Locally

Whitworth’s Shields chosen Academic All-American of Year

Whitworth College senior Kristen Shields has been named the 2003-2004 College Division Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-American of the Year, heading a list of student-athletes that includes teammate Leslie Nelson, a second-team Academic All-American.

Shields, a mathematics major from Grand Coulee, Wash., with a 4.0 grade-point average, was selected to the CoSIDA College Division Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-America team for the second consecutive year. Shields, named to the first team, won the 100 and finished sixth in the 200 at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships and was also the 2004 Women’s Athlete of the Meet at the Northwest Conference Championships after winning the 100 and 200 and anchoring the winning 4x100 relay.

Shields was selected as Academic All-American of the Year from among a list of 30 Academic All-Americans. The list included 16 student-athletes with 4.0 grade-point averages and four other NCAA national champions.

Nelson, a senior from Omak, Wash., has a GPA of 3.98 while majoring in English. She became Whitworth’s first cross-country All-American in the fall by placing 14th at the NCAA Division III Championships. This spring she became an All-American again by finishing sixth in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships. Nelson won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the 2004 NWC Championships as well. She was selected as Whitworth’s 2004 Women’s Senior Athlete of the Year by the Whitworth athletic department.

Brigham Young University Hawaii women’s cross country runner Chelsea Smith was named to the third team. Smith, a sophomore who graduated from Mt. Spokane, has held a 3.86 grade-point average as an exercise and sport science major at BYU Hawaii. Last fall she won the NCAA Division II cross country national championship by 25 seconds and was named West Region Runner of the Year. She was also a finalist for the Honda Award as the top female athlete in Division II.

A former walk-on, Smith set a new BYU Hawaii record in every race she competed in this past season and was named BYU Hawaii’s Female Athlete of the Year. She was also honored as the Seasiders’ top women’s cross country scholar.

• Former University of Washington track and field star Brad Walker, who completed his collegiate career in March with a second consecutive NCAA indoor pole vault title, was honored with a place on the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-America first team, university division.

A graduate of University High, Walker earned a degree in business administration in June, posting a 3.5 grade point average.

Walker has soared to No. 2 in the world rankings while competing professionally in the United States and Europe. The four-time NCAA All-American placed third at last weekend’s Prefontaine Invitational with a clearance of 19-0¼. Walker owns a 2004 season best of 19-1 that is second only to Stanford grad Toby Stevenson in the 2004 IAAF world outdoor rankings.

Washington State University’s Tim Gehring was named to the third team.

Gehring, a fifth-year senior from Kettle Falls, graduated Cum Laude in May 2003 with a degree in business administration and accounting, posting a 3.63 grade-point average. He earned All-America honors in the shot put at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships. This spring Gehring threw the fourth-best shot put mark in school history with a distance of 63 feet, 6 inches. Gehring took fifth place in both the shot put and hammer throw at the 2004 Pac-10 Championships, and finished ninth in the shot put at the NCAA West Regional meet.

• Four athletes recently accepted scholarships to play for the North Idaho College’s women’s basketball team for the 2004-2005 season.

As reported last week, Central Valley graduate Caitlin Courchaine signed after a one-year break from basketball. Courchaine was an All-Greater Spokane League wing on the Central Valley team that won back-to-back 4A state titles. Her senior year the Bears’ placed second.

The Cardinals also signed Lake Washington graduate Sara Dennehy and Sentinel High’s (Missoula) Jenni Lyman and Lindsey Koppen.

Lyman is a two-time All-State point guard and three-time all-league player.

•Washington State University signed nine players who will join the Cougars’ baseball team in the fall. Four of the athletes come from the junior college ranks and five from Washington area high schools. The new recruits include six right-handed pitchers and three left-handed pitchers.

They are: Grant Alexander, RHP, New Mexico Junior College; Reese Baker, LHP, Lower Columbia Community College; Eric Dingwall, RHP, Edmonds Community College; Josh Fullington, RHP, South Kitsap; Kyle Henselman, LHP, Federal Way; Isaac Hess, LHP, South Mountain Community College; Steve Marquardt, RHP, Kennewick; Jayson Miller, RHP, Richland; Dustin Willis, RHP, Kamiakin.

• Six high school seniors and one junior college recruit have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Washington State University and compete for the track and field team.

