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LDS Sports
by Kelly L.
Martinez
Update
on Eli Herring, Courtney Johnson making a splash, Jeremy Guthrie
and the College World Series, World-ranking golfer Mike Weir and
more.
Thanks to
all of you that took the time to provide me with feedback and suggestions
following last week's inaugural column of Meridian Sports.
Today's
column will continue highlighting LDS contributors to the athletic
world. Some of those contributions are made in stadiums and arenas
before thousands of onlookers while some are made on a smaller scale-like
in a high school gym on an island in the South Pacific.
For better
clarity, from now on, LDS athletes will be initially referred to
in bold face in this column. Non-LDS individuals will be referred
to in normal font.
Let's get
things started this week with a follow up on an LDS former athlete:
No regrets
In 1995, BYU
football standout Eli Herring made it clear to
NFL teams that he would not be playing professional football. His
reasoning? Sunday is the Lord's day and he was choosing to keep
it holy.
Herring was
projected to be one of the top picks in that year's draft. The Oakland
Raiders made Herring their sixth-round pick anyway, but Herring
did not and has not budged on his resolve since. After a few months,
the Raiders-and all other NFL teams-backed off and he's not heard
from a professional team since.
Now, six years
later, Herring is a math teacher at Mountain View High School in
Orem, UT. He and his wife of eight years have four children. His
church calling keeps him busy, as do his familial responsibilities.
Unable to get
football completely out of his blood, Brother Herring now coaches
the offensive line at Mountain View.
Without hesitation,
he says he does not regret his decision to forego professional football.
Aloha!
Two siblings
in Hawaii have been making their mark on the high school wrestling
world.
Michael
Furuto is a senior and his brother Daniel is
a sophomore at Punahou Academy in Honolulu-which is the oldest high
school west of the Mississippi.
In March, Dan
won the Interscholastic League of Hawaii (ILH) Championship and
the Hawaii State Championship in the 103-pound boys' division. Michael
placed second in the ILH and fourth in the Hawaii State Championships
in the 130-pound boys' division.
Dan also won
the ILH Intermediate Division Championship both in the 8th
and 9th grades as well as placing second in the ILH Junior
Varsity Championship as a freshman. Recently, Dan was awarded the
Outstanding Sophomore Athlete award at Punahou.
Michael will
attend BYU Hawaii in the fall while Daniel will focus on becoming
an Eagle Scout and preparing for next season. Michael is the 1st
Assistant to the president of the priests quorum while Daniel is
the president of the teachers quorum in the Auwaiolimu Ward of the
Honolulu Hawaii Stake, where the boys' father, David,
serves as bishop.
The boys' older
siblings, Linda (who graduated from BYU) and Matthew
(who completed one year at BYU Hawaii) are both currently
serving full time missions in Japan.
Father David
and mother Sharlene are professors at BYU Hawaii.
Oops!
In last week's
column, it was erroneously reported that Spencer Brinton
would have to wait a season to succeed senior quarterback Drew Henson
at Michigan. However, it seems Henson has left Michigan to play
professional baseball and now Brother Brinton will be competing
for the starting job right away.
Making
a splash
On June 3, the
U.S. women's water polo team defeated Italy, 6-5, in Chania, Greece
to capture the Thetis Cup championship.
The U.S. lost
to Italy in the opening round of play on May 31, 7-5, but eked out
a 3-2 win in the second round against Greece when driver Courtney
Johnson scored the decisive goal in the third quarter.
Johnson, a native
of Salt Lake, is currently the volunteer assistant coach for Stanford's
women's water polo team. She graduated from the University of California
in '96 and is now attending the Santa Clara University School of
Law.
For a look at
Sister Johnson's accolades over the years, click here.
Omaha-bound
This weekend,
the Stanford Cardinal will compete-for the third consecutive season-in
the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Returned missionary
Jeremy Guthrie-who served his mission in Spain-will
throw for the Cardinal in this season's bid for a national title.
Guthrie (12-4, 2.58 ERA) picked up the win, 11-1, against South
Carolina last Friday in the opening game of the Division I Super
Regionals. Pitching a complete game, Guthrie gave up six hits and
allowed one unearned run.
Stanford went
on to win the three-game series, 2-1, earning the right to advance
to the College World Series, which get under way this Friday, June
8, in Omaha. Stanford (48-16) will face Tulane (55-11) in the opening
round of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament before a
crowd that will include a certain Commander-in-Chief, President
George W. Bush.
On Tuesday,
June 5, the Pittsburgh Pirates-in the third round of the 2001 Major
League Baseball First-Year Player Draft-selected Guthrie. "It's
exciting to finally know what team you have a shot to play for,"
said Guthrie. "This has been a very exciting year at Stanford. I've
learned so much and been able to get better as a player and a person."
Guthrie's collegiate
career began at BYU in 1998, where he went 5-3 with a 6.10 ERA in
15 starts. Then came his mission, where he didn't touch a baseball
once during the two years. His intention was to return to BYU to
finish playing baseball. However, his parents suggested Stanford,
and-with the help of his old high school coach-Stanford it was.
Guthrie was
twice named Pac-10 player of the week this season. He threw a one-hitter
in seven innings against Florida State on Feb. 9. This season, he
leads Stanford in wins (12), strikeouts (121), innings pitched (125.2)
and games started (18). You can learn more about Guthrie here.
Brother Guthrie's
biggest start of his career will come four days after the NCAA championship
game when he marries his fiancée Jenny Williams.
Mush!
Mush!
In Alaska, Jack
Kowal, of the Anchorage Second Ward, was named as an assistant
hockey coach at the University of Alaska at Anchorage. Kowal, 28,
a graduate of UAA, was a standout hockey player for the Seawolves
from 1992-96. He went on to play three years of professional hockey
in the East Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League.
Kowal returned
to Alaska for the 1999-2000 season and finished his bachelor's degree
in physical education. After graduation, Kowal landed an assistant
coaching job with the Sioux City (Iowa) Musketeers of the US Hockey
League.
Brother Kowal's
main responsibilities at UAA will be recruiting, monitoring players'
academic progress, video break down and on-ice coaching.
In closing
Hand me that
putter, would ya?
I've never met
a one-foot putt I can't sink. Don't ask about the rest of my golf
game.
Speaking of
game, the PGA's Mike Weir is doing quite well with
his game this season. Currently, he ranks 11th on the
2001 PGA Tour's money list with total earnings of $1,376,260. In
the 2001 PGA world rankings, Weir ranks 12th.
Weir has two
career victories on the PGA Tour, the 1999 Air Canada Championship
and the 2000 WGC-American Express Championship. He's finished in
second place twice in 2001 (Genuity Championship and the BellSouth
Championship).
Weir and his
wife, Bricia, live in Draper, UT with their daughters,
Elle Marisa (3) and Lily (1).
From June 14-17,
Brother Weir will be competing in the U.S. Open in Tulsa, OK. You
can view his bio here.
Recently, Weir
shot a one-under par at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio,
to place tied with six others for 30th place. That outing
earned him a cool $24,366.
I should have
been a pro golfer.
Umm... turn
your head, okay? I'm gonna take a Mulligan.
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Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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