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COLLEGE NOTEBOOK: Norling leads Tigers to fourth straight KCAC Championship title

MAX OSWALD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 weeks, 6 days AGO
by MAX OSWALD
I grew up in the small town of Orwigsburg, Pa., where I resided all of my life before moving to Sandpoint. I attended Blue Mountain High School, where I participated in cross country and track and field, a sport that I ended up falling in love with. I went on to attend and run for DeSales University (with other brief stints at Susquehanna University and Elizabethtown College) and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport communication with a minor in sport management. I remember just how great it made me feel when I was mentioned in my hometown newspaper. I want to be able to give that feeling to every athlete in Bonner County, no matter how big or small their accomplishments are. As an athlete myself, I know how many hours of work are put in on a daily basis, and that hard work deserves to be recognized. It is my goal to cover as much of the Bulldogs, Spartans and Wampus Cats as I can. I want to work with every athlete, parent, coach, administrator and the community to ensure the best stories are published. | February 17, 2025 12:00 PM

Caleb Norling, Olivet Nazarene University Swimming

A 2023 graduate of Sandpoint High, Caleb garnered multiple top finishes, including a gold and a bronze, as the Tigers won their fourth straight Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Championship at the Hobart Aquatic Center this past Thursday, Feb. 13, through Saturday, Feb. 15. Caleb placed sixth out of 14 swimmers in the 1,650-yard free (17:00.56), fourth out of 16 swimmers in the 500 free (4:46.56), third out of 16 swimmers in the 200 free (1:43.67) and was part of ONU's winning 800 free relay (6:52.15), which handily defeated five other squads and were just .51 seconds from the all-time conference meet record. The Tigers beat out seven other conference teams and totaled 829 points, 184 more than second-place Midland University (Fremont, Neb.) at the championship meet. Between both the men and women, ONU won half of the swimming events (19 out of 38) and set six new conference records. The Tigers will continue their postseason run at the NAIA National Championships, set to be held Wednesday, Mar. 5, through Saturday, Mar. 8, at the Elkhart Aquatics Center in Elkhart, Ind. 

Teagun Holycross, University of Montana Track & Field

A 2020 graduate of Priest River High, Teagun placed third out of 20 runners with a time of 6.90 seconds in the 60-meter dash at the Whitworth Indoor Invite held this past Friday, Feb. 14, and Saturday, Feb. 15, at The Podium in Spokane. In the preliminary round, he ran a time of 6.88 seconds, just .03 seconds away from his personal record. He also finished seventh out of 52 in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.97 seconds. The Griz will compete next at the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships, set to be held Thursday, Feb. 27, through Saturday, Mar. 1, at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Braylyn Bayer, Weber State University Golf

A 2024 graduate of Bonners Ferry High, Braylyn competed as an independent for the Lady Wildcats, finishing 71st out of 80 golfers with a score of 35-over-par across three rounds at the Bowling Green State University Women's Intercollegiate Invitational held this past Tuesday, Feb. 11, and Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz. She improved in every round, going from a 14-over-par to 11-over-par to 10-over-par, and tallied 29 pars and a birdie throughout the tournament. Weber State, which travels to the Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational set to be held Friday, Mar. 7, through Sunday, Mar. 9, at the Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George, Utah, beat out 13 other NCAA Division I schools to win the tournament.

Avery Bayer, Idaho State University Golf

A 2024 graduate of Bonners Ferry High, Avery, competing against her twin sister Braylyn, tied for 75th and was second for the Lady Bengals at the Bowling Green State University Women's Intercollegiate Invitational, finishing with a score of 38-over-par across three rounds. She also improved in every round, going from a 15-over-par to 13-over-par to 10-over-par, and recorded 25 pars and a birdie throughout the tournament. Avery and Braylyn will meet again at Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational in March.

Berkeley Cox, Macalester College Tennis

A 2024 graduate of Sandpoint High, Berkeley was named to the Dean's List for the 2024 fall semester. In order to achieve this designation at Macalester College, a student must be registered as a full-time, degree-seeking student and hold at least a 3.75 grade point average.

Riley Petesch, California Lutheran University Volleyball

A native of Bonners Ferry who attended and graduated from Granite Bay High (Granite Bay, Calif.) in 2024 in order to pursue his dreams of playing college volleyball, Riley made his collegiate debut, recording two kills, a dig, and a block assist in a 3-0 win over Concordia University of Wisconsin this past Thursday, Feb. 13. The Kingsmen (14-2) travel to No. 16 UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Lilly Carlson, University of Providence Soccer

A 2023 graduate of Sandpoint High, Lilly was named to the President’s Honor Roll for the 2024 fall semester. In order to achieve this designation at the University of Providence, students must be taking classes full-time and hold a 4.0 grade point average.

Helena White, Napa Valley College Basketball

A 2024 graduate of Priest River High, Helena recorded two points (1-1 FG), two rebounds, two assists and two steals in an 80-59 home win over Solano this past Friday, Feb. 14. She also registered two points (1-3 FG), two rebounds and a steal in a 78-41 home win over Los Medanos on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The Storm (16-10), which has won five straight and 11 of their last 12, will travel to Marin today. 

    Braylyn Bayer
 
 
    Berkeley Cox
 
 
    Riley Petesch
 
 
    Lilly Carlson
 
 



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