By Jeremy McDoanld

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club honored North Salem’s Jackie Bier, Sprague’s Andi Yao and Nidhi Nagaraj (Girls Tennis Doubles Team), Sprague’s Caleb Hurley and Jabin Barkes.(boys Tennis Doubles Team), McNary’s Elijah Clendening (Boys Golf), and Blanchet Catholic’s Joseph Beyer (Boys Golf) and Sprague’s Emily Keel (Girls Golf)

Here’s the Press Release:

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from North Salem Track and Field, is Jackie Bier.

Jackie, a junior, is a team captain for the Viks. Jackie currently leads the conference and is second in the state in the 100-meter hurdles. She is also the current conference leader in the 300-meter hurdles and holds a top ten time in the state. A three-sport athlete at North, Jackie is also involved in several clubs and activities.

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athletes of the Week, from South Salem Girls Tennis, is the doubles team of Andi Yao & Nidhi Nagaraj.

Andi and Nidhi are juniors for the Saxons. Heading to the state championship tournament they are undefeated with 15 wins. 13 doubles and 2 singles for Andi and 14 doubles and 1 singles win for Nidhi. Andi and Nidhi went to State last year as well, where they competed strongly against some of the best duos in Oregon, some of whom will be playing Division 1 tennis in college. At the district tournament Andi and Nidhi were seeded #1 for the Central Valley Conference where they beat Sprague’s #1 doubles team for the 3rd time this season to win the doubles title, securing 1st team All-League honors and another trip to State.

Coach Nancy Cox added, “They are a dynamic doubles duo!! Both are the most wonderful girls who bring nothing but positivity and smiles to practice every day and set an example of hard work and leadership for the entire team. They have meshed as a doubles team and have played together enough now that they have come to the point where they know what shot the other is going to hit or where the other is going to move. They have gelled into the best doubles teams to come out of South in my history as a coach. They are both IB diploma candidates excelling in the classroom, both went to DECA Nationals this year and both are absolute gems to have around. I am the luckiest coach to have these two on my team this year and to get to have them around next season for their senior year.”

Andi and Nidhi were both AOTW last season as well.

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athletes of the Week, from Sprague Boys Tennis, is the doubles team of Caleb Hurley & Jabin Barkes.

Caleb is a senior and Jabin a sophomore for the Olys. Caleb and Jabin were runners-up at districts defeating the #2 seed South Salem team in the semifinals. The win earned the duo the right to face teammates Jake Horn and Jacob Hoda in the District finals. While they fell to Horn and Hoda at Districts they, nevertheless, did qualify for State.

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from McNary Boys Golf, is Elijah Clendening.

Elijah is a junior for the Celts. For the 2nd year in a row Elijah qualified for the OSAA state golf tournament as an individual qualifier as the result of his conference tournament performance. At districts he had a two-day total of 146 finishing second to teammate Colby Sullivan. At State he posted a 77 on day one and improved three strokes on the second day to finish with a 151 and a 12th place finish overall.

Coach Lomax added, “In addition to being an excellent golfer, he is a wonderful student. Elijah has a 4.02 weighted GPA and challenges himself with McNary’s most challenging courses. He also has a great passion for working closely with the McNary Unified Sports Program. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.”

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from Blanchet Catholic Boys Golf, is Joseph Beyer.

Joseph is a sophomore for the Cavaliers. At the 3A, 2A, 1A – Special District 2 Boys Golf Tournament, Joseph finished tied for 2nd. He shot a personal record 3 over par 75 on Day 1 and followed it up with a very steady 81 on Day 2. The district tournament was played at Chehalem Glenn Golf Course, which is a difficult course and a very demanding walk. He led the Blanchet boys’ team to a state qualification for the second year in a row where they finished with a 9th place finish overall.

At State, which was held at Tokatee Golf Course in Corvallis, Joe finished 17th after an amazing first day performance. He made a hole-in-one on his second hole – hole #11 – which is 175 yards. He hit an 8 iron. He finished the first day at a 4 over par 76, tied for 7th, and closed out day two with an 84 which included 8 pars and a birdie.

Coach Jones added, “Joseph faced significant adversity in his sophomore year with increased expectations. His scoring average was higher than expected for the majority of the season. He never gave up and kept a positive attitude. He broke through in the final couple of weeks leading up to the district tournament and peaked at the perfect time.”

Joseph was also honored last season.

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from Sprague Girls Golf, is Emily Keel.

Emily is a junior for the Olys. She led the Oly girls to a CVC championship. Emily’s two-day score was a 167 shooting 88 on the first day and dropping 9 strokes for a 79 on day two. At the OSAA state tournament Emily finished 9th overall shooting a 77 on the first day with 9 pars and 2 birdies, and an 82 on the second day where she had 10 pars and a birdie.