Locally

Swanson, 60, sets record in 100-mile endurance run

Gunhild Swanson of Spokane Valley, at age 60 the oldest female in the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run last weekend, set an age-group record in winning her division.

Swanson, paced by her son, Chris Morlan, for the last 38 miles, covered the distance between Squaw Valley and Auburn, Calif., in 25 hours, 40 minutes, 28 seconds. That shattered by more than an hour the record of 26:41:00 set in 2003.

Swanson was nearly 31 minutes ahead of the runner-up in the female 60-69-year-old division.

Three other Spokane residents – Lisa Bliss (25:32:59), Connie Ridenour (26:34:29) and Wendy O’Neal (27:28:00) – also finished the event along with former Spokane resident Stan Holman (19:39:55), a former Shadle Park High School standout.

College scene

Washington State senior linebacker Will Derting has added his name to another college football “watch list” for 2005.

Derting, from Okanogan, Wash., is one of 50 players on the Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch list. The award, named for the former Chicago Bears star and University of Minnesota All-American, goes to the best defensive player in college football.

Derting earlier was named to preseason watch lists for the Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy and Ted Bednarik Award.

Five other Pac-10 players are on the Nagurski list – Jon Alston, Stanford; Trent Bray, Oregon State; Haloti Ngata, Oregon; Spencer Havner, UCLA; and Darnell Bing, USC.

•Montana sophomores Alicia Mills from Mead and Bailey Cox from Wilbur earned Big Sky Conference All-Academic selection for women’s track.

Mills has a 3.40 grade-point average in health and human performance. Cox has a 3.92 GPA in biology.

•Five Eastern Washington athletes from area schools were named to Big Sky Conference All-Academic teams for spring sports.

Justin Drake, a senior from Colville, was selected in men’s track and field; Nicolle Clutter, a junior from Post Falls and North Idaho College; Teanna Meinhold, a sophomore from Colville; and Neleigh Olson, a sophomore from Mt. Spokane, were named in women’s track and field; and Lesley Liddell, a senior from Shadle Park, was selected in women’s tennis.

Athletes have to have GPAs of 3.20 or higher to be selected.

•For the eighth time in nine years, the University of Washington has a top-25 finish in the Sports Academy Directors’ Cup competition.

The Huskies placed 14th in 2005, one of seven Pac-10 schools in the top 25 in the annual competition to honor the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.

Golf

Cody Salib of Shadle Park has signed a letter of intent to join the men’s golf program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., this fall.

Salib was named the most inspirational player at Shadle in 2004 and was the most improved in 2003.

Soccer

Aimee Goss, a midfielder from La Costa, Calif., has signed a letter of intent with Idaho and will transfer from Oregon, Vandals coach Pete Showler announced.

A 2004 high school graduate, where her school ranked ninth nationally her senior year, Goss played in 10 games for the Ducks last season.

Track and field

The Region XIII USATF Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships, hosted by the Cheney Track Club, begin at 10 a.m. Thursday at Eastern Washington University’s Woodward Field.

The four-day festival is for athletes in age divisions from 10 and under through high school and will include individual, multievent and relays competition.

Top-three placers qualify for the Junior Olympic Nationals the last week of July in Indianapolis.

Admission is free.

Info: Lawson or Ruth Van Kuren, 235-4762.

Miscellany

The Business and Professional Women and Seattle Storm are looking for nominees to honor on Girl Power Day July 23 during a Storm-Detroit Shock game in Seattle.

Although the Storm are a WNBA team and basketball-related activities are planned for the day, the release announcing the event said the groups are looking “for nominations of female athletes and teams from all sports who deserve to be honored.”

Nomination deadline is Saturday.

To participate in related Girl Power Day events you must have a game ticket. Tickets are $15 and $25.

Info: (360) 336-6641 or (360) 714-8901, or at www.pbwwa.com.

S-R sports staff

Sports editor: Joe Palmquist; Assistant sports editors: Vince Grippi, Gil Hulse; Copy editors: Kory Boatman, Jeff Bunch, Chris Derrick, David Oriard; Outdoors editor: Rich Landers; Columnist: John Blanchette; Reporters: Steve Bergum, Jaime Cardenas, Glenn Kasses, Greg Lee, Jim Meehan, Dave Trimmer, Mike Vlahovich