hit the number 1 in the first round and then beat the number 4 of the seeded 4 and 3 in the semifinals. Kim of Yakima, Washington, who qualified for the US Women’s Amateur earlier this month, finished seventh in stroke play qualifiers.
The championship match was level after the morning’s 18 holes before Wolfe took a one-hole lead after 28 and used a couple of birdies on the course to finish it off. Wolfe had finished second in the Oregon Women’s Amateur two weeks earlier.
• Eastern Washington and Idaho women’s volleyball teams received a Team Academic Award from the US Marine Corps / American Volleyball Coaches Association (USMC / AVCA) for maintaining a team GPA of at least 3.3.
Eastern, with 18 student athletes on the All-Academic Team at the Big Sky Conference in the fall and a team GPA of 3.55, received the award for the ninth time in a row and for the 18th time overall. Idaho, which finished 11th on the Big Sky Fall All-Academic Team, was honored for the second year in a row.
• Twenty-five men and 14 women from the four NCAA Division I schools in the region with cumulative GPAs of 3.25 or greater were approved by the United States Track & Field / Cross Country Coaches Association and seven of the eight programs with minimum GPAs from . named All-Academic 3.0 received awards for the All-Academic team.
Washington State: Men: Yes’Maun Charles, sr .; Jakob Englar, jr .; Justin Janke (North-center), sr .; John Kolb, jr .; Paul Ryan, (Logos of Moscow); Gift Shouman, NS .; and Zach Stallings, sr. Team: 3.05. Women: Stephanie Cho, sr .; Emily Coombs, jr .; Kaili Keefe, sr .; Aislinn Overby, so .; Suzy Pace, so .; Anna Rodgers (Lewis and Clark), Jr.; Kaylee Sowle, NS .; Charisma Taylor, jr .; and Skyler Walton, (Spokane; Wenatchee HS), so. Team: 3.48.
Gonzaga: Men: Ben Hogan, jr., 3.65; Peter Hogan, City student, 3.55; Jake Perrin, RS jr., 3.66; Alex Walde (Coeur d’Alene HS), supra, 3.38. Team: 3.35. Women: Kristen Garcia, jr. Team: 3.62 (28th in the nation).
Idaho: Men: Deyondre Davis, NS .; Ben Doucette, GS; Caleb Hagan, NS .; Lorenz Herrmann, NS .; Grady Leonard (CdA HS), sr .; Zachary Nunis, jr .; Joseph Ruddell, NS .; Zack short, sr .; and Tim Stevensso. Crew: 3,563 (6th in the nation). Women: Henrike Fiedler, jr .; Hannah Ringel, sr .; and Malaina Thacker, sr. Team: 3,789 (2nd in the nation).
East Washington: Men: Justin Roosmaso. Team: No award. Women: Emmanuella Engle, sr .; Morgan Fossen, sr .; Vernice Keyes, jr .; Katrina Terry, sr. Team: 3.52.
• The Gonzaga and Idaho men were named All-Academic Teams by the Golf Coaches Association of America, among 41 schools that received Special President Recognition with Team GPAs of 3.5 or higher. It’s the fifth time GU has earned the honor and the second year in a row.
• The Community Colleges of Spokane had named six and North Idaho College five as Northwest Athletic Conference All-Decade teams of 18 for the period 2010-2019 in men’s and women’s golf.
Men: CCS: Brady Calkins, Dylan Maine, Evan Omelia. THREAD: Sean Langham, Braxton Stewart, Braydon swap.
Women: CCS: Kelsey Mountain, Megan Cysewski, Kelci Parker. THREAD: Madi Braun, Nicole Muller.
High school scene
Three area wrestlers finished in the top eight at the 2021 US Marine Corps Junior & 16U National Wrestling Championships in Fargo, North Dakota last week to earn All-America honors.
Q’veli Quintanilli, who will be a junior at Gonzaga Prep, won the national championship in the 138-pound Greco-Roman junior division (18 and under) and won the gold medal. Josh Neiwert, who will be a sophomore at G-Prep, placed eighth in the 16U 126-pound Greco-Roman division.
Rylan Rogers of Clarkston, who wrestled for Coeur d’Alene HS last year and is a University of Michigan commitment, finished third in Junior Freestyle with £ 195.
There were six other area wrestlers who competed for Team Washington: Jake Mark, Jacob “JT” Connors and Kelsey Loeun, all mead; Noah Holman and Ivan Acosta, both G-Prep; and Bryon Newby, Chewela.
• The Greater Spokane League, in partnership with the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, announced the recipients of the 20th annual NECA / IBEW GSL Award.
One male and one female student-athlete were selected from each of the 14 HSL schools, who show a superior balance in science, sport and social commitment
The NECA and IBEA are training electricians for the future and encouraging all high school students to explore careers in the electrical engineering industry with their high school advisors.
The NECA / IBEW 2020-21 GSL athletes:
Central Valley: Abby Lewis, Soccer, basketball, athletics; Sam Brown, Soccer, basketball, athletics. Cheney: Avery Stark, Volleyball, basketball; Ryan Reichman, Football, train. Clarkston: Jenna Allen, Soccer, tennis; Kaden Elves, Football. Eastern valley: Hope Harrington Volleyball, athletics; Alex Petersen, Cross-country skiing, soccer. Ferris: Jade Bratrud, Tennis; Charlie Markham, Football.
Gonzaga preparation: Kyah Le, Soccer; James Franz, Football. Lewis and Clark: Katie Kenlein, Volleyball; Lucas Göller, Soccer, basketball. Mead: Sophie Koehler, Tennis; Lane Lorenz, Basketball. Mount Spokane: Tia Allen, Volleyball, athletics; Tyson Degenhart, Basketball, track. North-Central: Cheyenne Boviall, Fastpitch; JJ Martin, Track, basketball.
Pullmann: Hailey Talbot, Soccer, softball, basketball; Carson Coulter, Soccer, baseball, basketball speakers. Rogers: Ellabelle Taylor, Cross country, track, wrestling; Keigon thrust, pursue, wrestle. Shadle Park: Chloe Flerchinger, Volleyball, softball; Marcus lemon, Cross-country skiing, route. University: Ryan Griep, Girls soccer, fastpitch; Eli Stachofsky, Cross-country.