Locally: Washington State’s Charlisse Leger-Walker, Bella Murekatete named to All-Pac-12 preseason team
After winning the Pac-12 Conference Tournament a year ago, the Washington State women’s basketball team is getting some attention ahead of the upcoming season.
On Monday, guard Charlisse Leger-Walker and center Bella Murekatete were both selected to the All-Pac-12 preseason team as voted on by the conference’s coaches and media.
Ledger-Walker, an honorable mention AP All-American a year ago, earned preseason All-Pac-12 honors for the third straight season after helping WSU to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive time. The senior from Waikato, New Zealand, started all 30 games she appeared in and averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 40.3% from the field.
Murekatete, a senior from Rwanda, earned her second preseason All-Pac-12 accolade. She started all 34 games a season ago and was one of three Pac-12 players to rank inside the Top-10 in points, rebounds and blocks, averaging 13.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and blocking 43 shots.
The Cougars return eight players including four starters from last year’s team, which won a program-record 23 games.
Cross country
Behind her first collegiate race win and program 6K record, Rosina Machu of Gonzaga was named the WCC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the period ending Oct. 1.
Machu dominated the Tom Cooney Championship 6K race at the Lakefront Invitational in Chicago on Sept. 29, winning by 24 seconds with a time of 19:20.3. The Zags placed fifth as a team, topping two nationally ranked programs in the process.
Machu’s victory marked her first collegiate race win and shattered the previous Gonzaga program 6K record set by teammate Kristen Garcia (19:44.1) at the 2022 NCAA West Regionals.
Machu’s time of 19:20.3 beats her previous personal best by almost 30 seconds, a mark which she recorded at the NCAA West Regionals last fall.
Golf
PGA Professional Corey Prugh of Community Colleges of Spokane and amateur Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake CC won the Pacific Golf & Turf PNW Pro-Amateur last week at the Pronghorn Club at Juniper Preserve in Bend, Oregon.
Prugh and Hatley finished the two-round event at 16-under par for a one-stroke victory. The teams of Ross Kukula and Kyle Cornett from Oregon Golf Club and Jared Lambert and Blake Kukula from Surfside Golf Course finished tied for second.
The team of Billy Bomar and Andrew Von Lossow from Bomar Putting Company in Post Falls finished tied for 7th at 11-under.
Amy Eneroth and Cameron Langham, representing Kalispel Golf & Country Club, finished in a tie for 12th at 9-under.
Prugh and Hatley also won the event in 2013 and 2021.
The event is a two-man team competition with one professional and one amateur playing a four-ball format.
• Lewis-Clark State College’s Bryden Brown was named Cascade Collegiate Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week.
Brown (70-71-74 – 215), a sophomore from Moscow, Idaho, had one of the best tournaments of his career last week at the Beartooth Invitational in Billings, Montana. He carded 11 consecutive pars to end 1-under after the three rounds. He finished third overall against 60 other golfers to help the Warrior men place second as a team.
LCSC’s Kyla Currie was named Cascade Collegiate Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week, also for her performance at the Beartooth Invitational.
Currie (78-79-79 – 236), a senior from Coeur d’Alene, finished tied for second place. She led the Warrior women to third place as a team with a 20-over individual finish against 50 other golfers.