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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Perfect season denied

Labette Community College sophomore 285-pounder Ben Hohensee earned a 3-0 decision in the final match of the night Friday to clinch a 21-16 wrestling victory for the Labette Cardinals over the North Idaho College Cardinals on the first night of the two-day Northwest Wyoming Duals in Powell, Wyo.

The loss was the first of the season for North Idaho, which dropped to 12-1.

Labette overcame a 7-0 deficit with four straight victories to take a 13-7 lead.

Celic Bell earned a pin for NIC at 174 pounds to knot the match at 13.

After Labette scored a pin at 184 pounds to take a 19-13 lead, Rudi Burtschi earned a pin at 197 to bring North Idaho to within 19-16.

Hohensee then sealed the outcome with his decision, scoring two points in the final 20 seconds of his victory over NIC’s Spenser Sharp.

Softball

Five-time defending Northwest Conference champion Linfield is a strong favorite to win its sixth in a row in voting by the league coaches.

Linfield picked up six first-place votes on its way to 68 points, outlasting Pacific, which got two first-place votes and 57 points. Willamette was third with 54 points, followed by Pacific Lutheran (38), Whitworth (33), Puget Sound (27), Lewis & Clark (13) and George Fox (11).

Four of the eight NWC schools will feature new head coaches this season, including Joe Abraham at Whitworth.

The Pirates were 16-21 last spring.

Baseball

Defending champion Linfield is a slight favorite to win the Northwest Conference title again, edging George Fox and Pacific Lutheran in a poll of NWC coaches.

The Wildcats picked up four first-place votes and 79 points. George Fox had 75 points with three first-place votes, while Pacific Lutheran had two first-place votes and 71 points.

Rounding out the poll was Willamette (49 points), Whitworth (40), Puget Sound (36), Pacific (35), Lewis & Clark (20) and Whitman (10).

Track and field

University of Idaho’s Matthew Wauters won the men’s weight throw with an NCAA provisional qualifying distance of 65 feet, 113/4 inches to highlight the first day of the two-day Cougar Indoor Invitational team-scoring meet at WSU’s Indoor Practice Facility in Pullman.

Utah State’s John Strang is the men’s heptathlon leader and was an NCAA provisional qualifier in the high jump with a leap of 7-1/4.