Lewis and Clark product receives elite award at Williams College

Sean Hoffman, a sophomore forward on the Williams College men’s basketball team from Lewis and Clark, received a prestigious NCAA Elite 88 Award during the NCAA Division III Final Four last weekend in Salem, Va.

The award goes to a participating student-athlete who is at least a sophomore in standing with the highest grade-point average at each of the NCAA’s 88 championship sites.

Hoffman, who is majoring in political science, has a 3.79 cumulative GPA at the Williamstown, Mass., school.

Hoffman and the Eps were beaten 73-71 by The College of Wooster in the national semifinals. Wooster lost 78-54 to St. Thomas in the D-III championship game.

Baseball

Spokane’s American Legion program has scheduled AAA Senior tryouts for next month.

By date, the teams, their tryout sites and times:

April 10 – Spokane Bandits, Gonzaga Prep, 5 p.m.; Spokane Blue Devils, Jackson Field (Shadle Park), 1 p.m.; Spokane Cannons, Central Valley, 1 p.m.; Spokane Northstars, Rogers, 1 p.m.; and Pullman Patriots, Pullman High School, 1 p.m.

April 17 – Northeast 49ers, Chewelah High School, 1 p.m.

College scene

Michael Stockton, a Westminster College senior guard from Gonzaga Prep, was named to the NAIA men’s basketball All-America third team.

Stockton, one of three Frontier Conference players honored, averaged 18.2 points, 4.2 assists, four rebounds and two assists per game for the Griffins.

• Alysha Green, a junior guard at Carroll College from Mead, earned honorable mention on the NAIA All-America women’s basketball team.

Green averaged 16.2 points a game for the Saints, shooting 39 percent from the floor, and dished out a Frontier Conference-leading 4.4 assists per game. She was in the top 20 nationally in free-throw shooting and assists per game and finished in the top three in seven categories in the conference while earning All-Frontier honors for a third time.

Hall of Fame

The Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame is accepting nominations of candidates to be considered for induction in 2011. Ceremonies will be in October at the Spokane Arena.

Biographies of deserving nominees can be sent to hall of fame chairman Jon Heimbigner, Spokane Regional Sports Commission, 714 N. Iron Bridge Way, Suite 202, Spokane 99202. Deadline is April 30.

Every two years the hall honors athletes, coaches and contributors who have brought national and regional recognition to the area. The INW Sports Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1963.

There are 131 members of the hall of fame and 40 selected to the scroll of honor, all whose accomplishments are on display in alcoves at the Arena.

The 13-member hall of fame committee is an adjunct of the SRSC. Rosauers is the major sponsor.

Questions may be directed to Heimbigner at 701-5741.

Track and field

Sophie Bush, a three-sport athlete at Newport, signed a letter of intent to run track and cross country at Lewis-Clark State College, Warriors coach Mike Collins announced.

Bush finished second in both the girls 3,200 and 1,600 at the State 1A track meet last spring and fourth in the 800. The Northeast A League MVP and all-league selection has personal bests of 2:24 in the 800, 5:14 in the 1,600 and 11:43 in the 3,200.

Bush has played volleyball in the fall and hasn’t run cross country.

“It may take a little time to adjust … but based on what she has done in track, we think she has the potential to be petty special in the running world,” Collins said.

Soccer

Grant Williams, who has been an assistant coach, working with goalkeepers at Wisconsin-Green Bay the last three seasons, has been hired for the same position at the University of Idaho, Vandals head women’s coach Pete Showler announced.

Williams, from Newberg, Ore., who played four seasons at Linfield, helped Wisconsin-Green Bay tie a school record last season, allowing just 15 goals in 16 games. The Phoenix ranked 20th in the NCAA in save percentage (.866). During his three years as their goalkeepers coach, the Phoenix had 13 shutouts and allowed just 34 goals in the 50 games.

He also spent one season as a men’s assistant at Albion (Mich.) College in 2007 and was director of goalkeeping for the Michigan Rush Central Soccer club program for one year.