NIC’s Taylor resigns volleyball post

Bret Taylor resigned as North Idaho College volleyball coach Thursday, saying he plans to pursue local business opportunities.

Assistant coach Chris Kosty has been named interim coach. NIC athletic director Al Williams hopes to name a successor by the end of the month, according to a school release.

NIC captured the Scenic West Athletic Conference title in 2006, finishing 26-6 overall. The Cardinals went on to place fourth at the NJCAA tourney.

Taylor served two stints as NIC’s head coach. He coached from 1986 to 1995 before leaving to take an assistant coaching job at College of Southern Idaho. He also served as an assistant at Gonzaga University. He returned to NIC as an assistant in 1998 and took over as head coach in 2003.

College softball

Whitworth University has been picked to finish second in the Northwest Conference in a vote of the conference’s head coaches.

Defending NCAA Division III and Northwest Conference champion Linfield was picked first with 68 points, including six first-place votes.

Whitworth was second with 58 points (two first-place votes), followed by Pacific (46), Pacific Lutheran (39), Willamette (33), Puget Sound (27), George Fox (15) and Lewis & Clark (10).

Arena football

The Spokane Shock signed former Eastern Washington University defensive back Nick Denbeigh.

The Spokane native was in camp with the Shock last season before being released.