Mainer named top newcomer in GNAC volleyball
Kayla Mainer was justifiably rewarded for an outstanding first season of volleyball at Western Oregon University.
The West Valley graduate and transfer from North Idaho College was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year after finishing in the top seven in four key statistical categories.
The 5-foot-10 junior outside hitter finished the regular season ranked fourth in the conference in kills per game (4.03) sixth in points (4.67) and digs (4.24) and seventh in aces (0.47).
Joining Mainer on the All-GNAC first team is Central Washington junior middle hitter Rachael Schurman from Mead.
A trio of sophomores from Mead earned honorable mention – Erin Norris, Central Washington, outside hitter; Megan Thigpen, Alaska Fairbanks, outside hitter; and Amy Herron, Western Oregon, setter.
Bowling
Brandon Roush won three matches from his No. 3 qualifying position to win the Junior Bowlers Tour stop at Deer Park Lanes last weekend.
Roush defeated leading qualifier Kyle Casey 224-215 to cap a high-scoring day.
Christopher Gray, Roush’s second victim, finished third; Mark Shepard, Roush’s first, was fourth; and Michael Johnson, who had a 944 in the first four-game set of the day, was fifth.
Jake Schmehl had the day’s top score, a 290. Lacey Kerr led the girls with a 234.
The next JBT is Dec. 9 at Valley Bowl.
College scene
Kayla Newberg from Deer Park, a freshman at Rhode Island, was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie team in volleyball.
Newberg, who had 10 or more kills in 10 of the 34 A-10 matches in which she played, was second on the team with 236 kills and added 72 digs and 12 each service aces and assists. She had a season-high 20 kills.
•Whitworth has five players, four of them repeaters, named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII College Division team in football.
Dan Sanders, a junior offensive lineman from Freeman with a 3.98 grade-point average in computer science and math, was joined on the team by senior repeaters Greg Caster, linebacker, 3.66, business management; Peter Clark, defensive end, Mead, 3.47, athletic training/health and fitness; Marc Grow, linebacker, Warden, 3.78, accounting; and Jay Tully, defensive back, Mead, 3.49, education.
The team also includes Buddy Wood, a Central Washington sophomore linebacker from Riverside, with a 3.50 GPA in exercise science.
•Five Eastern Washington players, the most in school history, were named to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Leading the group is Tom McAndrews, a senior tight end from Mead, who has a 4.0 GPA with a double major in finance and economics. He was a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, but was not among the finalists.
Joining him on the first team are Chris Carlsen, senior, offensive line, 3.60, mechanical engineering, and Jacob Kragt, sophomore, defensive line, Ritzville, 3.84, biology.
On the second team are Tony Davis, sophomore, wide receiver, 3.27, interdisciplinary studies, and Brett Igbinoba, sophomore, defensive back, Cheney, 3.21, biology.
• Idaho had three players named to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Senior linebacker David Vobora and junior punter T.J. Conley were named to the first team and junior running back Jayson Bird to the second.
•Carrie Conners, an Eastern Washington senior defender with a 3.63 GPA in biology, was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII third team in women’s soccer.
•Whitworth is second, two points behind two-time defending champion Puget Sound (85-83), in the Northwest Conference McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy competition after the fall season. Whitworth won it in 2005.
Golf
Washington State has signed two men and one woman to national letters of intent, Cougars coach Walt Williams announced.
Signing with the men are Trent Sanders from Scottsdale, Ariz., the Desert Valley regional champion his senior year and third in the super region tournament, and Paul Mitzel from Mercer Island, Wash., a two-time All-KingCo selection and the league’s lowest scorer.
Slated to join the women is Kristen Allard from Porterville, Calif., one of the top 25 ranked players in California who is a two-time league section champion and the 2006 San Joaquin Valley PGA Junior champion.
Softball
Clint Nelson, a 15-year member of the Spokane Softball Umpires Association who has been involved on and off the field, received the Bruce Campbell Award at the group’s annual banquet this month.
Considered SSUA’s most prestigious award, it is named for the late former Spokane umpire in chief. Included in Nelson’s resume are umpiring in three high school state tournaments and three Amateur Softball Association national tournaments, and serving on the board of directors, including president and treasurer.
Jim Wyer, a veteran umpire of more than two decades, received the Presidential Pride award from outgoing president Don Brock.
Other awards went to: Gerald Howard, Umpire of the Year-Adult; Chuck Latimer, Umpire of the Year-Youth; Kevin Koslowski, Most Improved-Adult; Don Perry, Most Improved-Youth; Bryan Raschka, Rookie of the Year-Adult; and Bill Elston, Rookie of the Year-Youth.
•Dallas Williams, the outgoing vice president-youth, was elected to a two-year term as president of the Spokane Softball Umpires Association.
Others newly elected are Kathleen Burns, vice president-youth; Don Brock, director of ratings; and Paul Clary, Dave Berghammer and Gale Hart, members at large.
Holdover officers are Gary Kuck, vice president-adult, and Chuck Latimer, secretary.
Miscellany
Parents of Coeur d’Alene and Lake City high school athletes and boosters are asked to attend a meeting dealing with the $1.2 million field turf project at the two schools on Nov. 28 at Lake City at 5:30 p.m.
For more information, contact the athletic director at either high school.