Greater Spokane League announces 2017-18 scholar-athlete awards
The Greater Spokane League announced its 2017-18 Scholar-Athlete Awards via press release on Wednesday.
The winners will be recognized on Thursday at the annual award luncheon at the Spokane Club.
Each year the GSL recognizes students who excel in the classroom, community and athletics. A male and female student is recognized from each school. This year’s winners are:
Central Valley
Lacie Hull has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the national honor society, DECA, Key Club, and Green Team. She earned nine varsity letters; one in volleyball, four in basketball and four in track.
Hull earned all-GSL basketball first-team honors her last three seasons and honorable mention as a freshman. She was named to the all-state tournament team in 2016 and 2018 following Central Valley’s two state 4A championships and was an all-tournament selection at the 2018 GEICO Nationals tournament, which CV won.
Hull was named Associated Press all-state her senior year, was Seattle Times co-player of the year and was named to USA Today’s all-state second team.
Hull was all-GSL first team in track in 2015 and 2017 as a member of CV’s 4x4 relay team that placed fifth in state in ’15 and second in ’17.
Hull will attend Stanford where she was awarded a full-ride basketball scholarship and is considering majoring in either engineering or business. She has volunteered for the Special Olympics, the Humane Society, and the Spokane Stars Basketball Club.
Lexie Hull has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, DECA, and Key Club. She earned eight varsity letters; one in volleyball, four in basketball and three in track.
Hull earned GSL basketball MVP following her junior and senior seasons, first team as a sophomore and second team as a freshman. She was all-state tournament MVP in 2016 and 2018 following CV’s state 4A titles and MVP of the GEICO Nationals championship game this season.
Hull was named 2017 and 2018 Washington state Gatorade girls player of the year. Following her senior season she was named Associated Press all-class player of the year, Seattle Times co-player of the year, Washington’s Miss Basketball, USA Today state player of the year and MaxPreps first-team all-American.
In track, Hull was all-GSL first-team and placed fifth at state on a 4x4 relay team in 2015
Hull will attend Stanford University where she was awarded with a full-ride basketball scholarship. She is currently undecided on her major. She has volunteered for the Special Olympics, the Humane Society, and the Spokane Stars Basketball Club.
Grant Hannan has a 3.93 GPA and is a member of the national honor society and DECA. He earned nine varsity letters; three in football, two in basketball and four in track.
Hannan was voted football team captain and named GSL Offensive MVP, helping CV to third place in state his senior season. He was nominated to play in the all-state football game. In basketball, he was voted team captain and defensive player of the year. In track he has won a GSL league title, placed at districts and regionals and was voted team captain and sprinter of the year.
Hannan is undecided on a college but plans to major in business marketing. He volunteered at a non-profit which helps at-risk teens and at a clinic that assists children with disabilities.
Ferris
Annika Briggs has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, Senior Advisory and yearbook Editor-in-Chief. She earned eight varsity letters; four in volleyball and four in track.
Briggs was named all-GSL first team volleyball her senior season and helped her team reach regionals. She placed ninth at state as a sophomore in high jump.
Briggs will attend Saint Martin’s on academic and athletic scholarships to play volleyball and plans to major in Civil Engineering. She has volunteered at her church, school blood drives and at volleyball camps.
Mike Ervin has a 3.9 GPA and belongs to three choir groups, spoke at a school assembly for Martin Luther King Day and earned seven varsity letters; four in basketball and three in track.
Ervin earned all-GSL first team as a senior and junior, second team as a sophomore and honorable mention as a freshman. He is second in career scoring at Ferris and was MVP at the Avista Holiday tournament 2017. In track, his 4x400 team won the regional title in 2017.
Ervin is undecided on a college but plans to study sociology. He has volunteered at Second Harvest food bank and at Ferris’ summer youth basketball camp.
Gonzaga Prep
Makena Dodson has a 3.96 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, liturgy club, and pupcake club. She earned eight varsity letters; four in soccer, two in basketball and two in track.
Dodson was named captain of the soccer team her senior year and helped the team to fourth in state in 2016.
Dodson will attend Point Loma Nazarene on academic scholarships and the Army National Reserve Scholar-Athlete award and hopes to play intramural sports while studying nursing. She has volunteered at Cooper Elementary School, leads youth soccer and basketball camps and aided her father and other local dentists on a mission trip to Guatemala.
