Sunday locals
Cody Sorensen, an Idaho State senior from Ferris, has been named a first-team NCAA Division I Football Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors.
The defensive back, who was a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, has a 3.85 grade-point average in mechanical engineering.
“This is an individual award, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, friends and family who have supported me throughout the way,” he said.
His mother, Christina Balkenbush, said, “Cody has always worked hard and applied himself.”
Sorensen, who has earned scholastic awards during the course of his career at ISU, also was nominated for the American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team, but was not among those selected, or among those advancing as a Campbell finalist.
His father, Paul, is an analyst for Eastern Washington football radio broadcasts.
Two other Big Sky Conference players, Eastern Washington junior receiver Cooper Kupp and Montana senior defensive lineman Derek Crittenden, also were CoSIDA D-I first-team Academic All-Americans after being second-team selections in 2014.
Bowling
Clint Norlen got it going during the match-play portion of qualifying and carried it to the championship of the Junior Bowlers Tour stop at North Bowl last Sunday.
Norlen put together a 988 series while winning all four of his qualifying matches to carry top seeding into the five-person roll-off and didn’t cool off while awaiting his finals opponent. Toby Mertens, who had an 895 series and qualified second, defeated a red-hot John Hilden to gain the finals. But Mertens didn’t have an answer for Norlen, who won 228-215.
Hilden, who had vaulted from eighth to fifth with an 854 series, finished third. Anthony Huck, who grabbed the spotlight in the first four-game block of qualifying with an 869 series, was fourth and Mathew Shears was fifth. Shears had an 870 series.
Norlen had the day’s high game, a 290. Grace Martin led the girls with a 216.
The next JBT is Dec. 20 at Valley Bowl.
College scene
Chris Beaulaurier, a Puget Sound senior linebacker from Ferris, has been nominated for the Cliff Harris Award, which is presented to the top defensive football player in the country representing NCAA Division II, III and NAIA levels.
Beaulaurier ranked second in the Northwest Conference with 94 tackles, recording at least 12 in five different games. He finished with a season-high 20 in a win over rival Pacific Lutheran.
“Chris established himself as one of the best linebackers in the region through four years of consistent hard work,” UPS coach Jeff Thomas said. “His play in particular this past season was spectacular in any objective way you measure linebackers. His leadership abilities were unparalleled, and I am very happy he is getting his just recognition.”
Kinsey Pease of Cheney, a sophomore at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, found success to be a double-edged sword this fall.
A setter on the Clark volleyball team, Pease was selected to the South Region Sophomore All-Star team while helping lead the Penguins to the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament. But she couldn’t play in the all-star games because Clark was playing for the NWAC title.
After losing its first match in the tournament, Clark won five straight to reach the finals against favored Blue Mountain. But after winning the first set, the Penguins lost the next three and with it the title. Pease, who had 22 assists, six digs and one service ace in the championship match, had 300 assists in 13 regular-season matches, an average of 6.52 per set.
Jessica Schmautz, a Community Colleges of Spokane freshman outside hitter from Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls), was named the NWAC East Region Most Valuable Player and led a list of four area volleyball players named East Region All-Stars.
Alexa Lindgren, a Walla Walla sophomore defensive specialist from Oakesdale, and Klaree Hobard, a Blue Mountain sophomore outside hitter from Lewiston, were first-team selections. Bianca Sanchez, a CCS freshman defensive specialist from East Valley-Yakima, was named to the second team.
Madi Farrell, a Northwest Nazarene sophomore from Lake City, has received a trio of postseason volleyball awards.
The 6-foot-2 middle blocker was a unanimous first-team selection on the 2015 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Conference team, was also on the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II West Region first-team and was a Division II Conference Commissioners Association second-team selection.
Farrell, the 2014 GNAC Freshman of the Year, led the conference in blocks per set (1.49) off 156 blocks, fourth in nation at the NCAA Division II level in that category. She also led the GNAC in hitting percentage (.367), 13th best in the nation, and had 263 kills.
Maddye Dinsmore, Whitworth’s senior setter from Burns, Oregon, received honorable mention on the AVCA Division III West Region all-star team.
Sarah Reiter, a junior on the women’s cross country team, and Aaron Neary, a redshirt senior offensive lineman on the football team, have been selected by the Eastern Washington athletics department as its November Scholar-Athletes of the Month.
Reiter, from Renton, Washington, with a 3.77 GPA as a business management major, placed ninth at the West Regional Cross Country Championships with a time of 20 minutes, 53.9 seconds for 6K and went on to finish 46th in the NCAA Division I Championships, the second best finish all-time by an EWU women’s runner.
Neary, a secondary education major from Richland with a 3.13 GPA, started every game for the Eagles, earning first-team All-Big Sky honors for the second consecutive season. The Eagles had the top passing offense in the FCS and the 20th scoring offense.
Letters of intent
Washington State women’s golf – Emily Baumgart, DeSales (Walla Walla); Elodie Bridenne, CNED Institut de Rennes, France; and Marie Lund-Hansen, Aabenraa, Denmark.
Gonzaga men’s tennis – Samuel Feit, Los Angeles; Simon Homedes, Lake Oswego, Oregon; and Vincent Rettke, Madison, Alabama.