The signees, their events and hometowns are: Sarah Burns, sprints/jumps, Tacoma; Justin Chambers, distance, Albany, Ore.; Chelsey Godfrey, distance, Post Orchard, Wash.; Kyle Eaton, high jump, Ellensburg, Wash.; Isley Gonzalez, distance, Sunnyside, Wash.; Katie Miller, heptathlon, Vancouver, Wash.; and TiJahnni Newton, sprints, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

•Gonzaga University announced the addition of two players for the upcoming men’s tennis season.

Marco Pineda from Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, Calif., and Michael Azuma of Punahou High in Honolulu, Hawaii will join the Bulldogs this fall.

Pineda was a two-time All-Camino Del Rey first-team selection as a junior and senior, MVP both years and capped his senior season with an unblemished 69-0 match record. While at Don Bosco Tech, the team posted a 78-2 record during his career. Last December he was ranked 185th in the nation.

• Eastern Washington University named 52 athletes to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team for the spring 2004 quarter.

From men’s outdoor track and field: Scott Banning, Fr.; Michael Ceparano, So.; Luke Clemmens, Fr.; James Conrick, Jr.; Justin Drake (Colville HS), Jr.; Jerrad Ely (Springdale and Spokane CC), Jr.; Joe Hewitt (Republic), So.; Brandon Hunt (Central Valley), Sr.; Zach Hunt (Central Valley), Fr.; Garrett Klein, Fr.; Alex Moon (Shadle Park), Jr.; John Timeus, Fr.; Ty Weingard, Sr.

From women’s outdoor track and field: Valerie Bertsch, Fr.; Nicolle Clutter, So.; Angel Davis, So.; Christina Dickinson (Colville), Sr.; Carrie Donaldson, So.; Holly Evans, Fr.; Katherine Flood, Jr.; Sara Fouts, So.; Jamie Griffith, Fr.; Terra Hale, Fr.; Emily Hannah, Fr.; Haley Heater, Jr.; Sarah Hegna, Fr.; Meagan Jones, So.; Jeslyn Lemke (Cheney), Fr.; Teanna Meinhold (Colville), Fr.; Hana Merk, Jr.; Traci Mickle, Fr.; Candice Nell, Fr.; Neleigh Olson (Mt. Spokane), Fr.; Amy Perreault, Jr.; Caitlin Prunty, Jr.; Jenny Sergeant, Sr.; Katelyn Waterhouse, So.

From men’s tennis: Kevin Erickson, Fr.; Brandon Hair, Jr.; Aaron Heier, Jr.; Anthony Venable, Sr.

From women’s tennis: Kim Cabiling, Jr.; Marie Carroll (Gonzaga Prep), So.; Wanda Garcia, Sr.; Jennifer Jolley, So.; Lesley Liddell (Shadle Park), Jr.; Leanna Mehren, Sr.; Teri Sherrill, Sr.

From women’s golf: Carlie Allen, Jr.; Shawn Farmer, Sr.; Andrea Folk, Jr.; Kelly Gardner, Sr.

• Mead graduate Alicia Mills, a freshman at the University of Montana, was named to the Big Sky Conference 2004 spring All-Academic team for outdoor track and field. Mills is a Health and Human Performance major.

Golf

Joesph Lanza of Bainbridge Island, Wash., won the 78th Washington State Golf Association Men’s Amateur Championship Friday, winning a playoff with Canadian Adam Choy after the two finished at 2-under par 278 for four rounds over the Lake Spanaway Golf Course.

Area finishers included Craig Leslie of Spokane (tie for fifth, 283), Alex Prugh of Spokane (tie for 12th, 285), Kent Brown of Colville and David Fern of Spokane (both tie for 19th, 288) and Jason Huff of Lewiston (tie for 46th, 296).

Softball

Ten players and an umpire were recently inducted into the Inland Empire Softball Hall of Fame at this year’s Softball Reunion and Induction Celebration at the Sons of Norway Hall.

Players honored were: Marilyn Blair, Virginia Danke, Rex Edwards, Rick Henry, Larry Knight, Larry Poffenroth, Dave Olson, Marv Richardson, Jerry Schieche and Dick Voege. Umpire Dennis Ocheltree was also inducted.

Roy and Marion Mulberry, Mike Sanborn and Denny Wardrop were inducted into the Hall of Honor.

Track and Field

Spokane’s Rich Tucker, age 59, won three events in the 55-59 age group at last weekend’s Portland Masters Track and Field Classic held at Mt. Hood Community College. Tucker won the 200 with a time of 27.3 seconds, the 400 in 59.7 seconds and the 800 with a time of 2:18.3.