Linebarger, Spivack headed to Div. I ranks
Reed was one of the numerous schools throughout Northern Nevada, and the nation, on Wednesday to hold a signing ceremony for athletes going on to continue their careers at the next level.
In total, seven Raiders from five different sports signed letters of intent at the event held in Reed’s gym after school.
Makayla Linebarger, one of the best pole vaulters in the country, signed with Oral Roberts University – a Div. I program in Tulsa, Okla. Last month, at the Fallon Elks Invitational, Linebarger set a new state record of 13-06.
Her personal best ranks fifth in the nation for the spring outdoor season. It is also just 3.75 inches shy of the school record at Oral Roberts, set in 2009. The tallest height cleared by an ORU pole vaulter this season is 13-05.
Linebargers’s teammate and fellow pole vaulter, Rachel Rhoads, will compete at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, Ore. Rhoads will also play soccer.
Wide receiver Michael Spivack was the second athlete committing to a NCAA Div. I program. Spivack will continue to catch passes at Drake University – an FCS program in Des Moines, Iowa.
Spivack was one of the 4A North’s most dangerous deep ball threats this fall. He caught 45 passes for 900 yards and 12 touchdowns – averaging a staggering 20 yards per reception.
He finished his Reed career with 79 catches for 1,466 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Bulldogs went 7-4 in the fall and will lose their top pass catcher to graduation.
Spivack will be the seventh Reed football player in five years to play the Div. I level. Four of the prior six – Austin Corbett (2013), Trae Wells (2014), Cody DeHaan (2015) and Nick Gregg (2016) – went to Nevada. Parker Houston (2016) developed into a regular contributor at tight end for San Diego State last season. Devin Gray (2013) was Cincinnati’s leading receiver in the fall.
Allie Hughes will play softball at Montana State – Billings, an NCAA Div. II program that has attracted numerous players from Northern Nevada, particularly Reed and Spanish Springs. Five of the 20 players on the Yellowjackets’ roster graduated from one of the two large schools in Sparks.
Hughes is batting an obnoxious .538 this spring for the Raiders (17-2-1, 7-2) with three home runs, three triples, five doubles, and 19 RBIs – the second most on the team.
Bianca Beterano will play softball at Feather River Community College.
Zoe Scott will play basketball at Edmonds Community College in Lynwood, Wash. – 10 miles north of Seattle.
Kate Borsz will throw shot put at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore.
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