Locally

CCS to honor former coach van der Meer

The man who was “Mr. Soccer” at the Community Colleges of Spokane, Cor van der Meer, will be honored with a farewell celebration Oct. 22 at Fort Wright.

Festivities will begin at 4:45 p.m. following a CCS women’s match against Southwestern Oregon in the Spokane Falls Stadium. A dinner and presentation are planned. It’s open to the public. Cost is $10.

Van der Meer served as head men’s coach at the school from the start of the program in 1985 until turning over the reigns to Kenny Krestian this season.

In 20 years, van der Meer won two NWAACC championships (1990 and ‘96) and five division titles.

He also founded the women’s program, serving as head coach from 1990-2000. The Sasquatch won a title in 1992 and three times were runners-up.

He will continue teaching at Spokane Falls.

Administration

Eastern Washington has added four to its athletic department administrative staff and two trainers.

One of the newcomers is Michael Allen, who worked as an assistant athletic director of business operations at the school from 2001-04. He returns as an associate athletic director for business operations after nine months as director of sports for the ambassadors group, People to People.

Also joining the athletic staff are Rocky Kundert, who has spent the last four years as the assistant marketing director for women’s sports at Fresno State, who will be the coordinator of marketing, promotions and ticket operations at EWU; Laura Biviano, a university admissions advisor, becomes the Eagle Athletic Association’s assistant director; and Kristopher Okimoto was promoted to athletic fiscal tech after two years with the athletic department working with budget reports, marketing and game management.

New athletic trainers are EWU grads Donald Sims and Michelle Floch.

Basketball

Morgan Bennett Ellison, a 1999 graduate of Mead High School and 2003 graduate of the Air Force Academy, is playing for the Air Force women’s team in the All-Armed Forces tournament this weekend in Ventura County, Calif.

Ellison, a first lieutenant, played basketball at both Mead and the Air Force Academy. She earned her spot on the Air Force team during tryouts last month at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

•A basketball players clinic for boys and girls from third- to eighth-grade will be held at Sports USA today in the Spokane Valley with proceeds benefiting the Red Cross. Participants are scheduled to include former WNBA player Stacey Clinesmith and participants from the Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University and Whitworth College women’s basketball programs. Cost is $20 per session. Sessions at 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 12-2 p.m. Players should bring their own basketball.

Bowling

Matt Descoteaux stole the spotlight from Josh Schmehl and won the first Junior Bowlers Tour event of the season last month at Valley Bowl.

Descoteaux, who qualified third, knocked off Schmehl 206-204 for the title. Schmehl had rolled a 299 game and 936 four-game series to qualify first.

No. 2 qualifier Nick Schmehl finished third, Mike Federico fourth and Evan Nash fifth.

High game for the girls was Krystl Jackson‘s 224.

College scene

Former Mt. Spokane kicker Dan Kleckner, a junior at Montana Tech, was named special teams player of the week by the Frontier Conference and nationally by NAIAFootball.net.

He was 3 for 3 in field goals, including a 43-yarder in overtime for a 17-14 win over Rocky Mountain. He also had four kickoffs for a total of 260 yards.

•Former University of Idaho cross country and track standout Tania Vander Meulen, who received her bachelor’s degree in nutrition in 2004 and is working on a master’s in sports science, is the 2005 NCAA Woman Athlete of the Year for the state of Idaho.

The award honors female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership and have completed their athletic eligibility. A national winner will be named Oct. 29 in Indianapolis.

•DeeAnn Dempsey, a Stetson University senior from Rogers, recorded the 1,000th kill of her collegiate volleyball career last weekend.

Dempsey, the eighth player at the DeLand, Fla., school to have 1,000 kills, reached the milestone during a career-high, 23-kill match against Charleston Southern. She is averaging 3.86 kills a game, the third-highest total in the conference, and 2.94 digs.

Golf

Jim Bob Coleman, a former Lewis-Clark State golf coach and member of the Canadian Tour, has been named the men’s golf coach at Montana State-Billings.

Coleman, a native of Spokane, coached Lewis-Clark State from 2000-02, leading the 2002 men’s team to a sixth-place finish at the NAIA national tournament. LC State was ranked first much of the season, and he was named the NAIA coach of the year in 2002.

Running

Former Spokane resident Scott McLellan, 45, a graduate of Ferris and Eastern Washington, finished a 100-mile run in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah during Labor Day weekend in a little more than 34 hours.

It’s the first time McLellan, a technical engineer in Boise, has completed a super marathon. His marathon resume includes Boston, Houston and Coeur d’Alene.

Volleyball

The Washington State volleyball team will sponsor its fifth annual clothing drive for disadvantaged women in the area Thursday and Friday.

Fans are asked to bring “gently used” closing and a new pair of pantyhose to the WSU volleyball office in Bohler Gym from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. those days. Items will be donated to the Pullman Community Action Center for distribution to low-income women entering or re-entering the work force and in need of professional clothing. Donors will receive free admission to a future WSU volleyball match.

Info: (509) 335-0277.