Two Shadow Alumni Stick With Sounders

Two former Spokane Shadow players, one of them who cut his soccer teeth in Spokane, have been re-signed by the Seattle Sounders.

Craig Waibel, a former Lewis and Clark High School and University of Washington star defender, will be back for his second season.

Kieran Barton, who starred at Whitworth College after coming out of Mount Si High in Snoqualmie, Wash., will be in his third full season with the Sounders.

Waibel, 24, started 25 games and all three playoff games last year after being the team’s first-round draft pick in the 1999 A-League draft. He scored one goal in 27 regular-season games and was co-winner of the Sounders’ community relations player of the year award.

Barton, 28, is one of only two Sounders players to appear in every game last season.

Baseball

Parents of players in the Mead, Mt. Spokane, Rogers, Northwest Christian and Deer Park areas interested in playing American Legion baseball are urged to attend a meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the atrium at Mt. Spokane High School.

The group will discuss Legion teams in A, AA and AAA divisions.

Info: Glen Armstrong, 466-3829.

Basketball

Gonzaga University will honor its Sweet 16 men’s basketball team at a banquet April 30 at Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park.

The Bulldogs (26-9) won the West Coast Conference tournament before advancing in the NCAA Tournament with wins over Louisville and St. John’s. It was the second straight season they advanced to the Sweet 16. The year before they made it to the Elite Eight.

A no-host social begins at 5 p.m., with dinner and program beginning at 6. Tickets are $25 and must be reserved no later than April 26 by calling 323-4201 or 323-4084.

Two Gonzaga Prep standouts, Greg Johnson and Chris Bond, have signed letters of intent to play at Carroll College in Helena.

Both were named to the All-Area team by The Spokesman-Review after leading the Bullpups to a 25-4 record and the school’s first trip to state since 1991.

Johnson, a point guard, who averaged 13 points and seven assists a game, was named MVP of the Greater Spokane League. Bond, a forward, averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals per game.

College scene

For a third straight year, the Washington State women’s swimming team finished among the top 10 nationally in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America fall academic poll. WSU was third among NCAA Division I schools with a 3.39 combined grade-point average.

Last season, WSU placed second, earning superior recognition by the CSCAA. In 1997-98, WSU was 10th to earn an excellent distinction.

Earning Pac-10 Conference all-academic honors were seniors Kelley Miedema and Eli Schmied, first team; Gretchen Chambers, second team; and Suzie Muirhead, honorable mention.

Manhattan College was first with a 3.41 GPA. The University of Buffalo was second with a 3.397.

Holly Vanwert of Spokane (Mead and Spokane Falls) earned her first softball pitching win of the season for Central Washington (10-20, 5-7 PacWest) last weekend with a two-hit, 3-2 victory at Western Oregon.

The senior took a no-hitter and 3-1 lead into the sixth before weathering a Western Oregon uprising. She also came out of the bullpen to squelch a WOC rally and preserve an 11-8 second-game win for the Wildcats.

Senior forward-center Alke Dietel of the Washington State women’s basketball team has been named to the second District VIII GTE Academic All-America team.

Dietel, who averaged 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, is a humanities major who carries a 3.58 grade-point average. She was a third-team all-district selection last year.

Golf

Nicole Materne of Spokane tied for seventh to earn $1,928 in the SBC Futures Tour Southwestern Bell Classic last weekend in Richardson, Texas.

The Mead High graduate improved one stroke every round, finishing with a 1-over-par 73 for a 6-over 222 total.

The Spokane Parks Dept., in conjunction with the city’s four courses, is offering a “Take Your Child Golfing Day” April 30. Tee times will begin at 3 p.m.

A special package will offer nine holes of golf, a small bucket of balls and a hot dog and beverage for one adult and one child. Cost is $17 at Downriver and Esmeralda, and $20 at Indian Canyon and the Creek at Qualchan. It’s $5 a child for more than one child.

Call the course of your choice to reserve a tee time.

Gymnastics

Amy Brandle of Spokane Elite Gymnastics qualified for the Western Nationals April 27-30 in Bartlesville, Okla., by placing fifth in the Junior A Division at the regional meet last weekend in Olympia.

Brandle, 12, a Chester Elementary student, was one of nine from her Level 9 age group to advance. Teammates April Mims and Corinna Lewis just missed.

Brandle’s best placings were second in floor exercise and third on the balance beam as she compiled an all-around total of 35.475 points.

Three boys from Inland Northwest programs qualified for the men’s Junior Olympic National Championships May 3-7 in Austin, Texas, with top-six placing in regionals last weekend in Portland.

Kevin Olson and Stewart Renz, both from Spokane’s Northwest Gymnastics Academy, placed fifth (42.35) and sixth (41.75), respectively, in the Class 2 all-around. Brian McCrae of Funtastics in Coeur d’Alene was fifth (46.075) in Class 1.

Renz and McCrae are headed to nationals for a second straight year.

All three qualified to compete with the regional team. Olson was second in the high bar and third in rings; Renz had thirds in pommel horse and high bar; and McCrae had a third in floor exercise.

Isaac Olson of NGA was seventh in Class 3 to earn alternate status. Steven Dunn of NGA, who qualified for nationals last year, placed 10th this year. And Matthew Croskrey of NGA competed in just three events, with two sixths and a fifth.

Hockey

The Spokane American Youth Hockey Association Ice Dogs won the Young American Days Senior Mite (ages 7-9) Tournament last weekend, going 5-0 against teams from Canada, Seattle and Tacoma.

Donnie Santos had a hat trick in every game, including the 6-0 championship game win over Tacoma, and Brandon Dituri and Derek Hare scored six goals each in the tournament.

Honors

Five individuals from the Inland Northwest, who have played a big part in athletic programs in their communities or schools, will be among 11 to receive the Washington Secondary School Athletic Adminstrators Association Commendation Award Thursday at Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park.

Local recipients include Dr. John Plastino, team physician for the Lewis and Clark High School football team since 1968; Larry Ham, physical therapist at Ferris; Larry Schmidt, a teacher at Cusick; and Richard and Janet Bade from Springdale, nominated by Mary Walker High School.

Tennis

Central Valley senior Erik Bishop posted four straight-set victories to capture the boys 18s singles title at the Ellensburg Spring Break junior tournament April 8-9.

Greenacres Junior High freshman Loren Harris won the boys 16s A consolation championship.

Dayne Kuhlmann and Nate Fanning teamed to win the 16s doubles title. Fanning attends Horizon Junior High and Kuhlmann Greenacres Junior High.

Track & field

Four high school athletes have signed national letters of intent to attend Washington State, Cougars coach Rick Sloan announced.

They are Tamara Gulley, a sprinter/ hurdler from San Jose, Calif.; Karla McGee, a pole vaulter from Lethbridge, Alberta; Blessing Ufodiama, a triple jumper from Long Beach, Calif.; and Ana Cabrara, a distance specialist from Vancouver, Wash.

Gulley, who won the 100-meter hurdles at the Arcadia Invitational last weekend in a time of 13.87 seconds, is ranked third nationally in the event. She also won the 100-meter dash at the 2000 Fresno Relays.

McGee is the Canadian junior record-holder in the pole vault at 12 feet, 1-1/2 inches.

Ufodiama won the girls triple jump at the Arcadia Invitational with a leap of 41-1-3/4 and is the national girls prep leader in the event.

Cabrara, who moved from Colorado prior to her junior year at Skyview in Vancouver, was seventh at the 1999 Washington 3A cross country championships.