Locally: Whitworth’s Jessica Schmautz makes American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American team

Jessica Schmautz of Whitworth, the Northwest Conference Player of the Year, has been named honorable mention on the American Volleyball Coaches Association 2018 Division III Volleyball All-American team.

The senior from Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) and Community College of Spokane was earlier named first team on the AVCA All-West Region team after the 5-foot-7 outside hitter dominated NWC statistics and led the Pirates to a 19-8 record and second place in the conference.

Schmautz averaged 4.21 kills per set and her NWC-leading 413 kills were 127 more than the runner-up. She hit .239 and added 2.89 digs per set, 37 blocks, 23 services aces and averaged 4.7 points per set. She was the NWC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week five times during the season.

Baseball

The Spokane Indians have been named for a third time by Baseball America the Short-Season/Rookie League recipient of the Bob Freitas Award, which recognizes the top overall operation at each level of the minor leagues.

It is named for the longtime Minor League Baseball ambassador and former two-term Northwest League president. The Indians, whose previous wins were in 1991 and 2003, have the most wins of any team at the short-season and rookie level.

Inaugurated in 1989, the award recognize franchises for their community involvement, long-term business success and consistent operational excellence.

“The Freitas Award is one of the most prestigious in sports and we’re extremely honored to have been selected by Baseball America,” Indians vice president Otto Klein said. “This recognition is a true testament to the hard work of our staff and the team’s longstanding commitment to our community.”

Baseball America praised the Indians’ Redband Rally campaign, which was introduced in 2017 and raises awareness and funds to help protect the Spokane River’s signature fish, the redband trout. The publication also lauded the team’s relationship with the Spokane Tribe of Indians, highlighting the team’s Salish jerseys that have been featured in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Indians set a franchise attendance record in 2017, drawing 198,423 fans, and reached the NWL Championship Series for the first time since 2010.

College scene

Riley Martinson of Deer Park, a sophomore at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Arizona), collected a couple of All-America honors following the completion of the 2018 women’s soccer season.

Martinson was selected to the NAIA Women’s Soccer All-America second team after being named the California Pacific Conference Player of the Year, and was named a Google Cloud NAIA Women’s Soccer Academic All-American.

Honorable mention on the 2017 All-America team as a freshman, Martinson led the conference with 42 points and 12 assists and was second in goals with 15 as she led the Eagles to an 18-3 record that included a late-season 13-game win streak.

Embry-Riddle, 10-0 as undefeated conference champion, was ranked 10th in the final NAIA coaches’ poll after losing its second-round match in the NAIA Championship tournament that brought an end to the win streak.

She earned her first Google Cloud academic honor with a 3.90 GPA in electrical engineering.

• Taylor Mims, a senior outside hitter who has led the Washington State offensive attack throughout her four-year career, was named to the 2018 American Volleyball Coaches Association Pacific North All-Region team.

Teammates McKenna Woodford, a senior outside hitter, and redshirt junior middle blocker Jocelyn Urias received honorable mention. Woodford (433), Mims (394) and Urias (288) are first, second and third on the Cougars in kills and are among team leaders in blocks and hitting.

• Aubrey Stephens of Colville, a Western Washington senior, had 18 digs for the No. 3-seeded Vikings, who lost in five sets to No. 1 seed University of Tampa in the NCAA Division II volleyball championship match last weekend in Pittsburgh.

Western, in its second national final, lost a 30-match win streak and finished the season 30-4. The Vikings wound up ranked No. 2 behind No. 1 Tampa.

• Unbeaten Northwest Conference champion Whitworth landed three players on the 2018 D3football.com All-West Region first team.

Senior offensive lineman Tyler Adamson was named to the first team, senior defensive lineman Chad Wilburg was named to the second team and junior linebacker Kale Wong was on the third team. All were first-team All-NWC selections.

Adamson, the Pirates’ first first-team all-region choice since 2008, anchored an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks (1.67 per game) in the NWC and led the league in total offense (459.6 yards) and rushing yards (181.6) blocked six field goals or extra points on special teams.

Wilburg, the NWC co-Defensive Player of the Year, led the league with 13 sacks for 78 yards and was second in tackles for loss (18 for 88 yards). Wong led the Pirates with 47 solo tackles, 78 total tackles and three forced fumbles.

• Eastern Washington junior Keshun McGee was named the Big Sky Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week for marks in the Candy Cane XI Meet on Dec. 1 in Cheney that put him first in the nation in the triple jump and second in the long jump.

McGee, the 2017 Big Sky Indoor champion in the triple jump and 2018 outdoor champion in the long jump, went 51 feet, 3 3/4 inches in the triple jump and 24-7 1/4 in the long jump, winning both events. It was third weekly Big Sky honor of his career.

• Katie Collins, a Central Washington senior from Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) and Community Colleges of Spokane, was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week.

She placed second in the open 600 meters at the Candy Cane XI meet in Cheney. In the heptathlon, she was third in the 800 and ran 9.11 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles.

• For the third time this season, Carroll College senior Match Burnham from Liberty is the Frontier Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 23 points, seven rebounds, two assists and 1.5 blocked shots as the Saints improved to 11-0 with wins in their first two conference games. He shot 57 percent from the field – 5 of 10 on 3-pointers – and was 15 of 17 on free throws.

