Eastern’s Mattson Earns Ncaa Award

Eastern Washington University senior defensive end Steve Mattson is one of 13 NCAA Division I football players nationwide to be honored as a recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Award.

It’s the first such award for an Eastern athlete since the school joined the NCAA in the early 1980s.

Mattson, a 1993 graduate of Naselle (Wash.) High School, and Montana running back Josh Branen from Moscow, Idaho, were the only Northwest players to receive the $5,000 grants.

A biology/pre-med major with a 3.67 grade point average, Mattson will graduate this spring with a bachelor of science degree. He expects to take the medical college admission test in April, then will probably take a year off to volunteer or work in a hospital while he goes through the medical school application process. He hopes to become a doctor and be involved with athletic teams.

Earlier this year, Mattson was one of 80 players in the nation honored in 1997 as a Burger King Football Scholarship award winner. He was also selected by USA Today as a “Positive Performer.”

Academic awards

Jeannie Rein of Spokane (Mead), a senior midfielder at the University of Washington, was named first team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America when it selected its women’s scholar-athlete All-America teams.

Rein has a 3.68 grade-point average.

On the men’s second team is University of Washington senior Bill May, goalkeeper for the Spokane Shadow in 1996. He has a 3.26 GPA.

Basketball

Tryouts for the Spokane Stars AAU girls teams that will compete at national tournaments begin today. Teams from 10U to 18U will be selected.

Info: Ron Adams, Spokane Stars director, (509) 924-5227.

Football

Kim McCloud, a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri last season, has joined the University of Idaho staff as a secondary coach.

McCloud, 29, who helped coach the defense at Missouri, was a defensive backs coach at Kaiser High School in Honolulu before pursuing his master’s degree. He’s a 1990 graduate of the University of Hawaii and played briefly with the NFL San Diego Chargers before playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 1991-93.

Tennis

The University of Idaho has added two women players for this spring.

Gloriana Serrano, No. 1 in the 18-and-under division in Costa Rica in 1996 and ‘97, and Cameron Erickson, who played No. 1 in singles and doubles at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., have signed letters of intent with the Vandals.

Serrano, 18, who attended San Jose State in the fall, was an alternate on the Costa Rica Federation Cup team in 1997. “She has had good national and international experience,” said UI coach Greg South.

Erickson, the Orange Empire singles and doubles champion and California junior college rookie of the year in 1997, “is a bright, hard-working, positive student-athlete,” said South. She will be a sophomore, Serrano a freshman.

Wrestling

A wrestling club for boys is being formed at the West Central Community Center (1603 N. Belt).

Practices will be Monday and Thursday nights from 5:30-7 beginning Jan. 19. Cost is $10.

Info: Head coach Dave Willis, (509) 323-0487; Rick Harris, (509) 326-9540.

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