Senior Games to honor Heimbigner

The Washington State Senior Games will recognize Spokane businessman and lifetime athlete Jon Heimbigner in July with its premier “Spirit of the Games” Award.

“Jon Heimbigner exemplifies what hard work, dedication, and leadership mean to team sports,” said Washington State Senior Games president Jack Kiley, when announcing the award last month in Olympia.

“His enthusiasm contributes to the growth of the Games,” Kiley said.

For the past 13 years Heimbigner has traveled annually from Spokane, bringing one or two basketball teams with him to Olympia to compete in the Washington State Senior Games.

In all of those years, his teams have gone back to Spokane with at least one gold medal – 21 gold medals and one bronze medal overall. His record is 66-6.

For the past 33 years he has sat on the Spokane Regional Sports Commission Board, and has been inducted into four halls of fame: Inland Empire and Northwest Region Softball Halls of Fame, Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame, and the Spokane Falls Community College Hall of Fame.

At the 2011 Senior Games Athletes Celebration Dinner on July 23, Heimbigner, 63, will receive the “Spirit of the Games” Award.

Administration

Lewis-Clark State College’s Gary Picone was selected as the NAIA West Region Athletic Director of the Year, announced the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Basketball

North Idaho College announced the recent signing of the following men’s basketball players:

Antoine Hosley, a 6-foot-1-inch guard from Portland is transferring from the University of Washington where he played in 14 games last season.

Josh Turner, a 6-5 guard from Auburndale, Fla., rated by ESPN.com as a top 100 player in the nation for his position. He averaged 28.5 points per game for Auburndale HS last season.

Keon Lewis, a 6-2 guard from Seattle who led Chief Sealth High School to the 2011 State 3A tournament while averaging 19.5 ppg.

Michael Middlebrooks, a 6-8 forward from Seattle, who averaged 11.4 ppg for Rainier Beach HS.

Cole Luckett, a 6-3 wing who led Auburn-Riverside HS in scoring at 18.5 ppg. His father, Kenneth Luckett, is a former University of Idaho player.

Ryan Neve, a 6-2 guard from Sandy, Utah, had originally committed to play at the University of Rochester out of high school, but went on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints mission instead.

NIC players that will not be returning include Michael Hale, who signed with the University of Texas-San Antonio; Tyrone White, who signed with Cal State Bakersfield; Abebe Demissie, who signed with Alaska-Anchorage; Nick Fromm, who will play for Lewis-Clark State; and DeAndre Taylor, who signed with Evergreen State.

• Kristi Zeller has been hired as assistant coach for the University of Idaho women’s basketball team.

Zeller comes to Idaho from the University of Toledo, where she was a four-year letter-winner (2004-2008). After playing four years, Zeller spent one year as a student assistant for the Rockets and two as a graduate assistant.

Golf

Gonzaga University sophomore-to-be Peter Gullickson (Lewis and Clark HS) has won a spot in the Northern California Golf Association Stroke Play Championship July 15-17 at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. He shot a 66 for a two-shot victory in his qualifier at Copper River in Fresno, Calif.

Running

Bill Misner of Spokane won the 70-and-up age group last week at the 2011 National Half Marathon Championships in Bend, Ore. His time of 2:00.23 is a course record and placed him in the top 36 percent of the 800-runner field. He also won the 15K National Trail Race Championship for the 70-74 age group at Riverside State Park in May.

Soccer

Gonzaga University third-year women’s soccer head coach Amy Edwards has announced the hiring of Billy Barmes to serve as the Bulldogs assistant coach. Barmes replaces Shea Swoboda, who resigned to pursue other opportunities outside of athletics.               

Barmes joins the Bulldogs from his alma mater, University of Illinois, where he served as the visiting assistant women’s soccer coach during the 2010 season.

• Anthony S. Guzzo of Spokane, a student at Eastern Washington University and a member of the Inland Empire Officials Association, has been chosen by USA Hockey as one of 24 applicants nationwide to take part in the national camp program in Rochester, N.Y. for a week this summer. The camp is used to identify and prepare officials for collegiate, professional and international competition.

Track and field

John Murray, who just graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School, has signed a letter-of-intent to throw for the Lewis-Clark State College men’s track squad.

Murray won the Idaho State 5A discus title last month in Boise with a school-record throw of 175 feet.

Wrestling

St. John High School graduate and long-time Elma wrestling coach Richard Graham was inducted into the Washington State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on June 11 in Everett.

Graham was awarded a lifetime service award and was inducted along with nine other individuals who contributed significantly to the sport of wrestling in Washington. They included Steve Anderson, coach, Lake Stevens HS; Ramon Barnes, coach, Puyallup HS; Robert Bennedsen, wrestler, Vashon HS; John Birbeck, coach, Timberline HS; Rolland Holterman, coach, Mt. Baker HS; Rick Iversen, coach, Marysville-Pilchuck HS; Gary Knutzen, official; Darren Sipe, coach, Newport HS and University of Washington; George Yonlick, coach, Bellingham HS.

In 11 seasons at Elma, Graham compiled a dual meet record of 117-22-1. His teams placed in the top 10 at state 10 times including second twice, third twice and fourth once.  He coached 10 individual state champions and 34 state placers.  Both of his sons, Mike and David, wrestled for him and were state champions. 

Graham, who retired to Spokane five years ago, also served as an athletic director, principal and superintendent following his years as a coach.