• North Idaho College sophomore guard RayQuan Evans was the Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week after he averaged 19 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and three steals in leading the Cardinals to three victories Nov. 29-Dec. 1.

“RayQuan is a huge part of our early-season success,” coach Corey Symons said of NIC’s 6-0 start. “He is able to score the ball at all three levels and does a great job on the defensive end of the floor. This past week he led us in all categories and helped us get three quality wins.”

• Whitworth sophomore Ryan Grady was named Northwest Conference Men’s Swimmer of the Week after winning two individual events and was part of three winning relays in the Logger Invitational.

His 2-minute, 2.92-second time in winning the 200 breaststroke set a meet record. His times in five events lead the NWC, and the Pirates’ three relay times also lead the conference.

• Whitworth senior Marissa Mount, who has a 4.0 GPA as an accounting and finance major, received the NCAA Elite 90 award at the Division III women’s cross country championships.

The award is presented to the student-athlete at each the NCAA’s 90 championships with the highest cumulative GPA. Mount also earned NCAA Division III All-America honors by finishing 38th.

• Four area athletes were named to Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country All-Academic teams with GPAs of 3.2 or above.

Liam Cossette, a Ferris junior at Western Washington, was a repeater on the men’s team, where he was joined by Northwest Nazarene sophomore Grant Brookover from Chewelah.

The women’s team included repeaters Tracy Melville, a Western Washington junior from Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, and Rachel Bayly, a Western Oregon junior from Moscow, Idaho.

• Melville was one of three area runners who was part of the Western Washington women’s cross country team that finished 20th at the NCAA Division II National Championships last weekend in Pittsburgh.

She ran 6K in 25:12.7 and finished 163rd, three spots behind redshirt freshman teammate Shawnee Konrad from Mt. Spokane (25:10.8). Rebecca Lehman, a freshman from University, was 172nd (25:21.7).

• Marissa Mount of women’s cross country and Kale Wong of football have been selected the Whitworth student-athletes for November.

Wong, a junior, led the Pirates in tackles (31) and tackles for loss (3.5) during their playoff run and final two regular-season games. The linebacker also intercepted a pass and broke up two others.

Mount, a senior, earned All-America honors by finishing 38th at the NCAA Division III National Championships, where her 4.0 GPA earned her an Elite 90 award as the student-athlete with the best GPA at the site. She was also All-West Region in November.

Football

Bob Guerin, one of seven members of the Spokane Collegiate Football Officials Association selected for Division I playoffs or bowl assignments, has retired after 20 years of service to the Big Sky Conference.

He was the head line judge for the Dec. 1 second-round FCS playoff game in Kennesaw, Georgia, where Kennesaw State defeated Wofford College 13-10.

Three Spokane officials will work on the crew for the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl in Orlando, Florida, between Mississippi State and Iowa – John Love (center judge), Shane Anderson (side judge) and Steve Currie (field judge). Spokane’s Steve Hudson will be the back judge for the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 in New Orleans between Texas and Georgia.

Jim Northcott and Dan Antonietti, the replay booth crew for the Pac-12 Championship game in which Washington defeated Utah 10-3, will serve in the same capacity for the Dec. 26 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas between Boise State and Boston College. Northcott will be the replay official, Antonietti the communicator.

High school scene

Lewis and Clark juniors Wil Smith (47th) and Patrick North (83rd) led the showing by area runners in the Nike Cross Country Nationals on Dec. 1 in Portland.

Smith ran the 5K course in 15 minutes, 43.3 seconds. North timed 16:04.9.

Six others came in under 16 1/2 minutes: Sheamus Mahoney (sr., Central Valley, 16:17.7, 106th), Brett Bergler (sr., LC, 16:18.3, 107th), Tyler Hunter (jr., CV, 16:19.6, 113th), Joseph Nichols (sr., CV, 16:20.1, 115th), Patrick Korus (sr., LC, 16:26.2, 129th) and Ethan Crawford (jr., LC, 16:27.3, 133rd).

Also in the field of 204 boys were DJ Sheneman (sr., CV, 17:01.3), Josh Nelson (sr., CV, 17:12.9), Danny Maxwell (sr., LC, 17:16.4) and Anders Nielson (sr., LC, 17:56.0).

Letters of intent

Idaho volleyball: Peyten Ely, S, Lewiston; Alaina Lacey, L, Richland; Travel Morris, MB, Spring, Texas; Kyra Palmbush, MB, Mountain View, California; Hailey Pelton, S, Ferndale, Wash.

WSU women’s golf: Darcy Habgood, Australia; Ji-Ye Ham, Thailand; Janine Surge, Seattle (Holy Names).

Shooting

Spokane Junior Rifle Team’s Mason Maystrovich and Cassidy Wilson finished second and third, respectively, in the 2018 Washington State Indoor International Rifle Championships Oct. 28 at the Spokane Rifle Club and in Olympia with scores compared to determine results.

Maystrovich, 17, from Northwest Christian, shot 1,131 in the small-bore match with competitors taking 40 shots in each of three positions (prone, kneeling and standing) from a distance of 50 feet. Wilson, 18, homeschooled, shot 1,130. The winner shot 1,141.