Daniel Dougherty has a 3.796 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and has served in class council, ASB, and Campus Ministry events/retreats. He earned six varsity letters; four in wrestling, and two in soccer.
He was captain of the wrestling team his senior season and placed fourth in districts as a junior and third his senior season. He scored five goals with five assists during his sophomore and junior seasons.
Dougherty will attend Gonzaga on a Dean’s scholarship and plans to major in Spanish and Biology. He was awarded the Lantry-Sherman U.S. History award his junior year and was awarded the President’s award for Academic success. He volunteered at Willard Elementary and the Union Gospel Mission summer camp and was as a retreat leader and on the food drive committee at G-Prep.
Lewis & Clark
Katie Thronson has a 3.7 GPA and is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and earned seven varsity letters; four in cross country, and three in track.
Thronson was captain of the girls cross country and track and field teams her senior season. She won the 4A state cross country individual title her senior year to lead LC to a team title. She placed second in state as a junior, fifth as a sophomore and 17th as a freshman. She earned all-GSL honors each of the last four years and all-state the last three.
Thronson is a two-time Footlocker National All American, Gatorade state girls cross country runner of the year and winner of the prestigious Nike BorderClash Race.
In track, she was eighth in the 3,000-meter race at the U.S. Junior Nationals in 2017, third in state in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races as a junior and fifth in state in the 3,200-meter race as a sophomore. She holds every LC record from 1,600 meters through 5,000 meters.
Thronson will attend Tennessee on academic and athletic full scholarships for cross country and track and will major in biology following a pre-med academic track. She has volunteered at Deaconess Hospital and interned as a coach at the Spokane Mercury Club.
Spencer Swaim has a 3.96 GPA and earned eight varsity letters; four in cross country and four in track.
Swain was cross country all-GSL first team as a junior and second team as a senior. He competed at state twice and helped LC to the 4A title as a senior. He competed in regionals all four years of cross country and is a three-time regional competitor for track. He was a two-year captain in both track and cross country.
Swaim is undecided on a college but has been awarded both merit and athletic scholarships in cross country and track and plans to study data analytics and statistics. He has served meals at City Gate and Youth for Christ and has volunteered at Vacation Bible Schools at his church and worked with the homeless in San Francisco.
Mead
Katie Kuka has a 3.97 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, ASB and a peer tutor. She earned eight varsity letters; four in soccer and four in tennis.
Kuka earned soccer all-GSL first team as a senior and was a second-team selection her junior year, leading Mead to a district title in 2016.
In tennis, she earned all-GSL first-team honors at No. 1 singles all four years. She was fifth at state her sophomore season and 12th at state as a freshman. Mead’s girls tennis team was academic state champs in 2016.
Kuka will attend Boise state on academic scholarships and intends to major in psychology. She volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House and traveled to Tijuana, Mexico with her youth group where she volunteered to build a house for a family in need.
Joseph Heitman has a 3.9 GPA and is a member of the National Honors Society and on the yearbook staff. He earned seven varsity letters; three in football and four in track.
Heitman is a two-time football all-GSL first-team wide receiver. During his senior year Heitman tied the school record for most touchdowns receiving in a single game with five. He is the school career leader in touchdown receptions and is second in career receptions and total yards receiving.
In track, Heitman earned all-GSL first-team honors twice his sophomore year and two more times his junior year. As a junior he placed first at state in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and he took second in the long jump, scoring 28 of his team’s 39 points to lead Mead to the state title.
He will attend Washington state on an athletic scholarship for track and field and plans on majoring in the engineering field.
Mt. Spokane
Payton Stiles has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, was awarded the IBEW NECA Scholar Athlete Award and was a four-year member and state champion of DECA. She earned five varsity letters; four in soccer and one in track.
Stiles was a four-year starter and two-time captain of the soccer team, contributing to four league titles and two state births.
Stiles will attend Utah as a recipient of the Freshman Academic Excellence Scholarship and will play soccer. She intends on pursing a business degree. She has volunteered for Generation Alive, Santa’s Helpers, and Bloomsday, and was a member of the Washington Youth Soccer Teen Advisory Board.
Devan Nelson has a 4.0 GPA and is is a member of the National Honor Society, an Associated Press Scholar and was awarded the IBEW NECA Scholar Athlete Award. He earned four varsity letters; three in football and one in track & field.
