College Scene

Sophomore middle blocker Jaimie Lee of Spokane (Ferris High School) is a key member of the 14th-ranked Notre Dame volleyball team that took top seeding into the Big East Tournament.

Lee has led the Irish (24-6 overall, 11-0 Big East) in kills 14 times and has had 20 matches with double-figure kills, including five with 20. She is second on the team, averaging 3.91 kills per game. She was MVP of the Big Four Classic and made the all-tournament team at the Purdue Premier.

Pacific Lutheran senior outside hitter Rachelle Snowdon of Spokane (Mead), is a Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges’ first-team volleyball selection for the third time in her career.

Teammate Kim Baldwin, a junior setter from Spokane (Shadle Park), is on the second team.

Led by junior James Johnson of Spokane (St. George’s), Bowdoin College of Brunswick, Maine, has qualified its men’s cross country team for the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time.

Johnson, an All-American honorable mention after a 32nd-place national finish as Bowdoin’s lone representative last year, finished third in the New England Regional Championships last weekend in leading the Polar Bears to a third-place team finish. He ran the 5 miles in 25 minutes, 55 seconds in earning All-New England for a third year.

Annaka Gustafson, a Westmont College freshman from Spokane (Mead), led the Santa Barbara, Calif., school to fourth place in the NAIA cross country championships Saturday in Kenosha, WI. Gustafson finished 30th and earned All-America honors.

Ian Hughes, a plebe at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from Spokane (Central Valley), set an Army football record with an 88-yard punt in the third quarter of last week’s 38-20 loss to Air Force. Hughes also had a 69-yard punt against Notre Dame this year.

Four football players from Whitworth and a former Spokane prep, were named to Mt. Hood League all-star teams.

Senior linebacker Jeff Baxter, who led the Pirates with 101 tackles, was a first-team choice; linebacker Shay Smith and cornerback Travis Torco were second-team picks, and offensive lineman Ryan Buxton was honorable mention.

Aaron Espadron-Coker of Spokane (Lewis and Clark), a junior tight end at Willamette, earned honorable mention. He caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Gonzaga University sophomore forward Jeff McAllister has been named to the All-West Coast Conference men’s soccer second team. Bulldogs Shaun Flanigan and Eli Zehner earned honorable mention, as did San Francisco freshman goalkeeper Brian Mullen of Spokane (Gonzaga Prep).

Mullen allowed just one goal in his last five games after returning from an injury to spark USF’s 6-2 finish that left the Dons 10-8-1 overall and 4-2 in the WCC.

Matt Kinder, a senior defender on the Whitworth men’s soccer team from Spokane (Mead), was named to the Pacific Northwest All-Region first team. He led the Pirates with five goals. Senior midfielder Joon Kang was on the second team.

Cross country/track

Katie Kneeshaw of Colfax, sister of University of Montana distance runner Kevin Kneeshaw, has signed a letter of intent to run cross country and track for the Grizzlies, coach Dick Koontz announced. She has a 3.78 grade-point average.

Nordic skiing

The Spokane Parks and Recreation Department is looking for volunteer instructors to teach nordic skiing to people with developmental disabilities.

The group, the Bluewaxers Special Olympics team, ski Saturdays on Mount Spokane from 1-4 p.m. or at Downriver Golf Course when snow conditions permit.

A volunteer instructors clinic will be held Dec. 30, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Mount Spokane nordic area.

Info: Alice Busch, (509) 625-6245.

Soccer

The Washington-East Olympic Development Program will hold tryouts for girls born from 1977-1982 on Dec. 2-3 at Hanford High School in Richland. Times are 10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4 p.m. both days.

Info: Marian Cummings, (509) 448-1065.

Volleyball

Gonzaga Prep standout Brandy Barratt will appear on ESPN’s Scholastic Sports America this week.

Barratt, a 6-foot-2 middle hitter, who led the Bullpups to a 16-0 record and their first Greater Spokane League title, has selected Long Beach (Calif.) State to play her college ball.

The program will air Monday and next Sunday on ESPN, cable channel 29 in Spokane, and Thursday on ESPN2, cable channel 59.

Miscellany

The Pullman Greyhound Boosters auction Nov. 14 raised a record total of more than $7,600 for Pullman High School activities. That’s $1,500 more than last year. High bid in the verbal auction was $575 for a steelhead fishing trip led by Chuck Gearhiser and John Hobbs.

, DataTimes