Eastern’S Mackenzie Makes The Grade

Eastern Washington University running back Mike MacKenzie has been selected to the GTE Academic All-America second team as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.

He is the only Northwest athlete named to the first or second team for NCAA Division I-A and I-AA football players.

MacKenzie, a senior from Vancouver, British Columbia, is the fifth Eagles player named to a Division I Academic All-America team.

“We’ve started a great legacy of Academic All-Americans at Eastern Washington University,” coach Mike Kramer said. “Mike is a great addition to that group, and is deserving of the honor. Achieving success to that degree in the classroom and on the playing field is no easy task.”

MacKenzie has a 3.44 grade-point average as a physical education major and will receive his bachelor’s degree this spring. He will be a four-time member of the Big Sky Conference All-Academic squad when that team is announced in January.

“It’s difficult,” said MacKenzie, who may be a high draft choice in the Canadian Football League. “A lot of people don’t realize how much football takes up of your time. We practice, we have meetings, we work out and have a lot of stuff to do. Then you go home when you’re dead-tired and try to study. It’s difficult, especially for five years.”

Baseball

The Washington State University baseball team will hold a hands-on clinic for players ages 9-18 on the WSU campus Dec. 28-29.

Coach Steve Farrington and assistants Buzz Verduzco and Russ Swan will conduct the camp inside Hollingbery Fieldhouse.

Players ages 9-12 will attend from 9 a.m.-noon. Those 13-18 will go from 1-5 p.m. Cost is $70.

Info: Swan, (509) 335-0332.

Basketball

Boys and girls in grades 1-8 can attend the Little Zags “Day with the Bulldogs” camp Dec. 19-20 on the Gonzaga University campus.

It will run from 9 a.m.-noon Dec. 19, and noon-3 p.m. Dec. 20. Participants will be able to attend GU’s Dec. 19 home game against Chicago State and receive two tickets for their parents.

Bulldogs coach Dan Monson, his staff and players will conduct the camp. Cost is $60.

Info: Basketball assistant Scott Snider, 323-4215.

Bowling

Hot Andy Applonie needed to be, and hot he was in the Nov. 29 Junior Bowlers Tour tournament at Sunset Bowl in Coeur d’Alene.

While David Miller and Chad Demmitt traded off at the head of the pack during qualifying, Applonie was building momentum.

After splitting his first two matches during the qualifying phase, he hit his stride. He won his final two matches to qualify for the fifth and final spot in the TV-style roll-offs.

But the best was yet to come. He proceeded to knock off all four who qualified ahead of him, including Demmitt 238-178 in the championship match.

No. 2 qualifier Miller wound up third, followed by Eric Morasch and Adam Allen. Demmitt had high game for the boys, a 279. Erin Sackmann was high for the girls with a 208.

Next JBT will be next Sunday at North Bowl. Also, reservations are being taken for the Alycia Stevens Memorial Swiss Tournament Jan. 3.

Info: Patti Dudley, 226-3776.

College scene

Mead graduate Rich Cullen, a junior goalkeeper on the Air Force Academy men’s soccer team, has earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors.

Cullen also has been named team captain for next season.

Cullen started all 19 games this season for the Falcons, who finished 9-7-3. He made 68 saves and allowed 22 goals for a 1.126 goals-against average. Cullen had eight solo shutouts and combined for two others as Air Force set a season shutout record with 10. Cullen was named WAC player of the week for games played Sept. 28-Oct. 4, in which he registered consecutive shutouts in victories over Oregon State and Denver.

Western Washington University senior Chris Beaudoin of Spokane (Mead) was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America West Region Div. II second all-star team.

Beaudoin, the only Vikings player to start every game in a 6-10-1 season, played defense and had one goal and one assist. Earlier, he was an All-Pacific West Conference selection.

Sarah Menard of Spokane, a 1996 graduate of North Central, was the toprated serve-receive passer as her Northwest Nazarene team finished second in the NAIA National Volleyball Championships.

Menard started as a setter/defensive specialist for NNC, which finished 33-7 after losing to unbeaten Columbia College in the final.

Chrissy Peterson of Spokane, one of two former St. George’s players on the Middlebury College women’s basketball team, started her senior season at the Vermont school in fine style.

Peterson, a 5-foot-9 forward and team captain, led the Panthers to an opening 79-60 win at New England College with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Also on the team is junior guard Dawn Trowbridge.

Liz Sadler, a former St. George’s teammate of Peterson and Trowbridge, is a senior captain on the Hamilton College basketball team in Clinton, N.Y.

Washington State University senior golfer Stefanie Coleman was named 1998 Pacific Northwest player of the year in the women’s amateur category in the second year of the award.

Since transferring to WSU from Green River Community College in the fall of 1997, Coleman has had four top-10 tournament finishes and eight top-25 finishes.

Football

Three Spokane-area officials, who work Division I college games, have received assignments for bowl games.

Walt Wolf of Spokane will be umpire for the Fiesta Bowl, the national championship game between Tennessee and Florida State on Jan. 4 in Tempe, Ariz.

Bill Gaskins of Pullman will be a side judge in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31 in Atlanta between Virginia and Georgia.

And Jim Northcott of Spokane will be the back judge in the Dec. 31 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., between Mississippi and Texas Tech.

Seven members of the Inland Empire Football Officials Association were selected by the WIAA to work the state high school semifinals and finals this fall.

The officials and the games they worked:

Paul Nelson, umpire, 1A semifinal; Jack Shagool, referee, 2A semifinal; Tim Peterson, linesman, 3A semifinal; Dan Meyer, umpire, 4A semifinal; Dan Hughes, referee, B-11 championship; Aaron Alteneder, linesman, 1A championship; and Jim Warrick, line judge, 4A championship.

Golf

Colville’s Jason Cox, 16, will join other top high school golfers on a trip to Scotland. Cox shoots to a 3 handicap at the Colville Elks and led his school team to a second-place finish at the State 2A tournament. He will play at several of golf’s historic courses in a Ryder Cup-style youth tournament.

Shanelle Roberts of Tacoma, a Washington state junior golf champion, has signed a national letter-of-intent with Washington State University.

Roberts, a straight-A student at Life Christian Academy, also was runner-up in the American Junior Golf Association Boise Open in August.

Volleyball

Havermale Alternative Center’s REAL School of Spokane won the co-ed state championship in the WALA Division Friday night, defeating West Auburn in two games at the Lakeside Community Center in Tacoma.