Locally: WSU soccer coach Shulenberger agrees to contract extension
Washington State University made a move last week to keep Todd Shulenberger, coach of the Cougars’ highly successful women’s soccer team, around a while longer.
Director of athletics Pat Chun announced that Shulenberger has agreed to a contract extension that will keep the seven-year coach on the Palouse through the 2026 season.
“Coach Shulenberger has established one of the best soccer programs in the nation,” Chun is quoted in the release announcing the extension.
“His teams are filled with extraordinarily talented student-athletes who lead, win and compete at the highest levels. He’s simply one of the best coaches in the country and we are fortunate to have him leading our program for many years to come.”
In his tenure, Shulenberger has produced some of the winningest seasons in program history, including 2019, when the Cougars won a program-record 16 matches en route to their first trip to the College Cup. They lost 2-1 to eventual national runner-up North Carolina in the semifinals.
He has an 82-42-15 record (.643), the second-most wins in program history.
WSU has played in the postseason in five of Shulenberger’s seven seasons and won first-round NCAA Tournament matches in each of the last four, including this season. The Cougars’ 13 regular-season wins in 2021 are the second-most in program history. They added a 14th, 3-0 over Montana, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
College scene
Montana junior Carmen Gfeller (Colfax) was named the Big Sky Conference women’s basketball player of the week on Nov. 23 after leading the Lady Grizzlies to two victories the previous week.
Gfeller averaged 13 points on 71% shooting and 10 rebounds in road wins at North Dakota and North Dakota State, capped by a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in a 65-63 win at North Dakota State on her game-winning basket.
• Claire Dingus, Saint Martin’s junior forward from University HS, was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball player of the week on Nov. 22 after averaging 26.5 points, nine rebounds and shot 62.1% from the field, including 50% on 3-pointers, in two Saints’ victories the previous week.
She scored 23 of her 32 points in the second half of a 68-63, come-from-behind win over Sonoma State (California), as the Saints overcame a 20-point halftime deficit.
• Eastern Washington’s 101-38 win over Evergreen State College on Nov. 21 in Cheney, where the Eagles made a school-record-tying 17 3-pointers, tied the third-most points scored by an EWU women’s basketball team and produced the first win for first-year coach Joddie Gleason.
• Central Washington freshman libero Hannah Stires (Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls) was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-GNAC selection along with Central sophomore outside hitter Ashley Kaufman (Lake City).
Montana State Billings senior middle blocker Joelle Mahowald (Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls) received honorable mention.
Stires led the GNAC with 4.67 digs per set and had double-digit kills in all 23 matches. Kaufman was seventh in the GNAC with 3.11 kills per set.
• North Idaho College placed sophomore Janae Rayborn (Lake City) on the first team and sophomore Clair Hodge on the second when the Northwest Athletic Conference All-East Region volleyball team was announced.
Community Colleges of Spokane freshman Leah Stueckle was on the second team.
The NWAC East Sophomore All-Stars included NIC’s Lili Hare (Coeur d’Alene HS), Rayborn and Hodge. Stueckle, Kendra Pope (Valley Christian) and Kylie Turner (University HS) were picked from CCS.
• Defending champion CC Spokane dropped its first two matches – 3-0 to Skagit Valley and 3-1 to host Pierce – Nov. 19 and was eliminated on the first day of the NWAC volleyball championships. CCS had tied for second in the East Region. Linn-Benton won its first NWAC title.
• Darby Doyle, Western Washington’s senior midfielder from Gonzaga Prep, was named to the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association All-West Region second team in women’s soccer after scoring four goals and collecting five assists for the Vikings. She was second-team All-GNAC in 2019 as a junior.
• The Washington State women’s swimming team left the Phill Hansel Invitational in Houston, Texas, with five school records Nov. 18-20.
On the final day, a day after breaking the school record in the 400-yard IM, senior Taylor McCoy (Pullman) added one in the 200 backstroke (1 minutes, 56.12 seconds). The Cougars also added a record in the 400 free relay (3:19.23) to the 200 free relay mark they set earlier. And freshman Noelle Harvey broke the school record in the 200 backstroke (1:59).
• Logan Hunt, a College of Idaho sophomore from Timberlake of Spirit Lake, Idaho, was named the Cascade College Conference Men’s Runner of the Year after leading the Yotes to a third CCC cross country championship in four years.
Hunt followed up his 11-second victory in the conference meet with a third-place finish in the NAIA championships Nov. 19 in Vancouver, Washington, the highest-placing CCC runner in the national meet, and earning All-America honors.
Golf
Derek Bayley from Rathdrum, Idaho, a former Washington State University standout who had failed to make the cut in his first two outings on the Outlaw Tour this fall, put together a 7-under-par 206 (69-65-72) to win the Liv Lux Havasu Open Pro Am in Arizona by one shot on Nov. 21.
Letters of intent
Oregon women’s soccer: Livvy Moore, MF, Deer Park HS; 112 career goals, 76 assists, led Deer Park (20-1) to 2021 State 1A championship.
Idaho women’s track/cross country: Chloe Overberg, distances, Asotin, Washington; won 2021 State 1B/2B cross country championship.
Shooting
Trinity Hilton, 15, Mead HS, shot 426 out of a possible 600 to finish fifth as the Spokane Junior Rifle Club’s top placer in the 2021 Washington State Civilian Marksmanship Program Championship air rifle competition Nov. 13 at the Spokane Rifle Club.
Senior softball
Eight players from the area were members of the Northwest Yeahoos who finished second in their 60+ division at the Senior Softball USA Winter World Championships Nov. 19-21 in Phoenix, Arizona.
After struggling in pool play – they lost their first two games – the Yeahoos won five in a row, defeating higher-seeded teams, to advance to the division championship game. But with a roster depleted to 11 players, they lost 22-17 to the hometown Scorpions.
Area players: Lee Libera, Coeur d’Alene; Kerry Pease, Cheney; Kevin Jacka, Al Martin, Don Owen, Doug Payne, Brian Williamson and Roger Williamson, all Spokane.
Volleyball
The Spokane Area Volleyball Referees Association doubly honored the Spray family when it passed out 2021 awards. Sydney Spray was named the association official of the year and mother Debbie Spray was the partner of the year.
Other awards went to assigner and referee Alan Hirayama, contributor of the year; Kody Wynn, top first-year official; Corbin Wilson, top second-year official and most improved; and Tyler Martindale, top third-year official. Retired referee Ron Walker was honored for his contributions during a 30-year career.
SAVRA’s incoming board and advisors: Brent Radford, president; Devin Darrough, past president; Veronica Douglas, vice president ; Jason Gonwick, secretary; Phil Robinson, treasurer; Alan Hirayama, assigner; Alex Collins, Shawn Ottosen, Shawna Sheehan and Corey Brantley, members at large; and Barb Twohig, Linda Kildew, Sheehan, Ottosen, Hirayama and Juli Argotow-Jones, trainers.