Cougars Dominate Nominees Cougars Have Seven Finalists For Awards At Annual Banquet
Seven current or former Washington State University athletes, plus a Cougars team, are among the 20 finalists selected for the 48th annual Inland Northwest Sports Awards Banquet Feb. 12.
Cougars football players James Darling and Scott Sanderson and basketball player Mark Hendrickson have been named Male Amateur Athlete finalists by the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters.
Amateur Female Athlete finalists include WSU basketball player Jenni Ruff and WSU volleyball player Sarah Silvernail.
Other Cougars include the volleyball team, which reached the NCAA quarterfinals, as well as volleyball coach Cindy Fredrick and New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who is a finalist in the professional category.
Other pro finalists include perennials Dan O’Brien and John Stockton and baseball player Darin Blood.
Whitworth basketball player Nate Dunham, Purdue University track and field standout Corissa Yasen of Coeur d’Alene and University of Idaho multi-sport star Alli Nieman of Sandpoint are the other amateur athlete finalists.
Coach Ed Cheff of Lewis-Clark State College’s NAIA championship baseball team, the Spokane Chiefs and their coach Mike Babcock, and Whitworth’s men’s basketball team and its coach Warren Friedrichs complete the field.
Sponsored by the Greater Spokane Sports Association, the banquet begins at 7 p.m. in the Spokane Ag-Trade Center. Tickets are $50 and reservations can be made by calling the GSSA at 456-5812.
Former National Football League great Walter Payton is featured speaker. Dennis Hull returns as master of ceremonies.
, DataTimes