Locally: Media picks Washington State women’s basketball coach Kamie Ethridge as Pac-12 Coach of the Year
From staff and news services
Kamie Ethridge received her due reward.
Washington State’s head women’s basketball coach, who has the Cougars’ program on the rise, was named the 2021-22 Pac-12 Coach of the Year by the 31 media members who cover the conference.
“Ethridge’s fourth season in Pullman has been a historic one for the Cougars,” the media release reads.
“Winners of nine of its last 12 games to end the regular season, Washington State finished tied for second in the league standings, a program best, set a program record for Pac-12 wins (11), and secured a winning record in the league for just the second time (1990-91).”
WSU, which finished 19-10 overall after the third-seeded Cougars were upset 70-59 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament by No. 7 Utah last week in Las Vegas, “established a program record for wins in the NCAA era,” the media release concluded.
Washington State has experienced unprecedented success under Ethridge. She guided WSU to its first NCAA Tournament at-large bid in 30 seasons in 2020-21, and the Cougars have won a total of 51 games under her, the most by a fourth-year WSU coach.
Cougars sophomore guard Charlisse Leger-Walker was also recognized by the media, named to its All-Pac-12 team, as was Stanford senior Lexie Hull, the Spokane product from Central Valley, who was on the All-Pac-12 and All-Defensive teams. Both were also named to 2021-22 coaches’ All-Pac-12 teams. The coaches picked Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer as their coach of the year.
Hockey
Former Spokane Chiefs defenseman Noah King (2016-20), who is playing at the University of Calgary, was named to the 2021-22 Canada West men’s hockey All-Star All-Rookie team.
The team website said “King has been solid as a defenseman in his first year. One of just three players to appear in all 24 games, King tallied three goals and seven assists during the regular season. He also picked up an assist … in Calgary’s postseason series win over Saskatchewan.”
King was 10th on the team in scoring with one game-winning goal and collected 10 penalties for 20 minutes. He had a -4 +/- rating.
The Dinos advanced to face the top-seeded Alberta Golden Bears in the semifinals of the Canada West Playoffs.
King is among 365 Western Hockey League graduates taking advantage of the WHL Scholarship program to play college hockey during the 2021-22 academic year.
College scene
TJ Davis, an Eastern Oregon junior from Sandpoint High School and Community Colleges of Spokane, won the heptathlon event at 2022 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championship on Friday in Brooking, South Dakota, compiling 5,439 points, 55 better than the runner-up.
Davis, who entered the championships as the leader in the event with a score of 5,248 compiled the only other time he competed in the heptathlon this season, had no finish lower than fifth. He was first in the 60m hurdles, long jump and shot put, second in the 1,000m, fourth in the 60m, tied for fourth in the high jump and tied for fifth in the pole vault.
• The Idaho men, who picked up three victories, finished second at the Big Sky Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 24-26 in Bozeman, Montana, and had a men’s co-most valuable athlete; the Vandals women, who had one winner, placed third.
Eastern Washington, whose women pole vaulters swept the top four places and had five of the first six, had sixth-place team finishes in both the women’s and men’s competitions, whose team titles were swept by Northern Arizona.
Grady Leonard was a double winner for Idaho, capturing the men’s weight throw (69 feet, 4¼ inches) and shot put (61-3½) and was named a co-MVA, and Lorenz Herrmann won the men’s 800 meters (1 minute, 53.14 seconds). The Vandals’ Hannah Ringel won the women’s shot put (51-10½). Idaho had 17 podium finishers.
Morgan Fossen of Eastern won the women’s pole vault (13 feet, 1¾ inches) to lead the Eagles’ sweep of the event. Katrina Terry, the defending outdoor champion, placed second; Savannah Schultz was third; Hally Ruff was fourth; and Rosalie Folger-Vent placed sixth. The Eagles had nine all-conference performances.
• Whitworth is sending four men and freshman Emma Thompson from Mead to the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships on March 16-19 in Indianapolis.
Thompson will swim the 100- and 200-yard backstroke and 200 individual medley.
Whitworth’s contingent is led by Northwest Conference co-men’s swimmer of the year Ryan Grady. The senior will swim the 200 IM, 200 breaststroke and 100 breast. NWC freshman of the year Zachary Washburn will compete in the 50 and 100 free while grad student Jacob Goguen (Ferris) is in the 100 free. Those three will be joined by senior Finn McClone in the 800, 400 and 200 free relays.
