Local News

Botkin, Sharma, Mohr picked for games

Stephanie Botkin of Kennedy, Niki Sharma of Linn-Mar and Michalyn Mohr of Marion have been selected to play in the 2015 Larry Niemeyer Senior All-Star Games at Kirkwood Community College on Saturday, March 28.

Botkin will play for the 3A/4A/5A Select White team at 2 p.m. Sharma will play for the 4A/5A Grey Team and Mohr will compete for the 4A/5A White Team in a game at 4 p.m.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson Coach Jason Edwards will lead the 4A/5A Grey Team. The event is sponsored by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association (IGCA).

Paige gets academic award in ACC

North Carolina guard Marcus Paige has won the 2015 Skip Prosser Award as the top scholar-athlete among men's basketball players in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Paige, a junior from Linn-Mar, leads the Tar Heels at 13.2 points, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Paige has a double-major at North Carolina in communications and history. To be eligible for the Prosser Award, a student has to maintain a 3.0 GPA or better.

Paige has been a two-time Academic All-American in college.

Keller tosses scoreless inning for O's

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jon Keller of Cedar Rapids got a taste of the Major Leagues Wednesday.

Keller pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Baltimore Orioles in a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers in a spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium.

Keller, 22, a Xavier High School graduate, pitched at the Class A level for Baltimore last season. He hopes to jump to Double-A this season and is getting a look from the Orioles in spring training as one of their top young prospects.

Keller allowed one hit and hit a batter Wednesday. The 6-foot-5 right-hander collected one strikeout and did not walk anyone.

Baltimore selected Keller in the 22nd round of the 2013 draft from the University of Tampa. He has a fastball that normally sits 93 to 96 miles per hour.

Jenks named USA Junior Triathlete of Year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Stephanie Jenks of Linn-Mar High School has been named the 2014 Junior Elite Triathlete of the Year by the USA Triathlon organization, it was announced Tuesday.

Jenks captured the silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in China on her 17th birthday last summer. She also won the Olympic Games qualifier in Mexico, won the PATCO North American Junior Championships in Florida, competed at an international event in Canada and finished the season as the top-ranked junior elite woman in the United States.

"Stephanie was a true international performer in 2014," said Steve Kelley, a top official with USA Triathlon. "She has a bright future in triathlon."

Jenks also has been named an Elite All-American by USA Triathlon.

Jenks, a high school junior, is a member of the track and swimming teams at Linn-Mar.