Locally

Huskies will induct ‘blockbuster’ class

The Washington Big W Club announced the class of inductees for the 2004 Husky Hall of Fame, led by three former football standouts.

“It’s a blockbuster class,” said former Huskies All-American tailback Greg Lewis, who directs the Big W Club. “Hopefully, we’ll have enough room for everyone who will want to attend the event.”

This year’s class includes: former football standouts Napoleon Kaufman, Lincoln Kennedy and Jeff Jaeger; women’s basketball player Rhonda Smith; former swimming coach Earl Ellis; and the members of the 1970 and 71 Huskies men’s crew.

Additionally, former senior associate athletic director Don Smith will be presented the Dr. Don Palmer Award for his contributions to the Huskies athletic department.

Ceremonies will be Nov. 5 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The class will be introduced during halftime of UW’s Nov. 6 homecoming football game against Arizona.

Baseball

Folks attending youth baseball and softball games at Happy Dell Park in Kettle Falls this spring and summer will be able to follow the youngsters’ progress on a new electronic scoreboard dedicated Saturday.

It was a gift from AIA Insurance and Safeco Corporation as part of its “Play Ball” program.

• A clinic for youngsters 12 and under will be held at Harris Field in Lewiston on May 27 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Avista NAIA World Series.

Teams and coaches participating in the 2004 series will be the clinicians. Special guest will be former major leaguer Tim Belcher.

The first 500 youngsters will receive a free T-shirt, and all who attend will receive a free ticket to a World Series game, a hot dog and a soft drink. Info: (208) 792-2289.

Basketball

Former Eastern Washington men’s coach Ray Giacoletti will join new men’s coach Mike Burns and head women’s coach Wendy Schuller at the school’s men’s and women’s basketball banquet Friday at 6 p.m. at the Ridpath Hotel.

Giacoletti, now coach at Utah, led the Eagles to their first NCAA Tournament berth in the 2003-04 season. Shuller led the Eagles to a 13-16 record and their third straight appearance in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

Tickets are $25 per person. An RSVP is required by calling 359-2463 or (800) 648-7697. Highlight videos and a silent auction featuring EWU basketball memorabilia will be featured, with the radio voice of the Eagles, Larry Weir, serving as master of ceremonies.

• The Spokane Stars Elite Blue won the Best of the West girls tournament in Yakima, routing Seattle Team Yes 69-32 in the finals.

The Stars’ Heather Bowman (Lewis and Clark High) led all scorers in with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Jami Bjorklund (University) added 14 as the Stars raised their overall record to 21-1.

In the Best of the West, the Stars were 6-0, including defeating Seattle Title IX 65-41, Seattle Black Magic 78-25 and Oregon Extreme 63-33 in pool play.

In the quarterfinals, the Stars stopped the Seattle Heat 74-49 with three players in double figures. Against Seattle Yes 2005 in the semifinals, six Stars scored nine or more points.

The Stars are off until July 8 and the Oregon City Tournament.

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College scene

Whitworth had two softball players and a baseball player selected to 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII College Division teams.

Andraya Robertson, a junior from Grandview, Wash., was a first-team softball selection with a 3.51 grade-point average in psychology, while Patti Stranger, a junior from Coeur d’Alene High, was a second-team softball pick with a 3.75 GPA in athletic training.

A first-team baseball selection was junior Kyle Henderson from Mossyrock, Wash., who has a 3.53 GPA in computer science.

• Washington State seniors Collin Henderson and Brandon Reddinger were two of only three players from the Pacific-10 Conference named to the 12-man CoSIDA Academic All-District University Division team in baseball.

Henderson, from Puyallup, Wash., who has a 4.00 GPA while working on his master’s degree in athletic administration, earned his fourth such award, the second in baseball. He also earned two in football. Reddinger, from Kennewick, has a 3.71 GPA in biology.

• Ashley Lynn‘s injury-shortened softball season at Wichita State ended on a positive note for the sophomore from Shadle Park.

Lynn, who missed the last two weeks with a knee injury, was an All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection after setting school records in home runs (13) and total bases (103), with 39 RBIs and a .317 batting averag.

She also earned honorable mention on the Valley Scholar-Athlete team with a 3.35 GPA in liberal arts and sciences.

• North Idaho College sophomore infielder Jim Oglesbee from University, was a repeater on the Scenic West Athletic Conference All-Region softball team.

Second-team selections included NIC sophomore catcher Amanda Chamberlain of Moses Lake, freshman pitcher Darci Byrne of Medford, Ore., and freshman infielder Lindsay Riley from Helena.

• Casi Reisenauer, an Eastern Oregon senior infielder from Spirit Lake, was one of only four repeat selections on the All-Cascade Conference softball team.

• Jackie Nuechterlein, a Pacific Lutheran junior outfielder from Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, was a first-team pick on the All-Northwest Conference softball team.