• For a second straight season, Washington State senior Chloe Larson has qualified for the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championships March 16-19 in Atlanta. Larson has qualified in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle.
At the Pac-12 Championships Feb. 23-26 in Federal Way, Washington, Larson was a member of the Cougars’ 400 (3:18.27) and 200 (1:30.96) free relay teams that broke school records at the meet, where the Cougars finished eighth. She was joined by Angela Di Palo, Emily Barrier and Noelle Harvey on the record-setting relay teams.
• Daniel Roy, the Stanford senior from Gonzaga Prep, placed fourth in his specialty, the 200-yard breaststroke, at the 2022 Pac-12 Men’s Swimming Championships on Saturday in Federal Way. He timed 1:51.21. The four-time All-American also placed seventh in the 100 breast.
• Carmen Gfeller, a Montana redshirt junior from Colfax, was named Big Sky Conference women’s basketball player of the week on March 1 after she averaged 25.5 points, shooting 65% from the field, in home wins the previous week over two teams the Griz are chasing in the standings. That was highlighted by a career-high 34 points as Montana snapped a seven-game losing streak to rival Montana State. She was 11 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 7 on 3 pointers, and 7 of 8 on free throws.
• Shamrock Campbell, a Carroll College senior guard from Ferris, collected his fourth straight Frontier Conference postseason honor in men’s basketball when he was named to the 2021-22 men’s all-conference first team for a second straight season and the ll-defensive team.
Campbell, who led the Saints in minutes played (34.9) and 3-pointers (58) and was second in scoring (14.2 ppg), had been the Frontier co-freshman of the year in 2018-19 and honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore before the two straight first-team selections.
Jonny Hillman, a Carroll junior guard from Genesis Prep in Post Falls, was named to the Frontier all-defensive team.
• Christine Denny, a 5-foot-9 senior guard/forward from Liberty, who led the Carroll women’s basketball team in blocked shots (18) and rebounds (6.4) and was second in scoring (12.4) and steals (43), was named to the 2021-22 All-Frontier Conference first team for a second straight season. She was a second-team pick as a sophomore.
Joining Denny on the first team for a second straight season was Sienna Swannack, a 5-9 Carroll guard from Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls. An honorable mention selection as a sophomore, Swannack was also named to the 2021-22 Frontier All-Defensive team.
Jaidyn Lyman, a Carroll senior from Mt. Spokane, was named the school’s Champions of Character recipient for women’s basketball.
• Garrett White from Post Falls, a Vanguard University senior forward, repeated on the All-Golden State Athletic Conference men’s basketball team after he led the Lions in scoring with a 16.0 average that ranked fourth in the conference.
A transfer from Community Colleges of Spokane, who played his high school basketball at North Idaho Christian while being home-schooled, White showcased his abilities despite missing six games. He scored in double figures in 20 of 23 games, seven of them 20 points or better, including two with 26 and another of 24.
• Ashton Cathey, a Southern Oregon junior first baseman from Mt. Spokane and Clackamas CC, was the Cascade Collegiate Conference softball player of the week after leading the Raiders to three wins over University of British Columbia.
She hit three home runs, batted 7-for-11 with nine RBI, finishing the week with a .636 batting average and 1.455 slugging percentage. Cathey had hit five home runs in her last six starts.
• Parker Price, a Northwest Nazarene senior infielder who started his collegiate career at Gonzaga before transferring, was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference baseball player of the week on Feb. 28 after batting .467 (7 for 15 with five doubles, two runs and two RBI) as the Nighthawks split with No. 2 ranked Colorado Mesa.
• Whitworth junior Solo Hines broke the school record in the men’s indoor 60-meter dash on Feb. 26 at the Seattle Pacific Final Qualifier, winning the event in 6.83 seconds. He was the only runner under 7.0.
• Tyson Degenhart was honored by the Mountain West Conference with a sixth straight men’s freshman basketball player of the week award on Feb. 28, making it his ninth this season. He was also named freshman of the year. The Boise State forward from Mt. Spokane had 16 points, including his 16th double-figure scoring game, and 10 rebounds in wins over San Diego State and UNLV.
• Xavier Smith, a Central Washington senior guard who played his first two seasons at Idaho before transferring, was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the year.
