Halstead first PNW player named to USA national team
Aberdeen’s Kailand Halstead was selected to compete for the United States 12-and-under national baseball team on Saturday in Castaic, California. He becomes the first player from the Pacific Northwest to be selected to the 12U national team.
Halstead, a 12-year-old Quinault Tribal member who will be attending Miller Junior High School in the fall, was one of 18 players from around the country selected for the team after USA Baseball held a three-day tryout that included head-to-head games featuring some of the top baseball talent from around the country.
The USA 12U team will be competing at the 12U COPABE Pan Am Championship tournament in Aguacalientes, Mexico Aug. 25 through Sept. 2.
Freeman leads Team Evolution at Junior Olympic Championships
Karlee Freeman solidified herself as the best discus thrower in the nation for her age group by taking first place at the United States Track and Field Hershey National Junior Olympic Championships on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Competing for Team Evolution, Freeman uncorked a throw of 48.38 meters (158 feet, eight inches) to win the girls 17-18 discus national championship by nearly four meters over Kathleen Young, who placed second at 44.96.
Freeman also placed third in the girls 17-18 shot put with a toss of 14.09 meters, adding another All-American honor to her trophy case.
Freeman wasn’t the only Team Evolution athlete to make a podium at the national event, as cohorts Nathan Ivey Jr. and McKenzie Salazar also placed in the top eight of their respective competitions.
Ivey Jr. earned an All-American nod when he heaved a shot put 13.02 meters to place eighth in the boys 13-14 competition.
Salazar placed second in the nation in the girls 15-16 shot put with a throw of 13.08 meters, narrowly missing a national title, which was won by Christalee Kirby (13.09).
James-Juneau earns All-American honor
Local track and field athlete JauVon James-Juneau placed eighth in the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Championships last week, earning All-American honors in the process.
James-Juneau’s top mark of 46.73 inches earned him the eighth and final spot on the poduim of the boys 15-16 javelin competition. The top eight places in each event are awarded as All-Americans.
