Alaska Sports Blog

With the game on the line, the Jacksonville Suns turned to the pitcher who keeps getting it done.

Anchorage’s Corey Madden last night struck out No. 5 hitter Tyler Bortnick with the bases loaded to escape a ninth inning jam in a 5-2 win over Montgomery in Double-A action.

Madden, of East High fame, faced only one batter and threw four pitches – three of them swinging strikes. He earned the win after the Suns scored three times in the top of the tenth inning.

The right-handed reliever improved to 2-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.89.

Madden has allowed just two earned runs in his last 12.2 innings.

His mission has always been to play NCAA Division I basketball, but Anchorage’s Damon Sherman-Newsome had to put his plan on hold last season.

He made a detour and played at a junior college.

But now he’s back on track and going to Colgate University, a prestigious New York school and member of the Patriot League.

“This is what I’ve always been looking for,” he told me. “This is what I play for.”

Sherman-Newsome, of Bartlett High fame, was a four-time all-state star in Alaska and the state’s player-of-the-year runner-up as a senior.

He played his freshman season at Angelina College in Texas, where he averaged 5.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 29 games.

He believes a season of JC ball prepared him for the next level.

“I got to play against a lot of good players. I think it helped improve my game,” he said.

Sherman-Newsome picked Colgate over Columbia of the Ivy League and New Jersey Institute of Technology.

“When I visited I liked the atmosphere and the coach; the whole coaching staff really. It seemed like they are moving in the right direction,” he said. “Coach had a lot to do with it. I talked with him for quite a while when I visited. I got a good vibe from him. It just seems like they are doing what it takes to get to the tournament.”

Academics also played a huge role in his decision.

“You never know with basketball,” he said. “You never know what can happen, so you want to make sure you have something to fall back on.”

As an extra bonus, he will be close to family in New York and Vermont.

“That’ll help,” he said. “In Texas I didn’t really know anybody.”

Sherman-Newsome is part of a new wave of Alaska men’s basketball players at the D1 level. At last count, he made eight.

“Yeah, we’re definitely finally getting a little of respect,” he said.

Here is the list:

Damen Bell-Holter, Oral Roberts [Hydaburg]
Devon Bookert, Florida State [Anchorage]
Anthony Cousin, Illinois State [Anchorage]
Connor Devine, South Dakota State [Wasilla]
Will Egolf, Bradley [Haines]
Damon Sherman-Newsome, Colgate [Anchorage]
Derrick Wilson, Marquette [Anchorage]
Kevin Winford, Eastern Washington [Anchorage]

Arizona State University junior Jordan Clarke of Anchorage is one of 10 finalists for college track and field’s biggest award, The Bowerman.

The Bowerman is awarded annually to the top male and female track and field athletes.

Clarke, of Bartlett High fame, swept the NCAA shot put awards this year, winning both the indoor and outdoor titles with career-best throws as he established himself as one of the most clutch competitors in the country.

He also dominated the Pac-12 Championships by scoring 24 points at the competition, more than any other male competitor to earn Athlete of the Meet honors.

Clarke became just the 15th individual in NCAA history since 1921 to win back-to-back outdoor shot put titles.

The Bowerman winner will be announced Friday.

Anchorage’s Corey Madden continues to make the most out of every situation that comes his way.

No doubt frustrated with going back down to Double-A Jacksonville, the relief pitcher didn’t let it affect his performance in a 7-6 loss today to the Tennessee Smokies.

He closed out the seventh and eighth innings with 1.1 innings of hitless relief.

Madden, of East High fame, lowered his ERA to 2.95 in 13 games with the Suns.

He pitched a perfect inning with two Ks in his lone appearance with Triple-A New Orleans.

Alaska’s Matt Way didn’t have his best stuff tonight, yet it almost didn’t matter because the Laredo Lemurs had his back.

The Lemurs provided plenty of support in a 13-8 win over El Paso during pro ball action in the American Association independent league.

Way, of Sitka High fame, gave up a season high 9 hits and 5 runs in his six innings of work.

It was a much different story in his last start against El Paso when the left-hander caved up the Diablos with a one-hit shutout.

With the win, Way improved to 4-2 while his ERA jumped to 2.34 in seven starts with the Lemurs.

Given up for dead after a scoreless first quarter, Anchorage’s Mario Chalmers came alive in the second half in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

The fourth-year point guard pumped in a new playoff high of 25 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Miami Heat to a 104-98 victory over OKC.

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Chalmers, of Bartlett High fame, scored his team’s final five points down the stretch.

Now he is one win away from becoming the first Alaska basketball player to win a championship in high school, college and the pros.

“Mario Chalmers is a winner,” Dwyane Wade told the TV’s post-game show. “He’s shown it his entire life.”

Interested in being the best? Well, then this clinic is for you. Join X Games gold medalist Jen Hudak and other instructors like Liam Ortega and Di Hiibner in Girdwood this weekend for the ‘Summer Goals, Winter Dreams’ Devo Clinic at Alyeska Resort.

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When it comes to prominent sports families in Alaska, the Simmers are moving up the charts faster than a hit single.

Each of Jef and Sheldonia’s first four children played college sports while the other three are still in high school.

Chantal ran cross country for North Carolina Central, Anna plays basketball at Army, Malina did track for Dartmouth and Louisville, Debbiey plays basketball for Malone, and Gus, Nathan and Uri play basketball for Anchorage Christian.

No surprise, it all started with athletic parents.

The dad was a paratrooper in the Army and served 20 years.

“My average on the Army fitness test was over 100 points in each event,” Jef told me.

The mom also served in the military and was the Army’s European champion in the triple jump. In 1987, she won medals in the triple jump, 100 meters and 4×100 relay.

“All three of Shelly’s brothers played college basketball,” Jef said. “Their uncle, Kenneth Washington, was on a pair of consecutive NCAA championships at UCLA. Their cousin, Jason Heyward, is playing outfield for the Atlanta Braves.”

When it came to sports, though, the Simmers parents never pushed competition on their kids. It came naturally.

“The kids enjoy physical activity,” Jef said. “We engage in massive snow battles during the winter. We like cross-country ski trips through the trails above Anchorage. Picking berries is always a competition … hiking, fishing. We all try to have fun in The Last Frontier.”

When Alaska’s Paige Blackburn goes to Mexico next month it won’t be for the sun and sand.

It’ll be to represent Team USA

The recent Air Force Academy graduate was selected to represent the United States at the North America, Central America and Caribbean [NACAC] Under-23 Championships in Guanajuato.

Blackburn, of Soldotna High fame, enjoyed a super season as a senior this year in which she won the Mountain West Conference javelin title with a school-record toss of 170 feet, 5 inches and was named USTF Mountain Region Female Field Athlete of the Year.

She qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the javelin and discus.

She also became just the second thrower in conference history [male or female] to score in all six throwing events at the Mountain West Conference Championships.