Locally

Indians ‘voice’ Robertson receives award from NWL

In the 1940s, Bob Robertson played semipro baseball for the Bellingham Bells managed by a man named Joe Martin.

Six decades later, they are connected again.

Robertson, the legendary voice of Washington State University football and since 1999 the radio voice of Spokane Indians baseball, was named winner of the Northwest League’s Joe Martin Award for 2005.

The annual award salutes outstanding contributions to baseball and the NWL.

“I am honored to be recognized by the Northwest League,” Robertson said. “I have a passion for baseball that I try to bring to every broadcast. I am especially pleased to win an award named for Joe Martin, who was a big influence on my baseball life.”

Robertson is a member of the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame.

College scene

Cross country runners are the Community Colleges of Spokane scholar-athletes of the month for October.

The female choice is Katie Compogno, a freshman from Mead, who had two top-10 finishes during the month, one with a personal-best 19 minutes, 35 seconds for 5,000 meters at Lewis-Clark State.

The male winner is sophomore Morgan Saltenberger from Anchorage, Alaska, who lowered his personal best for 8,000 meters by more than a minute with a time of 26:57. He has a 3.12 grade-point average.

•Amy Lawson of Coeur d’Alene (Lake City) continued her solid freshman season on the University of Maine volleyball team, being named the America East Conference Rookie of the Week last week.

As Maine won two matches to clinch a spot in the league playoffs, Lawson averaged 3.0 kills (24 total), 4.12 points and 1.88 blocks (15) and hit a solid .296. For the season, she leads the team with 50 blocks and is second in hitting at .242.

•Rachae Bell of Davenport, a junior at the University of Redlands, has become the school’s first representative on the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-West Region team.

Bell, who earned a second straight first-team all-conference honor, was second in the nation among NCAA Division III players with 8.13 digs per game as of Oct. 30.

•Whitworth landed six men and two women on All-Northwest Conference soccer teams announced last week, including the men’s defensive player of the year, senior Todd Sabrowski.

He was joined on the first team by midfielder Ali Seyedali and forward Niko Varlamos, both juniors, and on the second by defender Trevor Osborne and forward Jonathan Carlson, both seniors, and sophomore midfielder Skye Henderson (Lewis and Clark High).

Selected to the All-NWC women’s first team were seniors Jody Rucinski, a defender, and Ashley Fisk, a midfielder.

A women’s honorable mention is Whitman senior Hillary Chisholm from Lake City of Coeur d’Alene.

•Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-star soccer teams include three former Greater Spokane League athletes.

On the men’s second team is Western Washington senior midfielder Filomon Afenegus from North Central, who led the Vikings with five goals and 11 points.

The women’s first team includes Seattle Pacific sophomore midfielder Kara Hamby from Mead. Northwest Nazarene sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Merrell from Mead is an honorable mention choice.

•Two former area athletes at Central Washington are first-team defensive selections on the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference football team.

Chris Burch, a 6-foot-1 junior linebacker from Inchelium, is one of five unanimous choices, and 5-9 freshman Brandon Kennedy from Gonzaga Prep is a defensive back selection.

•Whitworth had five players from football and two from volleyball named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII College Division teams.

From football are junior offensive lineman Jon Erienmeyer from Moses Lake (3.47 grade-point average in applied physics), and Steve Honeyman (3.96, economics and international business); junior wide receiver Nick Kuntz (3.86, biology); senior nose tackle Austin Richard (3.35, secondary education), selected for a second straight year; and junior linebacker Nick Portrey from Ritzville (3.53, international business).

Volleyball selections are senior setter Bekah Hornor from Mead (3.82, biology) on the first team and senior outside hitter Brittney Bower (3.75, chemistry) on the second.

•Washington State seniors Ashley Lara (3.91, human nutrition and food) and Alix Rustrum (3.7, pharmacy) have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII University Division team for women’s soccer.

•George Josten (3.89, civil engineering), a sophomore forward for Gonzaga University’s men’s soccer team, has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII All-Academic team.

Golf

Lianne Matkin from Northwest Christian, who had top-12 state finishes the last two years, has signed a national letter of intent with Western Washington.

Matkin tied for 10th at state last spring to help lead NWC to the 1A/B girls championship. She was 12th at state as a sophomore after placing third at district.

•Idaho coach Brad Rickel announced the addition of one man and one woman to Vandals teams.

Slated to join the men is Brad Tensen from Capital of Boise. He was fifth in the PNGA Championship, tied for first in the 2005 Idaho high school championships and was second in the Idaho State Junior.

Beth Stonecypher from Yelm, Wash., will join the women. She was 18th in the Junior Worlds and eighth in the Junior America’s Cup in 2005.