Goodwin selected for VB officials hall

Dale Goodwin of Spokane, a volleyball official for 28 years, became the 18th member inducted into the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials national hall of fame during the organization’s convention Dec. 19 in Omaha, Neb.

Goodwin, who also received PAVO’s highest award, the Honor Award, has served on local and national boards, including the PAVO board the past 11 years.

He has officiated in six NCAA Division I national championship tournaments, three NAIA nationals and two NCAA D-III nationals, in addition to numerous USA Volleyball national championship tournaments.

But perhaps what most distinguishes him has been his service to others in the profession, primarily his work locally that includes recruiting, training and evaluating officials and setting up and running clinics.

Additionally, he served eight years as editor of The Official Word, the national volleyball officiating newsletter.

The Honor Award acknowledges people “of high moral character and personal integrity who, by their leadership and efforts, have made an outstanding and noteworthy contribution through officiating.”

Goodwin’s son, Ben, 14, also a volleyball official, attended the convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA D-I national finals, with his dad, and PAVO surprised Dale by flying his wife, Mary, and daughter, Brook, 9, to Omaha for the presentation.

Basketball

Melvin Jones, a sophomore on the North Idaho College men’s team, has committed to play for Portland State next year.

The 5-foot-10 point guard from Seattle, who averaged 10 points a game for the Cardinals last season, has helped NIC to a 16-0 start this season and a No. 16 national ranking.

College scene

Greg Peach of Eastern Washington, the Buck Buchanan Award winner as the nation’s top defensive player in the FCS, has added more honors following his senior football season.

Peach is a first-team choice on the Sports Network All-America team as well as being named Defensive Player of the Year on the College Sporting News’ “Fabulous Fifty” Division I FCS team.

Brent Russum, a Montana senior offensive tackle from Lewiston, was a second-team selection by the Sports Network.

•Ben Widmyer, Wofford College’s double-threat senior quarterback from Lake City in Coeur d’Alene, was named to the South Carolina All-State College football team.

Widmyer, in leading Wofford (9-3) into the first round of the FCS playoffs, passed for 1,284 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 800 yards and 10 TDs from the Terriers’ wingbone attack. Wofford lost to James Madison 38-35 in the playoffs.

•Marketa Hanzlova, North Idaho College’s 6-foot-1 outside hitter from the Czech Republic, was named to the NJCAA All-America second team in volleyball. NIC placed 11th in the national tournament.

•Renatto Brito, North Idaho College’s sophomore captain, was named honorable mention on the National Junior College Athletic Association All-America men’s soccer team.

Brito, who helped lead the Cardinals to an 11-2-4 record and their fourth consecutive Scenic West Athletic Conference title, has committed to play for Northwest Nazarene, an NCAA Division II school.

•Louis Hurd, a North Central graduate who is a fourth-year guard at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, scored his game total of 14 points in the fourth quarter Thursday to help the Spartans knock off nationally second-ranked British Columbia 87-78 in men’s basketball.

“My teammates were telling me to keep shooting,” Hurd was quoted as saying in a school news release. “They have an unbelievable amount of confidence in me.”

Golf

Scott Ashworth, a Central Valley graduate who is director of golf at Kaua’i Lagoons in Hawaii, will receive the Aloha Section Professional of the Year award during ceremonies Saturday in Honolulu.

Ashworth, whose late father, Bud, was a golf course superintendent locally before he retired, started his Hawaii career at Ko Olina, then went to the mainland. He returned to help with the three-year, $13 million renovation of the two Ka’anapali courses and clubhouse before taking over at Lagoons.

He has been heavily involved in Kaua’i junior golf, as well as mentoring several PGA apprentices. He is Aloha Section PGA secretary and was the Billy Casper Golf Management Company head golf professional of the year in 2005.