Nuechterlein batted .391, fourth on the team and fifth in the NWC, and was third in the conference in runs with 38 and fourth in hits with 45.

• Four athletes from the Inland Northwest, two of them two-time selections, were named to Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-academic teams in track and field.

Matt Blaine, a Seattle University senior from Gonzaga Prep, earned a second straight honor with a 3.77 GPA in international studies. Andy Prentice, a Saint Martin’s junior from Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, earned his second straight selection with a 3.31 GPA in business.

Women named for the first time were Mindy Newby, a Northwest Nazarene junior from Coeur d’Alene High, with a 3.48 GPA in applied science, and Jackie McCall, a Western Washington sophomore from Medical Lake, with a 3.21 GPA in recreation.

• Senior Lorena Arias from Mexico City received the most valuable player award at the Washington State tennis team’s awards banquet.

Arias and junior Orsolya Sallai shared the strength and conditioning award, and senior Zorana Roganovic, from Yugoslavia, earned the academic award with a 3.71 GPA in international business.

• Two area athletes were among the athlete-of-the-year winners at Whitman College.

Denise Kirstein, a senior volleyball player from Ferris, was co-winner of the top female athlete award. She was the Northwest Conference player of the year in volleyball last fall after leading the league in kills with a Whitman-record 423. She was an NCAA Division III Academic All-Region selection and also played on the basketball team, which shared the NWC championship.

Tyler Chisholm, senior soccer player from Lake City of Coeur d’Alene, was co-winner of the top male athlete award. A defensive specialist, he was a first-team All-NWC selection and Whitman captain. He was also named to the NCAA Division III Academic All-Region team.

• Brent Cummings, a senior forward on the Montana men’s team from Pullman, was given the Allan Nielsen Award, which goes annually to the player who best represents Grizzlies basketball. He’s a four-year letter winner who played in 110 career games.

Cross country

Two Ferris teammates, Justin Houck and Mike Quackenbush, have signed letters of intent to run for the University of Portland this fall.

Houck was fifth in the Washington 4A state cross country championships last fall and was seventh at the 2003 Nike Border Clash. He’s among the state leaders in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Quackenbush was eighth at the Washington 4A cross country meet and 15th at the Footlocker West Regional cross country meet. His personal best for 3,200 meters is 9:14.

Judo

Two girls from Greater Spokane League schools earned third-place finishes in the 23rd annual Pacific Northwest High School Judo Championships last weekend at Kentwood High School in Kent.

Holly Meagley of West Valley was third in the women’s 70kg division and Melissa Tashiro of Ferris was third in women’s +78kg.

Lawn bowling

The Northwest Mixed Triples Lawn Bowling Tournament will be held May 29-31 at the Spokane Bowling Green behind Witter Pool at Mission Park, Mission and Perry.

Teams from Vancouver, Kelowna and Christina Lake, British Columbia, and Seattle are expected to join those from Spokane for the event. Practice begins at noon May 29 with games starting at 2:30 p.m. Games run 9 a.m.-2 p.m. both May 30 and May 31.

Rifle

Elisha Lafond led the Spokane Junior Rifle Team to the Washington state championship and a third-place finish nationally in the National Guard Bureau Junior Rifle Tournament.

Lafond, 15, was the national winner in the Precision Air Rifle standing event with an off-hand score of 392 out of 400.

Other Spokane Junior Rifle Team members, their ages and scores: Amanda Furrer, 13, 378; Eric McNett, 17, 378; Lauren Furrer, 15, 362; Jetti Runkle, 15, 361; Keith McBeth, 15, 347; Ryan Zicka, 12, 291; Cori Hawkins, 15, 275; Rena Hopkins, 12, 264; and Andrew Countryman, 13, 214.

The first four scorers will comprise the Spokane team that will compete in the NGB national tournament June 9-12 in Little Rock, Ark., with the next two going as alternates.

Rowing

Gonzaga University women’s crew coach Glenn Putyrae has signed four athletes to letters of intent, including two from within the state.

Signing with the Bulldogs are Joan Aubry, a coxswain from Olympia High School, who has attended the U.S. Rowing Northwest Regionals the last three years; Kelsey Koenig of Everett, a member of the Everett Rowing Association varsity eight; Michelle McMullen of Clearlake Oaks, Calif., a three-sport athlete and a member of the Clearlake Scullers rowing club; and Cory Nelson of Reno, Nev., a soccer-basketball standout.

Swimming

Three from the state of Oregon are among four who have signed letters of intent with University of Idaho coach Tom Jager, who is resurrecting a program that has been dormant since 1985.

Slated to join the Vandals are JoJo Miller of David Douglas in Portland, breast stroke and individual medley;Jennifer Saylor, Roseburg, the top-rated backstroker in Oregon; Kacie Hogan of Springfield, backstroke; and Emily Weeks of Minot, N.D., state champion freestyle sprinter.