Locally

Huff claims crown in Queens bowling

Stephanie Huff is the Spokane Women’s Bowling Association Queens champion for 2005.

Huff, who defeated high-scoring Julie Twiss 656-556 in the three-game, TV-style finals of the 18th annual event at Players & Spectators, will have her entry paid into the Women’s State Queens Tournament at Players & Spectators on May 13-14.

Twiss led the scoring in the first four-game block that reduced the field of 25 to six semifinalists, compiling a 979 that included a tournament-high game (268) and three-game series (740). Huff advanced with a second-best 890.

In the semifinals, Huff bested Twiss 851-823 to set up the finals. Third through sixth with their semifinal scores were: Sandy Moon (759), Jerri Friberg (758), Gaylah Spackman (722) and April Stevenson (719).

Jamie Nelson won the consolation bracket with a 490 for two games. Shari Cawley (484) was second.

Baseball

Spokane American Legion appointed Tony Byrne, associate head coach at Community Colleges of Spokane, as new coach of the Blue Devils AAA team.

Byrne is a 1995 graduate of Freeman High School.

•Washington State signed 12 high school seniors from Washington to national letters of intent, head coach Donnie Marbut announced.

Slated to enroll in fall of 2006 are: Chadwick Arnold, a right-handed pitcher from Southridge of Kennewick; Josh Ashenbrenner, infielder, Lake Washington; Cody Bartlett, infielder, Kentwood; Carsten Bocchi, left-handed pitcher, Federal Way; Stephen Englund, infielder, Bellevue; and Matt Fanelli, outfielder, Capital of Olympia.

Also: Seth Harvey, RHP, River Ridge of Olympia; Jarett Jackson, first base/third base, Thomas Jefferson of Auburn; Zachary Miller, RHP, Yelm; Shawn O’Malley, infielder, Southridge; Jay Ponciano, catcher, Hudson’s Bay; and Michael Weber, infielder, O’Dea.

College scene

Washington State sophomore defensive end Matt Mullennix from Liberty of Spangle, who has a 3.25 grade-point average in business administration, was a second-team choice on the Pac-10 All-Academic football team.

•Puget Sound sophomore linebacker Steve Martin from Lewis and Clark earned honorable mention on the All-Northwest Conference football team.

•The honors keep getting better for University of Redlands junior libero Rachae Bell of Davenport.

She’s the only defensive specialist on the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III All-America teams, selected to the third team. She ranks second nationally with an average of 8.13 digs a game off a school-record 651 digs.

•Two Eastern Washington senior volleyball players, Andrea Verdoljak and Lizzy Mellor, were selected to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine All-District VIII academic team for the first time.

Verdoljak, from Cerritos, Calif., has a 3.89 GPA in mathematics in education. Mellor, from Colfax, has a 3.71 GPA in graphic communication.

•Two former Greater Spokane League athletes were named to Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-star volleyball teams.

Kristen Urdahl, a Western Washington senior setter from Ferris, was a second-team choice. Earning honorable mention was Katrina Johnson, a Western Oregon freshman middle blocker from Mt. Spokane.

•Tyger Spencer, a Lewis-Clark State senior outside hitter from Lewiston, was a second-team All-Frontier Conference selection in volleyball.

•Cornell College senior midfielder Kim Bussiere of Mt. Spokane was a repeat selection to the All-Iowa Conference first team in women’s soccer, closing out a career that saw her honored all four years. She was a second-team choice as a freshman and sophomore.

•Kara Hamby, a sophomore midfielder at Seattle Pacific from Mead, was named to the All-Far West Region second team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Golf

According to Fairways and Greens magazine, those looking for one of the best golfing experiences in the western United States can find it in North Idaho.

The publication, in its December/January issue, ranks Circling Raven Golf Club in Worley and the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course at No. 7 in its “Top 101 Golf Experiences” in the West.

Bandon, Ore., Pebble Beach and Trump National top the list. Circling Raven and the Coeur d’Alene Resort rank ahead of such prestigious venues as Edgewood Tahoe, Oregon’s Pumpkin Ridge and San Diego’s Torrey Pines, a U.S. Open site.

“I won’t say we’re stunned, but we are humbled and extremely proud,” Circling Raven director of golf David Christenson said of the ranking. “Golf Magazine, Golf Digest and a number of others have listed us among the best new courses in America, but this is the first time we’ve been compared straight up with some of the greatest and most storied courses in not only the West, but the world.”

Circling Raven, which opened in late summer of 2003, was listed the following year in Golf Digest and Golf Magazine as one of the top 10 new courses in the country. The Coeur d’Alene Resort course has received a 5-star designation from Golf Digest and was one of only 20 layouts selected, nationwide, as a Golf Medal Resort by Golf Magazine.

•Dani Madden from Woodinville, Wash., and Amanda Jacobs from Central Catholic in Portland have signed with the University of Idaho, Vandals coach Brad Rickel announced.

Both played in the championship flight of the 2005 Junior PNGA tournament. Madden finished third in her high school district championships and Jacobs placed eighth in her high school state tournament.

Swimming

Larry Krauser, 52, and Susanne Simpson, 45, both of Spokane, have been recognized as All-Americans by United States Masters Swimming.

To receive the honor, a swimmer must have the top time in their age group in an event during the year.

Krauser is an All-American in the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyles; Simpson in the 200 butterfly. Both also have top-10 placings in seven other events. Krauser’s includes one second and Simpson’s three seconds and a third.

Margaret Hair, 50, of Coeur d’Alene has a top-10 ranking in the 50-meter breaststroke.

•Shawna Keller, a national-level swimmer in the breaststroke and freestyle from Cambridge, Ontario, and Michaela Ahlin, a regional champion in the butterfly from Tyreso, Sweden, have signed national letters of intent with Washington State, Cougars coach Erica Quam announced.

Tennis

Kristen MacWilliams from Scottsdale, Ariz., a two-time state placer who is ranked No. 8 in the Southeast Region, has signed with Washington State, Cougars coach D.J. Gurule announced.

Volleyball

Veteran Barb Farnsworth, who officiates high school, college and USA Volleyball and is a WIAA rules clinician, was named Referee of the Year by the Spokane Area Volleyball Referees Association.

Other awards went to Bob Francis, most inspirational; Barb Twohig and Rusty Wellman, contributors of the year; Bill Adams, most improved; Ben Goodwin and Erica Tomsha, rookies of the year; Sammie Chay, second-year official of the year; and Patty Kells and Skye Foster-Bell, third-year officials of the year.