Locally: Cheney High diver Alma Smith qualifies for international competition
From staff reports
Two-time Washington state champion diver and Cheney High School standout Alma Smith will again take his talents to the international stage
Smith, who also competes for Inland Empire Diving, has officially qualified to represent the United States on the AAU Diving National Team.
After his showing at the Red, White, Blue Qualifiers in Portland on April 4, Smith qualified for international competition later this year.
Alma, 17, has been diving for four years and continues to compete at the highest levels in the state. He won the state championship in 2023 and 2024, and finished second this year. He has also made two national championship appearances with Inland Empire Diving.
“Qualifying for international competitions means a lot to me. Growing up, I really only saw sports as a fun activity, but now it’s offering amazing opportunities that I would have never imagined,” Smith said in an Inland Empire Diving release. “I’m more than happy to welcome this in as a new chapter in my life.”
The international event will take place in Rijeka, Croatia, from July 3–6. Alma qualified to compete in the 1-meter and 3-meter events as part of the AAU National Team delegation.
College golf
Gonzaga’s Grace Lee was named the West Coast Conference women’s golfer for March, the conference announced Tuesday.
Lee had three top-10 finishes in three events in the month, highlighted by a first-place finish at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational on March 26. She took medalist honors at the 39th annual event in Hawaii.
She also finished third at the USF Invitational and seventh at the Tulane Classic.
In her win at the Thompson invitational, the junior finished 11 under par (205) in the event. Her second-round 6-under 66 matched the third-lowest round in program history. Her 205 tournament total ranks second lowest at GU, only behind her school record of 200 at the 2023 Coeur d’Alene Collegiate Invitational.
College track
Gonzaga men’s cross country and track and field coach Pat Tyson announced the signing of Jack Huarte on Tuesday. Huarte, a signee from Eastside Catholic High School in Seattle, is set to join the Bulldogs this fall.
Huarte is a four-time State 3A cross country championship qualifier and is coming off a 16th-place finish last fall at the title meet in Pasco to earn first-team all-state honors. One week later, Huarte placed first in the open invite section at the NXR Northwest Regional Championships, running a personal-record time of 15 minutes, 28.20 seconds and winning by 7 seconds.