Former Blackhawks, Cards runners wrap up seasons

By JOHN McCALLUM

Managing Editor

Cheney and Medical Lake high schools weren’t the only ones putting finishing touches to their cross country seasons. Several former Blackhawks and Cardinals were also wrapping up their collegiate campaigns as well — with a few culminating their careers.

Two of those were Eastern Washington University seniors Johanna Sherman and Dominick Rehm. Rehm, from Medical Lake, completed his career by finishing 164th overall at the NCAA Western Regionals at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento, Calif., turning in a time of 33 minutes, 2 seconds on the 10,000-meter course.

Previously, Rehm was 57th overall for the Eagle men at the Big Sky Championships on Oct. 27, posting a time of 25:36.6 seconds on the 8,000-meter course also in Sacramento. EWU finished 11th overall at the conference championships, and 28th out of 36 teams at the NCAAs.

Sherman had the best finish on the women’s team at the Western Regionals, leading the Eagles by placing 196th with a time of 22:50.9 on the 6,000-meter course. At the conference championships, the Cheney alum was second for EWU, placing 71st overall in 19:15.9 over 5,000 meters.

“Jo completely transformed her season and finished on a high note,” Eagles head coach Sam Read said after the NCAAs. “After struggling early on this year, she kept at it. Her positive mentality and determination pulled her through. Today, it led our team.”

Another Blackhawk, freshman Hannah Spakousky, finished her season by finishing 82nd at the Big Sky competition with a time of 21:13.10.

Down the road in Spokane, Spakousky’s 2017 Blackhawks teammate Jolene Whiteley finished her first season running for Community Colleges of Spokane by placing third overall in the Northwest Athletic Conference championships in Olympia, hosted by St. Martin’s University. Whiteley turned in a 5,000-meter time of 18:51.60 on the course at Kent-Meridian High School, setting a new personal record by over 30 seconds in the process as the Sasquatch women won the conference team title.

East on Interstate 90 and north on I-15 in Helena, Mont., 2016 CHS graduate Drake Johnson was helping his Carroll College teammates to a third-place finish at the Frontier Conference championships. Johnson placed 35th overall with a time of 28:49 on the 8,000-meter course at Hickory Swing Golf Course in Great Falls, Mont.

Johnson’s Blackhawks’ classmate, Abby Hammermeister, finished with a time of 22:20, just seven seconds outside of being in the Saints’ top-five. Both Johnson and Hammermeister are 2016 CHS graduates.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].