Sunday Locals: 6 Spokane college football officials in postseason

Six members of the Spokane Collegiate Football Officials Association received postseason assignments, including Steve Hudson, who will work the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn., between Cincinnati and Vanderbilt.

The others worked NAIA or NCAA FCS playoff games.

The officials and their assignments: Dan Meyer, NAIA first round, Nov. 19, at Azusa, Calif., Azusa Pacific 49, Ottawa, Kan. 26; Eric Crone and John Love, NAIA second round, Nov. 26 at Helena, Carroll 17, Azusa 14; Roger Stewart, FCS second round at Huntsville, Texas, Dec. 3, Sam Houston State 34, Stony Brook, N.Y., 27; and Bob Guerin, FCS quarterfinal at Fargo, N.D., Dec. 10, North Dakota State 24, Lehigh, Pa. 0.

The Pac-12 received only three bowl assignments this year because of the rotation with other BCS conferences, noted Jim Northcott of the SCFOA and a first-year Pac-12 instant-replay official. “So with seven crews and only three games, more than half of the officiating staff is not working this year,” he said.

Baseball

Alex Burg, a member of Washington State’s 2009 NCAA postseason team, has been named to World All-Stars and will participate in this year’s Australian League All-Star Game, Wednesday in Perth, Australia, against Team Australia.

Burg, from Des Moines, Iowa, who transferred to WSU from Clemson for his final two seasons, plays for the Perth Heat in the Australian League. He has a league-best 15-4 record as a pitcher and is tied for the ABL lead with six home runs and is fourth with 17 RBIs while batting .324.

The versatile Burg, selected by the San Francisco Giants as a catcher in the 24th round of the 2009 MLB draft, sat out the 2009 season with an injury and has made four stops in the Giants’ organization the last two seasons.

He has a .283 career batting average and hit 14 home runs for the San Jose Giants in the Advanced A California League in 2011.

Basketball

Former Gonzaga University All-American Courtney Vandersloot, the No. 3 selection in the 2011 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky, is one of five nominees for the Seattle Sports Commission’s Female Sport Star of the Year.

Vandersloot, a point guard from Kent, Wash., was selected to the WNBA All-Star game and was named to the league’s All-Rookie team.

Other nominees are Jenn Salling (University of Washington softball), Julie Woodward (Seattle University women’s soccer coach), Maddie Meyers (Northwest of Seattle high school runner) and Queen Underwood (USA Boxing). The 77th annual award show will be Jan. 25 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.

Fifty percent of the vote is comprised of fan voting. You can vote on the seattlesports.org website on the Sports Star of the Year link. Voting is open until Jan. 20.

• Two of the school’s legendary former boys coaches are scheduled to be in attendance and will receive a special tribute when Reardan stages its inaugural alumni tournament Thursday and Friday at the high school as a fundraiser for the school.

State championship coaches Frank Teverbaugh and Gene Smith will be recognized during the four-team tournament, noted Reardan boys coach Bob Swannack. Games will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday with the championship game scheduled for 6. The tournament winner will play Swannack’s boys team Friday at 6 p.m.

Admission is $5 both days.

College scene

Marissa Mykines from Mead had a rewarding, and award-filled, senior soccer season at Illinois.

Capping the season in which she had career highs of eight goals and 19 points, the midfielder was named NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region second team, All-Big Ten second team, Big Ten tournament Offensive MVP, Big Ten All-Tournament team, the Illini/Boilermaker Challenge All-Tournament team; and was Academic All-Big Ten.

Mykines’ goals, which included three winners, and 19 points were second on the team and gave her career totals of 14 goals, 41 points and six winning goals. The Illini finished 17-5-2, won the Big Ten tournament and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division I tournament.

• Ali Fenter , a senior defender from Shadle Park who set Washington State career records for matches started and played at 84, was named the Most Valuable Player when the Cougars women’s soccer team passed out awards.

Other winners were junior forward Brandi Vega, Offensive Player of the Year; sophomore Rachael Doyle, Defensive Player of the Year; sophomore defender Delaney Zalud of Mt. Spokane, who started 13 of the 20 matches in which she played after playing in just three as a freshman, Most Improved; freshman midfielder Nicole Setterlund, Rookie of the Year; and senior forward Tiara Pittman of Mt. Spokane, who overcame a season-ending knee injury that limited her junior season to seven matches and played in all 23 in 2011 and scored four goals, was Most Inspirational.

• Whitworth had three men and a woman named to 2011 All-West Region teams by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Anisa Babar, a senior from Vancouver, Wash., a three-time All-Northwest Conference selection and the NWC Defender of the Year, was named to the women’s first team after being on the all-region second team in 2010.

Cameron Bushey, a senior midfielder from Mead and two-time All-NWC first-team selection, was named to the men’s second team after being a third-team pick in 2010; and JT Meyer, a senior midfielder from Olympia , and Dion Coxe, a senior defender from Eugene, Ore., were voted to the third team. It was Meyer’s third straight NSCAA all-region award.

• Gonzaga is one of 159 schools in the country to have both its men’s and women’s teams receive Team Academic Awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for academic excellent.

The Bulldogs men, who have a WCC-leading 3.27 grade-point average, were honored for the ninth straight year. The GU women posted a 3.48 GPA, among the top 30 in the country and second highest of the seven WCC schools to receive the award.

S-R sports staff

Sports editor: Joe Palmquist

Deputy sports editor: Gil Hulse

Outdoors editor: Rich Landers

Columnist: John Blanchette

Copy editors: Chris Derrick, David Oriard, Michael Stephens

Reporters: Steve Bergum, Vince Grippi, Greg Lee, Jim Meehan, Dave Trimmer