Olympians and local collegians fill the field of 2004 finalists compiled for this year’s Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters (SWABS) awards.

Former Post Falls and Washington State University discus thrower Ian Waltz and University of Idaho hurdler Angela Whyte both competed in last summer’s Athens Olympics. Whyte finished sixth in the 100 meter hurdles finals.

They are up for Professional Athlete of the Year, along with a pair of NFL football players on playoff teams – Spokane and WSU’s Erik Coleman, a rookie defensive back on the New York Jets, and last year’s SWABs winner, lineman Rick DeMulling of the Indianapolis Colts.

Gonzaga University’s basketball program is again well-represented in the Amateur Male, Team and Coach categories. Last year’s winner, Blake Stepp is again a finalist.

Eastern Washington University’s banner efforts – a first-ever NCAA basketball qualifier last March and Division I-AA second-round playoff football team – have also been recognized with team, coach and player finalists. They are joined by Eagles volleyball player Keva Sonderen.

Idaho, Whitworth and Community Colleges of Spokane also have SWABs finalist respresentation.

The winners will be announced next month and recognized during the annual Spokane Regional Sports Commission Youth Awards Luncheon, Wednesday, Feb. 9 at the Ag Trade Center.

The luncheon, where junior awards winners will also be announced, is sponsored by area businesses, including major sponsors Bank of Whitman and State Farm Insurance.

Following are the 2004 Sports Awards finalists (voted on by Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters):

Amateur Male Athlete of the Year

Bryan Depew – Whitworth College basketball player completed his illustrious career by becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer. He finished with a career 2,013 points, more than 200 over the previous record. The Central Valley High graduate was a four-time all-conference selection.

Kiel Thibault – Gonzaga University sophomore was named the West Coast Conference baseball player of the year. He hit .424 with 11 doubles and 35 RBIs. Thibault was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top collegiate catcher and was an honorable mention All-American selection by CollegeBaseballInsider.com.

Michael Roos – Offensive tackle for Eastern Washington’s Division I-AA quarterfinalist football team was named to several All-American teams. He was an American Football Coaches Assoc., NCAA Division I-AA and The Sports Network All-American first team selection and named to the Associated Press second team.

Alvin Snow – The most honored player in Eastern Washington University history, Snow was named Big Sky Conference most valuable player. Snow became the first player to lead Eastern in scoring average (14.7 points per game), rebounding and assists in one season. He ended his four-year career with 1,396 points for an 11.8 average and was honorable mention AP All-American, the school’s first in 25 years.

Blake Stepp – Gonzaga University senior guard was named All-West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second time, was an Associated Press second team All-American and a John K. Wooden Award top 10 finalist. Stepp averaged 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game for the NCAA qualifier.

Amateur Female Athlete of the Year

Molly Burt – This CCS track athlete totaled 51½ points in leading the Sasquatch to the NWAACC women’s championship. Burt’s point totals included victory in the 400 hurdles and seconds in the heptathlon, 400 sprint and 100 hurdles. She also ran legs on two winning CCS relay teams.

Emily Faurholt – A sophomore basketball player at the University of Idaho last year, Faurholt, from Kennewick, led the nation in scoring. She averaged 25.4 points per game for the Vandals, who finished second in the Big West Conference and second in the league tournament with a 22-7 record, their best since 1985-86.

Kristen Shields – This Whitworth sprinter became the school’s first NCAA Division III national track champion by winning the 100 meters. She also finished fourth in the 200. Shields set school records of 11.81 and 25.06 in the two sprints. She was also named the college division Academic All-American of the year for all sports by COSIDA.

Chelsea Smith – A graduate of Mt. Spokane High, Smith walked onto the cross country team at BYU-Hawaii and has been running ever since. Smith has won two straight NCAA Division II national cross country championship meets and 11 straight races. She has lowered her 5,000 meter time by four minutes to 17:22 and was named NCAA Division II runner of the year.

