CV Girls Head For Third Tennis Crown
East Valley is becoming so accustomed to winning Frontier League girls tennis championships, that all it has to do is recycle its season slogan.
Last year T-shirts read, “So nice we thought we’d do it twice.”
Coach Aaron Alteneder said the team hasn’t produced a new T-shirt yet.
“We thought we might take a different angle,” he said.
But, he said, the girls already thought the slogan should read, “So nice we did it thrice.”
The Knights completed a perfect 12-0 season, including non-league victories, which nearly duplicated 1989’s 13-0 record.
“I’ve been pretty lucky, I think,” said Alteneder. “I used to say if you had one perfect season in a career it was nice.”
They also won the Frontier League title for the fifth time in Alteneder’s nine years as coach.
“You know what I think it is?” said Alteneder of his team’s success. “Consistency. We don’t do things much different than anyone else, but the same thing every year.”
Alteneder also said that he is demanding and that his players consider tennis a very serious sport, not an individual event.
What set this team apart from last year’s was its maturity. The young squad of a year ago had more highs and lows, said Alteneder.
“These girls were used to digging in when the going got tough,” said Altender.
And what set this year’s perfect record apart from the one eight years ago was that the Knights never had a match closer than 5-2. Out of 84 individual matches, EV girls compiled a 73-11 record.
“Confidence breeds confidence,” said Alteneder. “This is the only team that came to me before the season and said, ‘we’re going to win this league, too.”’
Forget the field
As far as University High sprinter Jason Berger was concerned, they could forget the field on track and field.
He had a point. In the four events Berger won, during the championship meet against Mead, the Titans had a 30-2 points advantage. They won 6 of 10 track events all told and amassed 50 points in the runs despite an 84-61 loss.
It was the field events where Mead piled up a huge 52-11 advantage for its 16th straight GSL title and 149th straight dual meet triumph.
Eight of those points came in the high jump where Mead’s state leader, Casey Clark, was injured and missing.
“In the long and triple jump we got zippo,” said coach Kevin Frandsen of the two events in which he had hoped University could score big.
“They are the real key,” said Frandsen before the meet. “Mike Pugh has a bad hamstring but he’s going to go for it.”
The hamstring wouldn’t cooperate and Pugh couldn’t compete. U-Hi also gave up 27 points in the throws.
Frandsen had gambled by taking Berger out of the 400 relay and putting him in the 100, 200 and 400. The Titan senior won all three.
“I hope they can pass the baton around the short relay,” said Frandsen. “Otherwise I made a foo foo.”
He didn’t. Damon Foreman took Berger’s place and still the Titans had the day’s fastest time of 43.0.
Speed is something University can use to become a state meet title contender now that the dual meet season was over.
The Titans were second last weekend in the Shoreline Invitational, indicative that they are among the top five state AAA teams.
Mead’s distance runners, despite Seth Mott’s fine 4:19.6 1,600, and field events guys are standing in the way.
Busy Valley Saturday
Today’s a busy one for Valley athletes.
Central Valley is hosting the day-long Marty Strandberg Invitational track meet and East Valley is hosting two major events.
The Frontier league-champion Knights and fourth-place West Valley play each other at 3 p.m. in a loser out district soccer match.
EV’s baseball team hosts Colville in a noon baseball doubleheader, needing two wins to qualify for the league playoffs.
Deckard leads Painted Hills
During last week’s medal play among Painted Hills Ladies Club golfers, Danice Deckard led A flight with a low gross 46.
Her game was three strokes better than no-handicap golfer Roci Olinger. Betty Hennessey shot 53 in B, Pam Baynes had 56 in C and Joyce Thompson had 61 in D.
Net winners were Sharon Halsey with 34 in A, Virginia Lemmer with 36 in B, Idell Choate with 36 in C and Jan Bernhart with 37 in D.
In a driving accuracy contest, Pat Schlosstein led A-B golfers and Thompson led C-D golfers.
Number not lonely at Valley View
The friendliest number last week during Valley View Ladies Golf Club play was 52.
Anne Meyers in A flight, Edith Rains and Marjie Haser in B all came in with the identical score.
Other low gross scores were 56 by C flight golfer Donna Festersen and 57 by no-handicap golfer Mariel Romain.
Net winners were Dee Elder with 29 in A, Genevra Barrett in B and Loriene Rankin in C, both with 32.
Liberty Cup second round
There was a tie for low net during the second round of Liberty Lake Ladies 18-Hole golf club Liberty Cup.
Billie Etter and Rauoleen Grimes shared the win with a 73.
Other net leaders in their respective flights were Betty Blackburn and Cathy Whitley with 76s in C and Myrna Neubauer with 79 in D.
Low gross scores included 86 by Patty Aunan in A, 98 by Gloria Cash in B, 106 by Carolyn Nelson and Marcia Siemers in C and Jane MacKelvie with 109 in D.
, DataTimes