In brief: USTA honors veteran Mead coach Wagstaff

Bill Wagstaff of Mead, who has been coaching tennis for 33 years, is one of two national winners of the United States Tennis Association’s Starfish Award.

The award recognizes high school coaches who implement a no-cut policy. In past years, Wagstaff’s Mead teams have consisted of nearly 160 boys and girls combined.

“I am truly honored to receive this award and recognition from the USTA,” Wagstaff is quoted as saying in the USTA release. “I have always considered it a privilege to be able to coach and share my love of tennis. To be nominated by former players, colleagues and coaches … is the highlight of my career.”

Wagstaff has received numerous honors, including the 2009 USTA/Pacific Northwest outstanding contribution to the community award, considered one of the most prestigious presented by the USTA Pacific Northwest Section. He was also the 2009 Greater Spokane League coach of the year.

Wagstaff and David Steinbach of Brookfield (Wis.) Central High School were honored Monday in New York City. This is the sixth year of the award.

Acrobatics

Joyce Tanac Schroeder of Spokane will be inducted into the World Acrobatic Society as a World Acrobatic Legend as part of the 1966 United States women’s World Cup gymnastics team.

The Acrobatic Society honors individuals in many activities, including gymnastics, diving and stunt men and women, to name a few.

Dick Gutting, World Acrobatics Legends Committee chairman, said Schroeder and the other members of the ’66 World Cup team that earned a sixth-place finish would have qualified for induction individually. This is the first time a team has been inducted, he said.

Schroeder’s accomplishments include winning six National AAU and four national U.S. Gymnastics Federation titles in the 1960s and being a member of the United States’ 1967 gold medal-winning Pan American Games team in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Individually, she won silver in the all-around and floor exercise in that event.

Administration

Washington State director of athletics Bill Moos announced two additions to his staff and the shifting of responsibility of a senior staff member.

Tony Thompson, a former Cougars football player, has returned as assistant to the director in charge of student-athlete relations. Debbie Nankivell, who worked alongside Moos during his 12 years as director of athletics at Oregon, will become his executive assistant.

Senior associate athletic director John Johnson will shift his attention from external relations to overseeing facility projects. Johnson will focus on capital planning, facility improvements and maintenance, and project and event management. Last week, Moos announced the hiring of Mike Marlow as a senior associate athletic director in charge of external relations.

• Gary Picone of Lewis-Clark State College, whose association with the Lewiston school dates to 1972 when he enrolled as a student and played for the Warriors baseball team, has been named the NAIA Athletic Directors Association athletic director of the year for 2009-10.

Picone, in his second stint as LCSC athletics director that began in 2006, was instrumental in bringing the NAIA Baseball World Series back to Lewiston. In the past three years, all 11 of the school’s athletic teams have had a team or individual qualify for national championships. He was also A.D. from 1992-2000, and last spring was named to succeed retiring Ed Cheff as LCSC baseball coach.

“Gary’s ability to make big things happen at the local, conference and national level is impressive,” said Jim Carr, NAIA president and CEO, in announcing the selection.

College scene

Sheridan Jones, a senior midfielder on the Gonzaga women’s soccer team, is ranked 56th in TopDrawersoccer. com’s top 100 players to watch in the nation. The online college website also has Jones ranked No. 7 in the West Coast Conference.

Jones had a goal and an assist in GU’s first four matches this fall, the assist moving her into 10th place on the school’s all-time list with 10.

• Tyler Hobbs, a Montana senior defensive tackle from West Valley, is one of three captains selected by his Grizzlies teammates for the 2010 football season.

• The Whitworth men’s tennis team and six of its members have received all-academic honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for maintaining grade-point averages of 3.50 or better.

The Pirates are among 39 NCAA Division III all-academic teams. Senior Kellen Oetgen, juniors Colin Barrett, Brian Lays and Colin Zalewski, sophomore Ben Hamming and freshman Blaine Massey were honored individually.

Softball

Seventeen members of the Spokane Softball Umpires Association were selected to work Amateur Softball Association national tournaments that cap the summer season.

Twelve worked the 12-U A girls fastpitch West National at the new Merkel Sports Complex in Spokane – Bill Elston, Andy Weiss, Ron Hough, Larry Alexander, Mike Carlson, Tom Doty, Mitch Ebat, Jeff Camp, Bryan Raschka, Glenn Youmans, David Birdsell and Tom Haydon. Randy Harnasch, the Spokane ASA umpire in chief, was UIC for the tournament.

Other Spokane umpires and their tournaments: Dave Berghammer, women’s A-B fastpitch in Salem, Ore.; Jake Perry, girls 18-U B West National fastpitch, Yakima; Larry Tische, girls 16-U B West National fastpitch, Hillsboro, Ore.; Dave Vulcano, men’s E/recreation West slowpitch, Boise; and Gerald Howard, Hooter’s Men’s Western C slowpitch, Prescott, Ariz.