Locally: Gonzaga runner Wil Smith breaks own 3k record at Husky Classic

From staff reports

The Gonzaga indoor track and field teams set several program records at the Husky Classic last weekend in Seattle.

On Friday, Lewis and Clark grad Wil Smith improved the men’s 3,000-meter record he set earlier this season, while Kristen Garcia and Willow Collins each put down record times in the women’s 3,000.

Smith turned in his second program 3,000 record of the season to improve his season-best time by 5 seconds (7 minutes, 44.97 seconds).

In the final heats of the women’s 3,000, Garcia and Collins broke the program record set by Alicia Anderson just a couple of months ago. Garcia set the time to beat at 9:27.80. In the following heat, Collins lowered the record to 9:12.03 in the first 3,000 race of her collegiate career.

On Saturday, Ellie Armbruster and Bailee Carr assaulted the GU mark in the women’s 800. For the third consecutive meet, Armbruster lowered the school record, recording a time of 2:08.53. Carr also moved up on the program list to No. 2 with a time of 2:11.79.

• Eastern Washington’s Egypt Simmons set the women’s long jump and triple jump school records at the Husky Classic.

She won both events, clearing 41 feet, 2.75 inches in the triple on Friday before jumping 19-11¾ in the long jump on Saturday.

Spokane Velocity

Spokane Velocity FC is adding more depth to its roster, signing four players who have extensive USL, MLS, and international experience.

Midfielder Andre Lewis won a Jamaican Premier League Championship with Portmore United. Defender Ahmed Longmire was the No. 10 pick in the 2022 MLS Superdraft. Winger Pierre Reedy is a former All-American from Penn State. Goalkeeper Peter Swinkels comes with experience from USL League One’s One Knoxville SC.

All are joining the Spokane Velocity FC for the 2024 season, pending league and federation approval. Spokane Velocity FC men’s team will play as a Division III team in USL League One.

Basketball

Gonzaga freshman Lauren Whittaker was named to New Zealand’s Senior Women’s National Team for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament held last weekend in Xi’An, China.

New Zealand went 0-3 in pool play and did not advance.

Shooting

Tanner Krebs and Ensley Breeden of Spokane Junior Rifle Club qualified for the Civilian Marksmanship Program National Championship based on their scores at a recent qualifying match that doubled as a Washington State Championship.

This was a CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) sanctioned air rifle match consisting of 3-position (prone, kneeling and standing). Two targets were shot in each position at a distance of 33 feet.

Krebs, 14, and Breeden tied for first place with scores of 586, but Krebs was declared state champion with 39 perfect shots to 32 for Breeden.

SJRC Gold won the team state championship with a score of 2,246 out of 2,400. The four shooters were Krebs, Breeden, Spencer Fitzpatrick and Ella Kipp. The group missed the automatic qualifying standard by four points but is hopeful of receiving an invitation to the national championships that will be held at Camp Perry, Ohio, in July.

Soccer

Miguel Guante has joined the Gonzaga women’s soccer program as an assistant coach.

Guante spent six seasons at New Mexico State. The 2023 season was Guante’s second full season as the associate head coach for the Aggies. In 2022, Guante helped lead the Aggies to their best season in program history with a 13-5-3 overall record.

Volleyball

Washington State has hired Cassie (Thompson) Kreiger and Jason Ruppelt as assistant coaches.

Kreiger joins the WSU staff following a three-year tenure as an assistant coach at Whitman College. She also has extensive experience as a coach at the high school and club level with Lewiston High, Club ZZU in Pullman and PAC Juniors in southern California.

Ruppelt spent the previous nine seasons at Northern Kentucky, including the past five seasons as associate head coach.

Ruppelt’s experience at the Division I level spans 17 seasons from multiple stops around the country, dating to his time as a student assistant at his alma mater, South Dakota State University.