Carlander, Spencer Athletes Of Month

A couple of sophomore basketball products from Spokane County high schools are the Community College of Spokane’s athletes of the month.

Alana Carlander, the Sasquatch’s No. 2 scorer, is the female selection. Male honors went to scoring leader Modesto Spencer.

Carlander, a graduate of Riverside High School, is averaging 13.4 points for the 15-4 Sasquatch. She has 38 steals, 43 assists and 90 rebounds.

“Alana is a quiet leader,” coach Bruce Johnson said. “She sets examples on the floor and does a lot of intangibles.”

Carlander said the Sasquatch “work well together as a team. Our team is very positive …”

Spencer, from Rogers High, is a forward who averages 17.5 points with 60 assists and 29 steals.

“Modesto does so much for the team,” said coach Sam Brasch. “He is a tremendous athlete and a very competitive player… . In addition to his scoring, rebounding and ball handling, he is usually required to guard an opponent’s leading scorer. He is just a heck of a player.”

Spencer sees the Sasquatch as “more like a family than a team.”

Bowling

Registration is under way for the Spokane Bowling Association’s annual Men’s City Tournament, which will run Feb. 7-8 and 14-15. Deadline is Feb. 2.

Team event will be at Matt Surina’s Bowlers World, singles and doubles at Valley Bowl and the three-person event at Cheney Bowl. A special senior singles event will bowl at 9 a.m. Feb. 7 at Valley Bowl.

Info: Walt Utt, (509) 328-8945.

College scene

Washington State finished 12th in the final USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll for the 1997 season.

The 26-7 Cougars wound up one spot behind rival Washington (20-10), which placed star middle blocker Makare Desilets on the Volleyball Magazine All-America second team.

Former Ferris High standout Jaimie Lee, a Notre Dame senior, earned All-America honorable mention. No WSU player was among the All-America selections.

The Cougars, incidentally, will hold their volleyball awards banquet Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Pullman’s Quality Inn. Tickets cost $14. Reservations can be made by calling the volleyball office at (509) 335-0277.

Four men and three women from the Spokane area and North Idaho are on the University of Montana indoor track and field team.

Grizzlies men include sprinter Todd Hering, a senior from Pullman; thrower Jason Kessinger, a junior transfer from North Idaho College; and distance runners Tim Briggs, a senior from Davenport, and Casey Perry, a redshirt freshman from Shadle Park.

The women’s team includes freshman Jamie Garten, a triple jumper from Bonners Ferry; sophomore Katie Kneeshaw, a middle-distance specialist from Colfax; and junior Kristen Schermerhorn, a distance running transfer from North Idaho College.

After 23 games, Zach Ham, a sophomore forward from Spokane (Shadle Park), has five goals and four assists for the Bowling Green State University hockey team. The Falcons have struggled to a 4-17-2 start.

Romanian-born Ioana Ojog, whose foster parents live in Spokane, begins her senior season on the San Jose State women’s gymnastics team.

Football

Steve Wolfe, former oustanding center at Washington State, has retired from the Portland Forest Dragons of the Arena Football League because of an injury.

Wolfe, 26, was hurt in the Forest Dragons’ first preseason game this season and has not fully recovered. He decided to retire and work in the family business in Sumner, Wash., the Forest Dragons said.

Track and field

The University of Idaho men’s team is ranked fifth in the preseason power rankings by the U.S. Track Coaches Association and 23rd in the Trackwire preseason poll.

The Vandals, Mountain Pacific Indoor and Big West Outdoor champions, were selected behind Florida, Penn, Louisiana State and Eastern Michigan.

Wrestling

Spokane Junior Wrestling, for youngsters in grades K-6 (ages 5-12), will register for a six-week season Wednesday at eight area schools from 6-7:30 p.m.

Youngsters can choose the school closest to them. Participating schools are Central Valley, East Valley, University, West Valley, Mead and Ferris high schools, Gonzaga Prep and Mountain View Middle School.

Cost is $40, with additional children in the same family receiving a $5 discount. Teams practice twice a week beginning the week of Feb. 9 and participate in four tourneys.

Info: John Moore, (509) 891-8848.

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