Football All-Americans, Zags head SWABs finalist lists
All-Americans, international track performers and Gonzaga University highlight the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters 2005 finalist lists for athletes, teams and coaches of the year.
Winners will be announced and recognized Wednesday, Feb. 8, during the Spokane Regional Sports Commission Youth Awards Luncheon in the Spokane Convention Center.
The Amateur Male Athlete finalists include Washington State AP NCAA Division I All-America running back Jerome Harrison, the nation’s rushing leader; record-setting Eastern Washington AP NCAA I-AA All-America quarterback Eric Meyer; and two-time NCAA wrestling champion Jake Rosholt.
The Amateur Women’s Athlete field includes high school track phenomenon Becca Noble, a national junior and Pan American Junior Games champion.
Among the Professional Athlete of the Year finalists are No. 1-ranked international pole vaulter and World silver medalist Brad Walker, a University High and University of Washington product, and Ladies PGA golf standout Wendy Ward from Edwall.
Gonzaga University boasts two amateur athlete finalists, including Ronny Turiaf, two team and three coach finalists.
The noon luncheon, recognizing area youth athletes and special contributors’ accomplishments, will present the junior awards winners at that time.
Major sponsors are State Farm Insurance and Rockwood Clinic.
Amateur Male Athlete
Jerome Harrison – The WSU senior became just the eighth Cougar to be named an Associated Press first-team football All-American. Harrison led the nation in rushing with 1,900 yards, was a Doak Walker finalist for running back of the year and named also to Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, ESPN, Football Writers Association of America, Rivals.com and CollegeFootballnews.com A-A first teams.
Erik Meyer – EWU’s record-setting quarterback won the Walter Payton Award as the nation’s top I-AA offensive football player and was AP first-team I-AA All-America. Meyer twice guided the Eagles to the NCAA I-AA football playoffs. His 166.47 quarterback rating was most efficient in I-AA history. He set 10 school passing records, was second this year in total offense with an average 345.6 yards per game, completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,616 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Jake Rosholt – Sandpoint native and Oklahoma State University wrestler captured the NCAA 197-pound championship, his second title in three years. Rosholt won his first 19 matches and swept the tournament to finish with a 24-4 record despite competing on an injured knee that required surgery after the season. Rosholt is a three-time All-American with a 70-17 record including his first NCAA title as a freshman and third-place finish as a sophomore.
Ronny Turiaf – Gonzaga senior was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year and All-District for a second time after averaging 15.9 points per game and 9.5 rebounds for the NCAA second-round men’s basketball tournament qualifier. He was drafted by the National Basketball Association Los Angeles Lakers before undergoing heart surgery for an enlarged aortic root. He has since returned to basketball.
Amateur Female Athlete
Emily Faurholt – The University of Idaho basketball star became the fourth fastest in NCAA history to reach 1,000 points (in just 46 games). She was second in the nation with a 23.2 average a year after leading the nation at 25.2 points per game. She also averaged 5.9 rebounds per game.
Shannon Mathews – Gonzaga University point guard was named West Coast Conference basketball Player of the Year. She averaged 11.5 points per game and had 197 assists, second best for a single season. The all-time Bulldogs assist leader, with 600, added 114 rebounds as Bulldogs reached the WCC tourney finals and second round of the postseason Women’s NIT.
Becca Noble – Rogers High track prodigy won her third State 4A 400-meter title, lowering her meet record to 54.14 seconds, and added another meet record at 800 in 2:08.61. Noble won the U.S. Junior Track and Field championships in 2 minutes, 3.73 seconds, fastest all-time in state prep history and best junior time in the world last summer, and the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in 2:04.07.
Vanessa Shelton – The Eastern Oregon University center fielder from Spokane Valley was named to the NAIA All-America first team in softball. She was Player of the Year in the Cascade Conference, leading the league with a .402 batting average, .730 slugging percentage and was errorless in 51 fielding chances. She hit seven home runs, four triples (including an NAIA record-tying three in one game) and 11 doubles, drove in 25 runs and stole 15 bases.
Professional Athlete
Drew Bledsoe – Walla Walla and Washington State University star rejuvenated his career as quarterback for the playoff-contending Dallas Cowboys. Bledsoe finished eighth among NFL quarterbacks with 3,639 yards, completed 60 percent of his passes and threw for 23 touchdowns.
Brad Walker – Former University High and University of Washington pole vaulter and USA Outdoor Track and Field pole vault champion is ranked No. 1 in the world. He was silver medalist at the 2005 World Championships and won the World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo in September two weeks after clearing a personal best 19 feet, 6 2/3 iinches to win the Rieti Grand Prix in Italy.
Ian Waltz – Post Falls native and former Washington State University athlete won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships discus title with a throw of 211 feet, 9 inches on his third attempt. Waltz finished fifth in the World Championships.
Wendy Ward – The Ladies Professional Golf Association player now living in Edwall finished 17th on the circuit last year with $675,129 in earnings. She had four top-four finishes, including the USBC Women’s World Match Play and championship of the Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas. Ward was a member of the United States team that won the Solheim Cup over Europe.
Team of the Year
Gonzaga men’s basketball – The Bulldogs won their sixth straight West Coast Conference championship under coach Mark Few and seventh in the last eight years to qualify again for the NCAA Tournament. They won their tournament opener before losing to Texas Tech, and finished the season with a 26-5 record.
Gonzaga women’s basketball – Zags completed a best-ever 28-4 season, winning the regular-season West Coast Conference championship and finishing second in the conference tournament. Snubbed by the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs played in the Women’s NIT, winning one of two games.
Spokane Indians baseball – The Indians didn’t have a winning record and waited until season’s end to clinch the East Division title, but then defeated West Division champion Vancouver for the Northwest League title three games to two. Spokane finished 37-39 during regular season, only the second team with a losing record to win its division.
Whitworth men’s soccer – Pirates had their best season in school history. They finished the season with a 19-2-1 record and reached the NCAA Division III national tournament final four and completed the season with a third-place national ranking.
Coach of the Year
Sean Bushey – His 10th year as Whitworth College men’s soccer coach was Bushey’s best. The Pirates were ranked third nationally and qualified for NCAA Division III playoffs. Whitworth reached the national semifinals and completed a 19-2-1 school-record year, giving Bushey a 117-60-18 record at the school.
Mark Few – The Gonzaga University men’s basketball coach earned his sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Bulldogs reached the round of 32 and finished ranked 10th in the nation with a 26-5 record. Few has gone 159-37 during that time and won five straight West Coast Conference titles.
Kelly Graves – Gonzaga University women’s basketball coach guided the Bulldogs to a program-best 28-4 season and was named NCAA Division I Region 8 Coach of the Year. GU won its first regular-season West Coast Conference title in 17 years, made its first appearance in the national Top 25 polls and played in the Women’s NIT.
Shannon Stiles – Seventh-year women’s soccer coach at Gonzaga University, her teams have won 34 matches the past three seasons. This year the Bulldogs made their first NCAA Tournament appearance, compiling a 12-4-4 record, losing 1-0 to USC in the tourney.