Nelson earned football all-GSL first-team as a senior at defensive lineman and helped Mt. Spokane earn its fourth straight 3A GSL title and third trip to the state playoffs. He won the Wildcat Award Winner for the football program.
Nelson will attend Washington and intends to study physics and mathematics. He has volunteered at the second Harvest Food Bank in their Bite2Go program and serves as a National Honor Society tutor in mathematics.
North Central
Ashley Sweeney has a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, participates in ASB, is captain of the debate team and softball team. She was the leader of Groovy Shoes planning and participated in theater, both acting and stagecraft. She earned 10 varsity letters; three in slowpitch softball, two in fastpitch softball, four in debate, and one in drama and earned a letter and pin for honor roll.
Sweeney received all-GSL honorable mention for slowpitch softball and a state title in drama.
Sweeney is undecided on a college and has been awarded the T24 Scholarship and the George Nethercutt award. She plans to major in sociology or athletic training and has volunteered for the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, the Guild School, Anna Ogden Hall and within the schools in her community.
Aidan Chaparro has a 3.95 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and has received Certificates of Excellence for Science and Mathematics. He earned four varsity letters in soccer.
Chaparro was all-GSL first team his junior season and second team as a sophomore. He was awarded the “Offensive Player of the Year” and “Most Valuable Player” on the team following his junior season.
Chaparro will attend Seattle Pacific on sports and academic scholarships, will play soccer and plans to major in engineering. He has volunteered with the Hoopfest organization for many years, serving in multiple capacities which include master scoreboard, awards and computer input.
Rogers
Shalyn Thaiss has a 3.7 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, A-team link crew, golf, and school ASB President. She earned three varsity letters in volleyball.
Thaiss volunteers at Spokanimal, the Christmas Bureau and has been a manager for the boys basketball team all four years.
She will attend Whitworth on scholarship and intends to study business management and minor in art.
Andrew Radford has a 3.993 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, Rogers’ Rotary interact club, Skills USA, link crew and senior class vice president. He earned two varsity letters in football.
Radfrod was all-GSL at linebacker his junior season and team captain the past two seasons.
Radford will attend Stanford on scholarship and intends to study environmental sciences. He volunteered with community-focused clubs, largely consisting of peer-tutoring. During his junior year he tutored ELL students.
Shadle Park
Lindsey Schmidt has a 3.85 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, a senior class officer, and president of the Letter Club. She earned eight varsity letters; four in volleyball and four in track.
Schmidt was volleyball team captain and MVP as a senior. She was named all-GSL as a senior and junior and was named 3A all-state her senior year.
In track, Schmidt has qualified for districts in javelin every season and regionals as a sophomore.
Schmidt will attend Western Washington where she received the Western Scholars Award. She has helped run school blood drives and volunteered at the Union Gospel Mission, at elementary schools, the Salvation Army and the Baseball for the Blind team.
Brock Leinweber has a 3.6 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society, Leadership and DECA. He earned 11 varsity letters; three in football, three in basketball, three in baseball and two in DECA.
Leinweber earned all-GSL second-team defensive back as a junior and honorable mention his season season. He was part of Shadle’s 3A league champs for basketball in 2016 and 2017. He was awarded the 2017 NECA/IBEW fall athlete award.
Leinweber will attend Eastern Washington on a Dean’s scholarship. He is considering walking on to the football team and plans to study nursing. He volunteereds at Union Gospel Mission, craft fairs and fund-raising/sponsorships for Shadle Park Booster Club. He coaches youth baseball and at football camps.
University
Claire Dingus has a 3.97 GPA and is a member of National Honor Society, WDFY, and Crimson Crew. She earned 12 varsity letters; four in cross country, four in basketball and four in track.
Dingus was named cross country all-GSL first team four times and all-state first team twice, placing seventh at state her senior season. In basketball, she was named all-GSL second team her senior season and honorable mention as a junior. During U-Hi’s run to eighth place at state this season, Dingus was named to the all-tournament second team. In track, she has earned an all-GSL second-team selection.
She will attend Saint Martins on basketball and academic scholarships and plans on majoring in engineering.
Tanner Christensen has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor society, Key club, and Spanish club. He earned three varsity letters in basketball.
Christensen earned all-GSL first team as a senior and honorable mention as a junior.
Christensen will attend Idaho on basketball scholarship and plans to study finance. He volunteered through the LDS church and Blessings Under the Bridge and attained Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.