Sunday Locals: College athletes honored

Academics

Five Washington State University and six University of Idaho athletes have been named Division I All-Academic selections by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

WSU women student-athletes honored for a second consecutive year were thrower Ashley Kenney (junior, Spokane Valley), high jumper Holly Parent (sophomore, Victoria, B.C.), and javelin thrower Marissa Tschida (senior, Missoula). They were joined by steeplechaser Ruby Roberts (freshman, Kingston, Wash.).

Steeplechaser Andrew Gonzales (redshirt freshman, Kennewick) also received the national academic recognition.

From Idaho, freshmen Alycia Butterworth (3.79, accounting) and Hannah Kiser (4.0, biochemistry), sophomore Liga Velvere (3.52, general studies) and junior Gabby Midles (3.41, general studies) were honored.

Idaho senior Eugenio Mannucci, a thrower from Viterbo, Italy (3.75, animal and veterinary science), and junior Jeremy Klas, a vaulter from Moscow, Idaho (3.51, computer science), earned the recognition.

To earn the honor, a student-athlete must hold a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade-point average, and must either finish among the nation’s top 96 during the indoor season, or qualify for the NCAA Preliminary Round outdoors.

Eleven athletes from Whitworth were honored at the Division III level.

Women: Erica Cox (sr., hammer and discus throws), Jheri Gates (fr., high jump), Elizabeth Mattila (sr., 400 hurdles), Dana Misterek (sr., 800 run), Cassidy Stevick (fr., javelin) and Tonya Turner (sr., 1500 run, 3000 steeplechase).

Men: Brett Bajema (fr., javelin), Alex Couette (sr., hammer throw), Frank Lima (so., high jump) and Jacob Pierce (jr., hammer throw).

Golf: Gonzaga University’s men’s golf team is one of 59 NCAA Division I teams to receive Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Academic Team recognition for a GPA of 3.0 or better.

To be eligible for GCAA All-Academic Team honors a college of university must submit the grade points earned and hours attempted for each player on its official squad list for the academic year, with a team GPA of 3.0 or better necessary for recognition.

Graduated seniors Kyle Huus and Francis Santiago had the highest cumulative GPA for the Bulldogs through the recently completed school year. Santiago graduated with a 3.73 GPA in business while Huus carried a 3.70 GPA in accounting. Huus was also named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar earlier this spring.

Tennis: Twelve Whitworth men and seven Pirate women have been recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with ITA Scholar-Athlete status following the 2011 season. In addition both teams received the ITA All-Academic Team award.

The Whitworth men who met those qualifications are: Collin Barrett (sr., Salem, Ore.), Stefan Dernbach (so., Richland), Ben Hamming (jr., Lynden, Wash.), Brian Lays (sr., Denver), Blaine Massey (so., Boise), Dustin McConnell (fr., Clarkston), Daniel Redfern (jr., Camino Island, Wash.), Micah Spaun (so., Leavenworth, Wash.), John Talbot (fr., Richland), Cameron Williams (so., Olympia), Henry Williams (sr., Olympia) and Colin Zalewski (sr., Federal Way, Wash.).

The seven Pirate women are: Rachel Burns (sr., Longview, Wash.), Siri Carlson (jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.), Claire Hemming (jr., Solvang, Calif.), Alli Marshall (jr., Salem, Ore.), Katie Staudinger (sr., Yakima), Janell Talbot (jr., Richland) and Megan Wingfield (so., Broomfield, Colo.).

Tennis

Beatriz Flores has transferred to Idaho from Centro Universitario Del Sur in Mexico, Vandals head coach Daniel Pollock announced.

She will have three years of eligibility at Idaho.

Flores competed in women’s pro events as an amateur in 2010 and 2011, and advanced to the quarterfinal in singles in the 2011 WTA La Habana event, and made it to the semifinal in doubles in the same event. In 2010 she advanced to the second round in the WTA Mazatlan event in singles, and the quarterfinal in doubles.

Flores’ 2010 year-end WTA doubles ranking was 1,047, and she is currently ranked 1,082.

Track and field

George Mathews of Hayden Lake, Idaho, won the men’s 20-pound weight throw for the 65-69 age group at the USA Masters National Track and Field Championships held at Baldin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio.

Mathews, who is the throws coach for the Coeur d’Alene High School track team, threw the weight 59 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

Mathews also won the 5-kilo hammer with a mark of 151-5.