Junior Finalists Decided Winners Will Be Revealed At Feb. 9 Luncheon

Record-setting athletes, state championship teams and coaches are among the finalists for the 1999 Spokane-area Junior Sports Awards.

All will be honored at the Greater Spokane Sports Association Youth Awards Luncheon Feb. 9 at the Ag Trade Center.

Spokane Youth Sports Association is the major corporate sponsor. Other local businesses help underwrite the luncheon allowing hundreds of area high school athletes to attend at reduced costs.

Junior awards finalists were selected by the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters. SWABs president Mike Vlahovich of The Spokesman-Review said nominations were considered from Spokane, its seven adjoining counties and the leagues therein.

Junior male athlete of the year

BRENT CUMMINGS, Pullman. Averaged 28 points per game in leading the Greyhounds to 25-1 record. Their only loss was in the championship finals of the State 2A tournament. Cummings finished career with 1,370 points.

ERIK COLEMAN, Lewis and Clark. Leading rusher and defender for Tigers football team. Coleman finished with 1,178 yards rushing, third in Greater Spokane League scoring and led the league in interceptions. He also was a starter for LC’s regional-qualifying basketball team.

ERIC DIX, Ferris. Top placing American in men’s downhill at U.S. Ski Association Junior Olympic Alpine championships. Dix qualified for the Junior World Championships, where he won the national downhill title.

STEVE GABRIEL, Shadle Park. GSL rushing leader for state quarterfinalists. He became only the second Spokane rusher to surpass 2,000 yards during a season. His 1,478 yards in league games was third best in a single season and he was the league scoring leader with 132 points. Gabriel is a basketball starter, too.

BRAD GROH, West Valley. Three-year, three-sport senior star for Eagles was second-leading scorer with a 15.4 average and league MVP for the Border League basketball champions and State 3A tournament qualifiers. In the spring, Groh led WV to second place in the State 3A track meet with victories in the 110 high hurdles and triple jump, and also placed in the 300 hurdles.

MAHLON KERWICK, University. Spokane Valley boxer qualified for the World Tournament in Houston and Olympic Trials by winning several tournaments, including the U.S. Challenge Tournament to become the top-ranked amateur 132-pounder in the United States.

MICHAEL KITER, Shadle Park. The Highlanders junior with a penchant for running at the front, overhauled a wealth of Greater Spokane League talent to become the league’s best cross country runner and a 4A state champion, winning by 24 seconds with his 15:18, 5,000-meter romp.

TRAVIS PASCOE, Gonzaga Prep. With 95 wins already during his three-year high school career, Pascoe claimed his second straight State 4A wrestling title as a junior. Last year, the Bullpups 190-pounder from Rathdrum was 34-1, his only loss to state 215-pound champ Tyree Clowe. Also, All-GSL in football.

COREY PRUGH, Ferris. Shot a 4-under par 138 to capture the State 4A golf individual championship and lead Saxons to state title. Also shot a 54-hole total of 210, including a 67, in the AJGA Ping Landon Farms junior tournament, finished high in several other regional events and won the PNW AAU junior title to qualify for 19-Under nationals in Cleveland.

JAKE ROSHOLT, Sandpoint. Just a sophomore, the 160-pound Rosholt compiled a perfect 39-0 season to win his first Idaho state wrestling championship.

Junior female athlete of the year

JANEE ANDRE, Coeur d’Alene. The Vikings senior became the all-time school scoring leader with 85 goals for the third-place state soccer team. Last spring, she also won the State A-1 long jump in track with a 17-3 leap.

TERESA BROOKS, Lewis and Clark. Completed her track career with a pair of state titles for the third-place Tigers. Brooks won the 400 meters at the State 4A meet in 56.06 and the 200 meters in 25.41. She also anchored LC’s 1,600 relay team, which took third place.

CHRISTA BROSSMAN, Pullman. Heading into her senior year, she had scored more than 1,200 career points. Last season, she averaged nearly 21 points per game for the Greyhounds. She also was named All-Great Northern League in softball and volleyball.

SHAYLA BUSH, Ferris. Bush’s volleyball talent became evident when, as a sophomore, she subbed for an injured teammate and spurred the Saxons to a state championship. This year, Bush was named MVP of the GSL as one of the league’s most powerful jumpers and hardest hitters. She also ran on the district champion 400-relay team.