Keva Sonderen – an Eastern Washington senior and graduate from Gonzaga Prep was named Big Sky Conference volleyball MVP. Sonderen led the league in hitting percentage at .335, was ninth in kills with 3.3 per game and eighth in blocks. She became the fourth EWU female athlete so honored.

Professional Athlete of the Year

Erik Coleman – Rookie NFL defensive back from Lewis and Clark High and Washington State University was an impact starter on the AFC playoff New York Jets. Coleman led the team in interceptions with four and was third on the team in tackles with 100, including two for sacks.

Rick DeMulling – Injuries plagued the Cheney product during his fourth season with the AFC playoff Indianapolis Colts who play at New England today. DeMulling started 11 games this year at left guard on the most prolific offense in the National Football League.

Kirk Triplett – Ex-Pullman golfer finished 38th on the PGA tour with $1.566 million in earnings. He had a 2004 scoring average of 69.54 before the cut, fifth best on the tour and missed just five cuts all season. He had five top-10 finishes, including a tie for sixth in the Masters.

Ian Waltz – The eight-time WSU track All-American through 2000 and discus record-setter qualified for the USA Olympic team. Although failing to reach the finals, he improved on his earlier college best by nearly six feet, to 217-feet, in qualifying for the international competition last summer in Athens.

Angela Whyte – University of Idaho graduate and new assistant coach didn’t medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens last summer, but she did make the finals on the world’s stage, finishing sixth for Canada in the 100 meter hurdles. She ran a personal best time of 12.69 to reach the finals where she clocked her fifth-fastest, 12.81.

Coach of the Year

Larry Beatty – Coached CCS women to the 2004 NWJCAA track championship, one of the many titles under Beatty since he arrived in 1996. Included are six men’s track championships in eight years, four women’s titles and numerous men’s and women’s cross country crowns during that time.

Debbie Buchanan – Fifth-year University of Idaho volleyball coach guided the Vandals to their second straight NCAA tournament appearance, where they lost to national semifinalist University of Washington. The Vandals finished with a 17-13 record and have gone 36-24 the past two seasons for Buchanan.

Mark Few – In his fifth year as coach, the Gonzaga Bulldogs had their best season yet and another NCAA tournament appearance. Few’s Zags finished the season 28-3 giving him a 133-32 overall record. He was named WCC coach of the year for the fourth time.

Ray Giacoletti – In his fourth year, Giacoletti coached EWU to the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history and was named Big Sky Conference coach of the year. Giacoletti’s four seasons with the Eagles produced a 41-17 record in the Big Sky and his overall 69-50 record produced a .580 winning percentage that ranks 16th all-time among league coaches.

Paul Wulff – Wulff was named the Big Sky Conference football coach of the year, the second time the fifth-year head coach has been so honored. Eastern has never had a losing season under Wulff, who has a 34-23 record and reached the second round of the national playoffs this year. He was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award for I-AA coach of the year.

Team of the Year

CCS women’s track – The Sasquatch captured the NWAACC conference championship, their fourth in the last six years, winning the championship meet by 29 points over Lane Community College.

Eastern Washington men’s basketball – Following a 3-9 start, the Eagles won 14 of their final 18 games to win the Big Sky Conference and tournament and played in the NCAA Tournament. They tied No. 2 seeded Oklahoma State 36-36 at halftime before losing 75-56.

Eastern Washington football –The Eagles completed a 9-4 season with a second-round loss in the NCAA I-AA playoffs. They won nine of their last 11 games, upsetting Southern Illinois before losing in a second-round heartbreaker to Sam Houston State. Eastern ranked fifth in the nation in scoring offense and sixth in total offense.

Gonzaga men’s basketball – The Bulldogs went to their sixth straight NCAA basketball playoff, reaching the second round before their season ended against Nevada. Gonzaga compiled a 28-3 record and was ranked as high as second nationally last year. The team won its fifth WCC tournament championship in six years.

Whitworth men’s soccer – Became the school’s first NCAA Division III nationally ranked soccer team and reached the second round of the national tournament before losing 3-2 to St. Norbert College. The Pirates compiled a 16-3-1 season record and were ranked as high as 20th.