WSU Administrator Gets National Honor

Marcia Saneholtz, senior associate director of athletics at Washington State University, is the National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletic Administrators’ National Administrator of the Year.

Saneholtz, who has been a part of Cougars athletics for nearly two decades, was honored at the NACWAA banquet in Denver.

The award goes to one of seven district winners who were selected on length of service in women’s athletics, achievement and contributions.

Saneholtz was on the NACWAA board of directors from 1987-94, serving as the association president in 1992-93. She is now chair of the NCAA women’s Division I volleyball committee and was instrumental in attaining the 1997 NCAA Division I volleyball finals for the Spokane Arena.

She also serves on several other NCAA and Pacific-10 Conference committees, and oversees nine women’s sports at WSU.

In honoring Saneholtz, the NACWAA release said, “she joins an elite group of women who have greatly contributed time, energy and effort to the world of intercollegiate athletics.”

Awards

Stan Vela of Spokane, who set swimming standards at Central Washington in the mid-1980s that still stand, was one of five individuals along with the school’s 1949-50 men’s basketball team inducted into the Wildcats’ athletic hall of fame during ceremonies Saturday.

Vela, a graduate of Shadle Park High School, never lost a race at a national meet and still holds five school records. He was twice the NAIA national swimmer of the year, leading the Wildcats to the NAIA championship in 1986 after a second-place finish in 1985. He won three individual national titles and was on six winning relay teams.

Vela, his wife, Lauri, and their two children live in Bloomfield, N.J.

Baseball

North Idaho College baseball player Jason Bay has been awarded the first Mark Nelson Memorial Scholarship.

Nelson, a pitcher on the 1995-96 NIC team, died in January 1997 from brain cancer. Nelson’s parents, Chris and Vicki Nelson, made a $2,750 contribution to endow the scholarship to be awarded annually to an NIC baseball player.

Bay received $250. Contributions to the scholarship can be made to the NIC Foundation, 1000 West Garden Ave., Coeur d’Alene 83814.

Info: Rayelle Anderson, (208) 769-3286.

Basketball

Justin Bursch, an All-Greater Spokane League basketball and football player at Ferris, will pursue basketball in college.

The 6-foot-1 guard signed at Central Washington. He wavered between sports after leading the GSL in football passing last season and helping the Saxons to sixth in the state basketball tournament.

Halloween Hoop Madness, presented by Eastern Washington University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, will take place Halloween night at 7 on Reese Court on the EWU campus.

Designed for all ages, the night features shooting contests, door prizes, a costume contest, giveaways, Halloween candy and player autographs. In addition, fans can watch the 1997-98 Eagles men’s and women’s teams in action.

The event begins with activities for elementary- and middle-school-age children. Activities for college students and others begin at 8, followed by scrimmages and shooting and dunking contests involving Eastern’s men’s and women’s teams. There is no cost.

Info: (509) 359-2463 or (800) 648-7697.

Coaching workshop

Frank Smoll, a University of Washington psychology professor, will lead a workshop dealing with effective and positive ways of coaching youth Dec. 4 at the Spokane Youth Sports Association Bingo Hall, 2230 E. Sprague.

Smoll and an associate developed a program they feel will make participation in athletics a rewarding, positive experience for youngsters, parents and coaches.

“Coaches need to remember that youth sports are organized and run by adults for the benefit of children,” Smoll said in a release. “They should have a child-oriented focus, not an adult one. People who coach youngsters should be doing it because it is fun for them, the kids and their parents. What every coach needs is a genuine care and concern for children.”

Info: Von Graf, (509) 536-1800.

College scene

Jeremi Bauer of Spokane (Shadle Park), continues to one-up himself on the SUNY Brockport football team.

This time, the senior defensive back had 11 tackles, including one for a loss; a fumble recovery; an interception; a blocked extra point that he scooped up and returned 74 yards for a defensive score and an interception on a two-point conversion pass in a 33-22 win over Frostburg State.

The effort earned Bauer his third school athlete of the week honor and another weekly recognition on the East Coast Athletic Conference football honor roll.

Danielle Thorn of Spokane (Gonzaga Prep), is having an outstanding freshman season on the Regis University women’s soccer team in Denver.

Thorn, a forward, was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference player of the month. She not only leads the Rangers in scoring (11 goals, 23 points), but also is the conference’s top goal-scorer.

Jason Iverson of Spokane (Northwest Christian), a junior at Western Baptist College, was the Cascade Conference men’s soccer player of the week after scoring the winning goals against Albertson and Northwest Nazarene.

He leads Western Baptist (9-4-2) with eight goals.

Jari Kirkland of Cheney, an individual medley specialist, is back for her senior swimming season at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.

Zach Ham of Spokane scored in Bowling Green’s first hockey game of 1997-98, a 9-2 win over Waterloo. Ham is a left-winger.

Road running

Kim Jones’ second-place finish in the Tufts Health Plan 10K road race earlier this month in Boston was worth more than $10,000 to the Spokane runner.

By finishing second, she secured the 1997 USA road-running championship, earning her $4,250 in Boston. It also secured for her the USA Running Circuit Grand Prix title, worth $6,000.

Skeet

Brian Martin of Coeur d’Alene broke 648 of 650 targets to win the World Skeet Championship last week in San Antonio, Texas.

Martin got his first taste of international competition as a high schooler in 1986, when he won the junior 12-gauge championship. He holds the Idaho state skeet record of 599 out of 600. In 1988, he was a member of the U.S. skeet team.

Martin won last week in a .410-gauge round that boiled down to a duel with international champion Mike Schmidt. Out of 100 targets with the unforgiving small-gauge shotguns, Schmidt missed two, Martin one.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo