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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Locally: Double-amputee to join NIC wrestling program

From staff and news services

North Idaho College wrestling coach Pat Whitcomb signed double-amputee Hasaan Hawthorne to join the Cardinals. Hawthorne went 37-0 en route to the Alabama 6A state title in the 145-pound weight division despite having both legs amputated below the knee. “What we’re excited about is not just Hasaan as a wrestler,” Whitcomb said in a release. “We want him to bring to the team inspiration on how to overcome obstacles.”

Gonzaga’s Jessica Mildes, of Chattaroy, has been named to the women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Academic All-American Third Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Mildes, a redshirt junior, ran the program’s second-fastest time on a 6,000-meter course (20 minutes, 25.3 seconds) at the Washington Invitational. An accounting major, Mildes is one of only 14 athletes named to the Academic All-American team with a 4.0 GPA.

Maddy Underwood, a rising junior at Cal State Monterey Bay from Mead, has been named team captain for the Otters volleyball team.

Both of Whitworth’s swimming teams and five swimmers have been honored for academic achievements by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

Both programs achieved a GPA of 3.2 over the spring semester. In addition, swimmers Jackie Beal, Wes Walton and Kyle Wicks were first-team honorees. Rachel Olsen and Jake McCollough were given honorable mention.

Gonzaga senior baseball player Taylor Jones recently became the first Bulldogs baseball player to earn Senior CLASS Award Second-Team All-America honors. The award recognizes student-athletes who use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact in their communities.

Jones hit .332 and tied the program’s season record for doubles with 27, which also was second most in Division I. He also totaled 77 hits and 36 RBIs.

He graduated in May with a degree in communication studies and posted a 3.52 GPA. He was selected in the 19th round by the Houston Astros in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.

The Washington State University volleyball team has added two players who were also Under Armour All-American honorable mention selections.

Coach Jen Greeny announced the signings of 5-foot-2 defensive specialist/libero Alexis Dirige, of San Francisco, and 5-4 defensive specialist/libero Trey Freitas of Makawao, Hawaii.

“We are very excited in having Alexis and Trey join our program,” Greeny said in a release. “They will both improve our defense immensely. Alexis and Trey are selfless and passionate about the game that will serve them well in the Pac-12.”

Whitworth’s Dakota Kliamovich and Trent Alsin both have been named to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division III Men’s and Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Teams.

Kliamovich, of Liberty Lake, was named to the first team following two years on the second team. She is a two-time Division III All-American and four-time Northwest Conference champion in the hammer. She set the Whitworth record of 179 feet, 11 inches in 2014. She graduated in May with a double major in biology and psychology with a 4.0 GPA.

Alsin is a member of the third team for the second straight year. He graduated in 2015 as an economics major with a 4.0 GPA and returned for his final year of eligibility in 2016. He finished sixth in the 100 meters in the conference championships and helped the Pirates claim their seventh consecutive conference crown.