WEDNESDAY BRIEFS: Pair of locals make college commitments; MSGA season begins Friday
Schleusner signs at MSU-Billings
BILLINGS — The Montana State University, Billings baseball team added six players to its 2017 class of recruits on Tuesday, including Kalispell’s Andrew Schleusner.
Schleusner, a 5-foot-11 catcher and third baseman for the Kalispell Lakers AA, joins four junior-college transfers and another high school commit on the list of Yellowjackets whose signings were announced this week. The signing class as a whole is now 10 players.
“Andrew is a really solid defender and a good athlete behind the plate,” MSU-B coach Rob Bishop said in a press release.
“We are excited to have a guy that is versatile and a very good all-around baseball player.”
Schleusner, a senior at Glacier High School, plans to major in pre-physical therapy while playing at MSU-B.
“I chose MSUB because I felt like it would be a great fit for me athletically and academically,” Schleusner said.
“I look forward to working with the team and coaching staff next season. Playing baseball for MSU-B will be a great opportunity to grow as a person and as an athlete.”
Bigfork’s Potkonjak chooses Carroll
BIGFORK — Bigfork senior golfer Joseph Potkonjak signed to play collegiate golf at Carroll College on Tuesday.
Potkonjak, a 1.4 handicap, finished tied for second at the Class B state tournament last season, helping the Vikings to a third-place team finish. Playing for Flathead his first two seasons, he finished second as a sophomore and third as a freshman on the Braves’ team at the Class AA state tournament.
He won the 16-year-old age group at the state junior championship later in the season, earning one of six spots on the Montana-Alberta Junior Ryder Cup team that defeated Canada in Lethbridge last summer.
He has also won his age group in the Whitefish Junior Championship and the Flathead Valley Junior Golf Championship.
Carroll recently finished fifth as a team at the Frontier Conference championships in Tempe, Arizona. Potkonjak will join Greg Jones (Glacier) as Flathead Valley players on the Saints.
Lake City Open, MSGA season begins on Friday
POLSON — The 26th annual Lake City Open tees off at Polson Bay Golf Course this weekend, the three-day event beginning on Friday. The Lake City Open is the first points event of the 2016 Montana State Golf Association season.
The championship division will be stacked with some of the best amateur and pro golfers in the region, including 25 players with a handicap of 2.2 or less.
Leading the professional field is defending champion Corey Prugh, along with six-time champion Ryan Malby of Whitefish, Jim Mee of Libby and Canadian Tour player Kent Fukushima.
Former Lake City Open winner Lon Hinkle leads the field of senior pros along with host professional and former event champion Roger Wallace.
The top amateurs include Polson’s Ty Weingart, a past champion, Great Falls’ Spencer Williams and Ryan Fritz, Carroll College golf coach Ben McIntyre, 2013 state mid-am champion Logan Lindholm of Kalispell and state junior amateur champion Ryggs Johnston of Libby.
The professional purse for the tournament is $9,500 with $3,000 for first place and the amateur purse is $9,250 with $750 to the overall champion.
Spectators are welcome and the leaders for both the amateurs and professionals will tee off Sunday afternoon. Visit www.polsonbaygolf.com for tee times on late Saturday evening.
The Lake City Open is presented by Polson Scholarship & Education Foundation. Polson Dollars for Scholars is a locally operated and supported scholarship foundation, established to provide Polson High School graduates with scholarships and financial encouragement. The Lake City Open annually raises upwards of $10,000 for the scholarship fund through tournament sponsors. Founded in 2002, Polson Scholarship & Education Foundation has awarded $216,150 to 235 Polson High School graduates.
Battle of the Arms tourney to be held Saturday in Eureka
EUREKA — The 26th annual Battle of the Arms arm wrestling tournament will be held on Saturday at the First and Last Chance Bar, located at 8250 Highway 93, north of Eureka.
Weigh-ins for the double-elimination tournament are from 1 to 3:30 p.m. with the first 50 entries getting a free T-shirt.
There is a $20 entry fee for the first class and $10 for additional classes. Men’s weight classes for right handers include: under-154 pounds, 155-176, 177-198, 199-220 and 221-and-over. Men’s left-handed classes are split into less-than-185 and 186-and-over.
Women’s right hand classes are split into less-than-133 and 133-and-over.
Aditional weight classes are open for local men’s amateurs in less-than-176, 177-198 and 199-and-over.
Competition begins at 4 p.m. Trophies and cash prizes will be awarded. Spectators ages 18-and-up are welcome with no cover charge.
For more information call Matt Phillips at 209-4121 or Dave Clark at 889-3443.
Bozeman hires new football coach
BOZEMAN — Bozeman High School has named Levi Wesche as its new head football coach, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
He replaces longtime coach Troy Purcell, who left to become the linebackers coach at the University of Idaho after 11 seasons in charge of the Hawks. Purcell won three Class AA state championships at Bozeman.
Wesche was the offensive coordinator on Purcell’s staff and told the paper he will maintain that role as head coach. He also plans to keep the same staff.
Wesche played center on the offensive line for MSU-Northern where Flathead head football coach Kyle Samson was his quarterback for two seasons for the Lights.
Crittenden named to Hampshire Honor Society
Montana Sports Information
MISSOULA — Three Montana football players have eared a place in the 2016 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society, recognizing college football players from all divisions who maintain a cumulative 3.2 GPA throughout their college careers.
Whitefish’s Derek Crittenden adds to his already illustrious resume with a place in the Hampshire Society after being recognized by the NFF as a National Scholar-Athlete, and a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy. Joining him as members of the Hampshire Society is NFL prospect Tyrone Holmes, and former kicker/punter Chris Lider.
Qualifications for membership in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society include being a starter or a significant contributor in one’s last year of eligibility (or a senior who has declared for the NFL Draft); achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout entire course of undergraduate study; and meeting all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.
Crittenden was a four-year letter winner for the Grizzlies from 2012-2015, earning a starting role his senior year. He is one of Montana’s all-time great scholar athletes, maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA with a major in chemistry and minors in Mathematics and Philosophy. He is a two-time CoSIDA Academic all-American, a four-time academic all-Big Sky selection, a finalist for the Campbell trophy, and a finalist for the Rhodes Sholarship, considered the world’s highest academic achievement.
Montana is one of 32 schools that have had at least one student-athlete recognized in each of the Hampshire Honor Society’s 10 years.