Also, the GNAC men’s honorable mention list includes Damen Thacker, a Montana State Billings senior guard who also started his career at Idaho, and Tru Allen, a Northwest Nazarene freshman from Lapwai, Idaho, who played his high school ball at Clarkston.
• Community College of Spokane and North Idaho College athletes who received Northwest Athletic Conference Fall Academic Leadership (3.5 GPA or better) and Academic Excellence (3.25-3.49 GPA) Awards:
Leadership Awards:
NIC: Xavier De La Rosa, men’s golf; Alex Lopez, men’s wrestling; Tucker Weatherman, MW; Layla Beam, women’s basketball; Emily Elliott, women’s golf; Sydnie Robins, WG; Madison Hodge, volleyball.
CCS: Jackson Day, baseball; Andrew Evans, BB; Bret Michaels, men’s basketball; Noah Sanders, MBKB; Joel Zylak, MBKB; Travis Hicks, men’s cross country; Jakob Trantum, MCC; Cayden Field, men’s golf; Paul Graham, men’s soccer; Jensen Shypitka, MS; Kian Dolan, men’s track & field; Garrett Guthrie, MTF; Wesley McKee, MTF; Jonathan Watkins, MTF; Madelyn Durham, softball; Kennedy Robinson, SB; Grace Holt, volleyball; Caitlyn James, VB; Jade Larrabee, VB; Kendra Pope, VB; Jaycee Oliver, women’s basketball; Elisabeth Perry, WBKB; Alyssa Lish, women’s golf; Michaela Gunderson, women’s tennis; Phoebe Milatz, WT; Ava Raney, WT; Abigail Ward, WT; Kaitlin Creeger, women’s cross country; Kaidyn Johnson, WCC; Tressa Wood, WCC.
Excellence Awards:
NIC: Daniel Santana, MBKB; Tyler Vassar, MG; Peyton Whipple, MW; Megan Light, WG.
CCS: Brock Bozett, baseball; Brent Bramlet, BB; Braeden Cordes, BB; Rynn Cross, BB; Jeter Schuerman, BB; Eli Mesulam, MBKB; Juan Tapia, MS; Noah Barnes, MT; Tye Lynch, MTF; Brooks Michaels, MTF; Anthony Carlascio, MCC; Giovanni Raskell, MCC; Caleb Schmotzer, MCC; Hallie Habek, SB; Jaycie Irish, SB; Paula Pintler, SB; Kylie Turner, VB; Dejah Wilson, WBKB; Alyson Leonov, WG; Olivia DeShazo, WS; Sydnee Suarez, WS; Baylee Trejo, WS.
• The Gonzaga men’s tennis team, 61st in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings, down from a program-best 46th in the previous ratings, was selected by the West Coast Conference coaches in their preseason voting to finish fourth in the 2022 season.
GU tied for sixth in the women’s poll. Pepperdine is picked to repeat as champion in both polls.
Football
First-year University of Idaho head football coach Jason Eck completed his on-field staff last week by hiring Kapono Roy Asuega, a 2013 graduate of Gardner-Webb, North Carolina, as outside linebackers coach.
Asuega, whom Eck said comes highly recommended by former Vandals consensus All-American Mike Iupati, joins the Vandals after two seasons at New Mexico Highlands, where he was the assistant head coach and defensive line coach.
He was also the program’s community outreach director.
The Cowboys were 5-6 overall in 2021, the most wins since 2012, while registering 23 sacks and 71 tackles for loss. Asuega spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as a graduate assistant at Liberty University, where he worked with the defensive line. He also worked with the defensive line as an assistant coach at Golden West Community College for three seasons starting in 2015.
“I am excited to get Roy. He is a guy with a strong West Coast background coming from Southern California,” Eck said. “He spent some time at junior college, so that is good at helping us make some (recruiting) inroads there, and he brings D-I experience from his time at Liberty.”
Soccer
Madison Kroger, a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Hawaii during the 2021 season, where she worked on scouting reports, film breakdown and functional position coaching, has been hired by the University of Idaho as an assistant coach, Vandals head coach Jeremy Clevenger announced.
Kroger played at Queen’s University of Charlotte, North Carolina, where her playing time was hampered by an injury.
She began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Central Washington. As the Wildcats’ top assistant, she worked specifically with defenders. She spent the 2020 season as an assistant at NCAA Division-II Stanislaus State in California.