WSU President To Head Ncaa Executive Committee

Washington State University president Sam Smith has been elected the chair of the first NCAA Executive Committee.

The committee has 20 members, including 12 Division I presidents. It will convene for the first time Aug. 1.

Smith, WSU’s president since 1985, is chair of the NCAA President’s Commission, co-chair of the joint policy board and serves on the Division I board of directors for the NCAA.

In 1996, The Sporting News ranked him 54th among its “100 most powerful people in sports,” and College Sports magazine listed him No. 20 in an article entitled “The 50 most influential people in college sports.”

Academic awards

Eastern Washington University track and field athlete Jason Baerlocher from Clarkston and volleyball player Jaime Dotson from Freeman have been honored by the school as recipients of the Big Sky Conference ScholarAthlete Award.

It honors the top male and female senior studentathletes for academic and athletic success. Two from each Big Sky school are chosen.

Baerlocher, third in the 1,500 meters at the Big Sky championships this spring, also competed in cross country. He was honored six times on Big Sky All-Academic teams. Six times he placed in the top seven in conference championship events.

Dotson ranks fifth all-time in Eastern history with 2,023 assists. She had 152 kills and 244 digs her senior season.

Both are biology majors.

Twenty-two Washington State student-athletes, and three with Spokane ties at other Pacific-10 schools, earned first- or second-team conference All-Academic honors with grade-point averages of 3.0 or better.

WSU honors:

Baseball: First team - Ray Hattenburg, redshirt freshman; Scott Randall, junior; Dave Wheeler, sophomore.

Golf: Second team - Alex Kouzmanoff, so.; Kim Schramer, senior.

Tennis: Second team - Tunde Nagy, jr.

Track and field: First team - David Jungk, jr.; Matt Stadelman, jr.; Kirsten Koch, jr.; Marilyn Moberly, sr.; Molly Moore, so.; Heidi Schultz, sr. Second team - Hilary Mawindi, jr.; Tony Olson, so.; B.J. Schade, redshirt fr.; Colan Sewell, so.; Ian Waltz, so.; Trevor Wyckoff, jr.; Sara Council, sr.; Joanne Hunsinger, jr.; Reagan Lyons, jr.; Kim Schmolka, jr.

Former Spokane prep stars honored were Justin Strand, a Stanford junior from Gonzaga Prep, who made second team in track and field, and University of Washington golfers Emily Martin (G-Prep), a women’s first-team choice, and Darren Slackman (Mead), a men’s second-team selection.

Softball

Gonzaga Prep is taking applications for a varsity softball coach.

The deadline to apply is June 30.

Info: Athletic director Mike Arte, (509) 483-8511.

Track and field

Eastern Washington University in Cheney will be the site of the Inland Northwest Junior Olympic Championships on Saturday.

The top five in each event will qualify for the Region XIII Meet July 12-13 in Eugene, Ore., where the top three advance to nationals July 23-27 in Baton Rouge, La.

The Region XIII multi-event championships will be July 10-11 in Eugene with the top two advancing to nationals in Baton Rouge July 22-23.

Info: Lawson or Ruth Van Kuren, (509) 235-4762.

The Northwest Regional Masters Championships will be July 19-20 at West Seattle Stadium. Info: Ken Weibel, (206) 932-3923.

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