Locally: Spokane Chiefs to hold annual training camp starting Thursday
The Spokane Chiefs will hold their annual training camp at Spokane Arena with ice sessions Thursday through Sunday.
The camp will feature 84 players, ranging in age from 15 to 20, split into four teams. Further details, including team names and rosters, will be released in the coming days.
The event marks the first time the 2023 draft class will have the chance to participate in a Chiefs’ training camp, including first-overall U.S. pick Brody Gillespie and third-overall WHL prospects pick Mathis Preston.
Practice sessions will take place during the day, followed by two games each night. The camp will follow a tournament style, culminating in the annual Red-White Championship game for the Chiefs Cup on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. between the top two teams from camp.
All games will be free and open to the public. Guests are asked to enter the building at the southeast corner of the Spokane Arena.
The regular season begins September 22 at Kamloops.
• The Chiefs traded forward Jake Gudelj to the Tri-City Americans on Monday in exchange for a second-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2025.
Gudelj played in 119 games in two seasons for Spokane, with 11 goals and 11 assists. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 Western Hockey League prospects draft.
Cross Country
The Big Sky Conference announced its Preseason Cross Country Coaches’ Polls last week, with Eastern Washington coming in tied for fifth on the men’s side and tied for seventh on the women’s.
Idaho placed fourth in the men’s poll and third in the women’s poll.
National power Northern Arizona topped both polls, garnering every first-place vote.
Football
Idaho receiver Hayden Hatten has been named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Preseason Watch List.
Hatten, a consensus FCS All-American and Big Sky Conference Preseason Offensive MVP, is coming off a record-setting season that saw him set the Idaho single-season touchdown record (16) and single-game touchdown record (4). He now has 24 career touchdowns, just three short of Jerry Hendren’s Vandal record of 27.
The Vandals start their season on Thursday at Lamar.
Golf
PNW PGA Professional Blake Snyder of PNW PGA Golf Academy in Issaquah won the Muckleshoot Casino Washington Open Invitational last week.
Snyder finished at 16-under par, with PGA Professional Daniel Campbell of Bellingham G&CC second at 14-under and PGA Professional David Phay of Whidbey GC in Oak Harbor, Washington, third at 13-under.
Community Colleges of Spokane coach Corey Prugh shot 7-under through the three rounds and finished eighth. North Idaho College coach Russell Grove tied for ninth place at 6-under.
In the Pro-Am event, a team representing Bomar Putting Company in Post Falls tied for eighth place. Team members were Andrew Von Lossow, MacKenzie German Johnson, Quinn Mitchell and Darleen Sims.
The team of Amy Berry, Kari Balmer, Jody Balmer, Mark Arquette and Grove, representing North Idaho College, finished 11th.
Swimming
Washington State is set to host three Pac-12 Conference meets during the 2023-24 campaign.
The schedule, released last week, features home meets against UCLA on Oct. 13, California on Oct. 27 and Stanford on Oct. 28.
The schedule also includes the Fresno State Invite (Oct. 6-7), Texas A&M’s Art Adamson Invite (Nov. 15-17), the U.S. Open in Greensboro, North Carolina (Nov. 29-Dec. 2) and the Pac-12 Championships (Feb. 28-March 2).
Sophomores Dori Hathazi and Emily Lundgren are the top returning swimmers and will be seeking a return trip to the NCAA Championships, March 20-23 in Athens, Georgia.
Wrestling
North Idaho College and the Spokane Sports Commission agreed to a partnership to run the Spokane Open Wrestling Tournament on Nov. 19 at the Podium in Spokane.
Open to collegiate wrestling teams or individuals with a USA Wrestling membership, the tournament uses NCAA weight classes and rules for men and NAIA (UWW) rules for women.
Spokane Open Wrestling Tournament Founder Craig Hanson started the event in 2009 and has run it independently since. The tournament helped grow the sport in the Northwest by showcasing collegiate wrestling in the area.
For pricing information and how to register as a team or individual, contact NIC head wrestling coach Derrick Booth at (208) 769-3318. Registration must be completed by Nov. 18.