ALYSSA ERICKSON, Wilbur-Creston. Erickson averaged 17 ppg in guiding team to State B title and finished career with 1,409 points. She grabbed career-high 28 rebounds in 64-50 state title win over St. George’s. Also third in discus and fourth in shot put and participant in javelin at State B track meet.

CRYSTAL EVANS, Colville. Four-year track athlete added her third and fourth state titles last spring. Evans is a two-time State 2A 1,600- and 3,200-meter winner. Qualified for State 3A cross country meet, placing 17th.

ERIN KROGEL, Shadle Park. A cross country career marred by respiratory ailments that limited her competition, came to a satisfying conclusion with regional and State 4A championships. Her winning state 5,000-meter time was 18:23.

LARISSA MUELLER, Riverside. During a special soccer career that included a state championship, second- and third-place state finishes, Mueller ended up the Rams’ leading scorer with more than 100 goals. She also competes in track.

LINDSAY MURPHY, Mead. She helped guide the Panthers to their first state volleyball title. Mead finished third in league, but the Panthers outside hitter was consistently in double figures for kills in a dominating sweep of regionals and state.

CAREY SAUER, Newport. Named State 2A player of the year, Sauer averaged 24 ppg in leading Grizzlies to state title. She set several state tournament records during title drive while averaging 28 ppg for the four-day tournament. Sauer totaled 2,102 career points.

Junior female team of the year

NEWPORT BASKETBALL. Ranked first or second in state much of the year, coach Mike Frederick’s Grizzlies compiled a 25-2 record and had record-setting run through the State 2A tournament, outscoring opponents 264-188 to win title.

WILBUR-CRESTON BASKETBALL. Completed a 25-4 record for first-year coach Denise Wilkie en route to the State B championship for a team that included only two seniors.

MEAD VOLLEYBALL. After finishing third in the Greater Spokane League with an 8-2 record and third in district, coach Judy Kight’s Panthers became invincible. They did not lose a game in their final nine matches, winning regionals and their first State 4A volleyball title. It was Spokane’s 10th state championship in 16 years.

SANDPOINT VOLLEYBALL. The Idaho A-1 State champions compiled a 27-1 record for coach Jeff Hurst. The Bulldogs were unbeaten until the state tournament, but bounced back from the loss to claim title.

COLVILLE TRACK. The Indians girls improved by 20 points at the State 2A track championships to win their second straight title under coach Bill Carpenter. Included were individual titles in the 3,200, 1,600 and 400 and seconds in the 200 and 1,600 relay.

Junior male team of the year

GONZAGA PREP WRESTLING. Bullpups first state wrestling title was culmination of four-year run of success. They captured their third GSL dual meet title in four years under coach Phil McLean.

LAKESIDE WRESTLING. A magnificent four-year run was completed by the Eagles, who sent five wrestlers into the finals to rout the field for their second State 2A championship. Several seniors completed careers for a team that finished first or second in state all four years under coach Scott Jones.

TEKOA-OAKESDALE BASEBALL. Coach Tom Wall’s Nighthawks finished miracle run to surprising State B title by defeating LaConner, which had eliminated six-time champion DeSales.

UNIVERSITY CROSS COUNTRY. Titans won State 4A title for third straight year under coach Bob Barbero. Despite injuries to their top two runners, the team’s pack mentality prevailed by a point in the closest three-team race in history.

UNIVERSITY TRACK. Titans rode state championships by Ian Johnson in two distance races, Kris Martin in the 800, Anthony Buchanan in the 100 and Brad Walker in the pole vault to capture their second straight title for coach Keven Frandsen.

Junior coach of the year

BOB BARBERO, University cross country. After three years of second-place finishes behind Mead, longtime Titans coach has won three straight State 4A titles. Titans have placed in the top four seven times since 1989.

BILL CARPENTER, Colville track. Indians girls scored 79 points en route to their second straight State 2A championship. Included were three individual titles, two by Crystal Evans.

JEFF HURST, Sandpoint volleyball. Captured his third State A-1 volleyball championship since becoming coach. The Bulldogs were 27-1 with wins over GSL state placing teams. Team was unbeaten until state, finishing third the year before.

JUDY KIGHT, Mead volleyball. Since her return to coaching, Kight and her Panthers have made steady progress to the top. This year’s team finished third in league and district, but didn’t lose another game during title run.

PHIL McLEAN, Gonzaga Prep wrestling. He took over a program with limited success and turned it into a juggernaut. After several top-10 finishes, the Bullpups won their first State 4A title and their third GSL championship in four years.