Hibbard Wins National Award

REPLAY: 10-17-99; C2 Neil Breen plays hockey at Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Conn. The location of the school was wrong in the Oct. 10 local briefs.

Kent Hibbard of Spokane is the recipient of a $1,000 Gatorade/American Legion Sportsmanship Award Scholarship.

Hibbard, a 1999 graduate of Mead High School and a freshman at Whitworth College, is one of eight nationwide recipients of the annual award. He played baseball for American Legion Post 9.

Hibbard, majoring in secondary education, will receive a total of $2,000 in scholarships, also picking up $1,000 as the Washington American Legion Player of the Year as well as being the Northwest Gatorade-Sportsmanship winner.

The Gatorade scholarship is based on sportsmanship, scholarship, character and citizenship. The Quaker Oats Co., makers of Gatorade, provided $10,000 for American Legion baseball scholarships in 1999.

Baseball

Spokane’s American Legion program, which is under going some changes, has several openings for paid Senior (AAA) division coaches for the 2000 season.

Those interested should mail a resume to Dennis Thompson, 34 E. 34th, Spokane, WA 99203, or call the commissioner at 624-5789.

Application deadline is Oct. 18.

Basketball

Men’s and women’s basketball officials associations, faced with a shortage that has plagued all sports locally, are looking for new members for the 1999-2000 season.

Both do all levels of school ball plus recreation leagues. No experience is necessary. Candidates should be 18 or older.

Men’s contact is Steve Ayres at 326-7833.

The women’s association will hold its first meeting Oct. 25, 7 p.m., in room 102 of the Gonzaga University administration building. Contact is Dan Mencke at 747-6289.

Lewiston High principal Jim Wilund has been nominated to the National Federation of State High School Associations Basketball Rules Committee.

Wilund, District II basketball commissioner for the Idaho activities association, will serve a four-year term. As part of the 20-member rules committee, he will participate in yearly meetings that determine the playing rules for prep basketball throughout the U.S.

The Spokane County Parks Department is looking for women interested in playing in a recreation league this winter.

The last two years, the league had eight teams playing in one division. Officials hope to generate enough interest to be able to provide a two-division league this year. Deadline is Oct. 26. Games run Nov. 15 through February. Info: 477-4732.

College scene

Christine Dickson, a 1999 graduate of Davenport HS and a freshman at Lewis-Clark State, won the ITA Pacific Northwest Regional Tennis Championships last weekend in Lewiston.

Dickson was the third seed and defeated LCSC teammate Sanet Nel in the semifinals, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), and teammate Eleanor Specht in the finals, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). She also was on the runner-up doubles team.

Dickson, who won the Whitman Intercollegiate Tournament the weekend before and is expected to be one of the top players for the Warriors, advances to the Rolex Small College Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 21-22.

Seattle Pacific sophomore Monica Abrahamson of Spokane (Rogers) been named Pacific West Conference player of the week in volleyball for her efforts in three matches Sept. 27-Oct. 1.

She registered three double-doubles, totaling 48 kills, 45 digs, 15 blocks and four aces in wins over conference opponents Western Washington, Central Washington and Saint Martin’s.

Against Central, she had 16 kills, 20 digs and seven blocks in just three games. Against Saint Martin’s, she hit .500 with 13 kills.

Two Community Colleges of Spokane volleyball players received weekly awards from the NWAACC.

Angel Fairbanks, a sophomore from Rogers, was named top Eastern Region offensive player. Andrianne Edmonds, a sophomore from South Slocan, British Columbia, was named Eastern Region defensive player.

Katie Supinger of Reardan, a junior middle blocker on the Colorado College volleyball team, was named to the all-tournament team after her school won its own invitational.

Jennifer Madsen, a 1998 graduate of University HS and a sophomore rightside blocker on the Dartmouth volleyball team, was named to the all-tournament team after the Big Green went 3-0 in the University of Hartford Fall Classic. Madsen had 12 kills and 13 digs in one match and hit .389 with 10 digs in another.

Neil Breen of Spokane, a sophomore at Quinnipiac College in Omaha, Neb., was named to the preseason all-star first team in hockey by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

In his freshman year (1998-99), Breen had 15 goals and 26 assists for Quinnipiac and was named to the All-MAAC second team and the MAAC all-rookie team.

Western Washington junior Georgio Usai of Spokane registered the first 100-yard rushing game at WWU in 16 football games when he gained 128 in a 49-21 win over Western New Mexico last weekend. He had a 52-yard run and scored on a 19-yard run.

Grand Falco (University) scored his eighth goal of the season Saturday in helping host Seattle Pacific to a 1-0 soccer win over Humboldt State. Falco has scored in each of SPU’s five home games.

Multisport

Spokane’s globe-trotting nun, Sister Madonna Buder, will be in Huntersville, N.C., this coming weekend for the ITU World Duathlon Championship. Buder will compete in the 65-69-year-old age group. The competition consists of a 10K run, 40K bike ride and 5K run. More than 1,000 athletes ages 16-84 from more than 55 countries are expected.

Soccer

Tiffeny Milbrett, a member of the World Cup-winning U.S. women’s team, will be in Spokane on Oct. 20 to present a clinic for youngsters ages 12 and under at the Merkel Sports Complex, 5901 N. Assembly.

“Tiffeny’s Tips on Soccer” will run from 4:30-6:30 p.m. and cover basic drills. Her appearance is part of the 1999 Grimiest Soccer Team contest. Teams in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon are invited to participate by sending in a photo of the team at its dirtiest. Deadline is Nov. 1.

Info on the grimiest team contest: (888) 373-2283.

Softball

Eight members of the two Spokane teams that had top-five finishes at the Amateur Softball Association Men’s Class A Modified National Tournament last month earned All-America recognition.

Coors Lite, which placed fifth, landed outfielder Bob Short on the first team, second baseman Sean Peterson, outfielder Pat Fischer and pitcher Rob Herzog on the second and third baseman Steve Vilar on the third.

The Grinders, who finished third, had Scott Burkhardt selected for an infield utility position on the second team and catcher Al Gilmour and pitcher Wade Liberty on the third.

Spokane-based ASA Coed Major national champion Fresh Pak had the women’s MVP in third baseman Cecilee Coulson. She and pitcher Mike Olsen earned first-team All-America honors beside tourney batting champion Cris Coffield.

Coulson and Olsen are from Seattle, Coffield from Spokane.

Infielder Natalee Long, also from Seattle, was a second-team All-American for Fresh Pak.

A women’s fastpitch league, which is being organized in Spokane for the 2000 season, will have a meeting for women interested in playing at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the softball offices upstairs in the center complex at Franklin Park. Info: 483-4653.

This sidebar appeared with the story: CROSS COUNTRY Whitworth to host championship

Whitworth College has been selected to play host to the 2000 NCAA Division III cross country championships.

Athletic director Scott McQuilkin said the event will be Nov. 18 at Wandermere Golf Course. Roughly 500 runners from 70 schools are expected to compete.

“We are honored to have been awarded the championships,” McQuilkin said, thanking the Greater Spokane Sports Association and Bob Ross of Wandermere for “assisting in our bid.”

It will be the first NCAA Division III national championship event held in the Northwest since schools in the region became full-fledged members in the association last fall.