Ex-Bulldog Albanez joins U.S. women’s basketball all-star team in China

Recently graduated Gonzaga player Keani Albanez has joined the NetScouts USA Women’s All-Star team in China for the Four Nations international basketball tournament.

Albanez, who scored 1,038 points in her career for 20th place all-time, is the second Zag to participate. Another former Zag, Haiden Palmer, scored 89 points for USA, which went 4-2 in the first leg of competition. Albanez joins the team for the second leg.

Albanez, of Santa Barbara, California, is fourth all-time at Gonzaga after having made 164 3-pointers. She also is eighth on the all-time list with 180 steals.

• The Idaho women’s tennis team has added three international players to help the Vandals defend their Big Sky Conference title.

Ana Batiri, originally of Bucharest, Romania, has transferred to Idaho from Virginia Commonwealth. Also, head coach Mariana Cobra is adding freshmen Maria Tavares, of Poro, Portugal, and Celine Koets, of Gasselte, Netherlands.

Batiri helped the VCU Rams to a 16-9 record last year and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Tavares is the No. 1-ranked women’s player out of Portugal and Koets has been ranked as high as No. 8 in the junior rankings in Netherlands.

• Gonzaga golfers James Fahy and Sean Walsh, and Washington State golfer Michael Anderson, all have been named to the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars team.

Fahy and Walsh are the first Zags to receive the award since Kyle Huus in 2011.

Some 206 men golfers received the honor. To be eligible, the players must compete in college for three full years, participate in 50 percent of the team’s competitive rounds, and attain a stroke average under 76 and a GPA of 3.2.

Fahy was named twice to the All-West Coast Conference and All-Academic teams. The business administration major held a 3.26 GPA this past year. He finishes his career as the first Bulldog to compete in the NCAA Championships.

Walsh, of Keller, Texas, had a 3.31 GPA as a business administration major. The junior also made the conference All-Academic team. He tied for 10th at the WCC Championship.

Anderson, a recent WSU graduate from of Phoenix, was named to the team for the second-straight year. He earned his degree in accounting with a 3.52 GPA and was named to the 2015 Pac-12 All-Academic first team.

• Three incoming Washington State freshmen soccer players have earned high school All-America and all-state honors.

Abbey Porter, of Sammamish, Washington, was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com high school girl’s Fall All-America first team. She was one of 12 players honored nationally after leading Skyline High School to a pair of state titles in four seasons. Porter was also named to the Northwest All-Region team and all-state team.

Two other incoming players, Grace Hancock, of Boise, and Liz Griffith, of Puyallup, were named to all-state teams for Idaho and Washington by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

• Eastern Washington won a tie-breaker over Montana State to recapture the Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cup, which honors schools for athletic and academic achievements.

The Eagles won its second cup and first since the 2009-10 school year.

The Eagles had the second-best cumulative GPA in the Big Sky (3.34); NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR); and number of all-conference student athletes. Some 34 Eagles earned a 3.0 GPA or better.

In athletic points, Eastern finished fifth in the Big Sky with 104 points, including a conference title in football and a co-championship in men’s basketball.

• The Whitworth men’s tennis team had eight players receive individual academic honors and the entire team also earned recognition for academic success from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Drew Adams, of Clarkston; Drew Brigham, of Eagle, Idaho; Chris Engelmann, of San Mateo, California; Matt Goebel, of Bellingham; Caleb Hughes and Blake Miller, both of Missoula, all received ITA Scholar Athlete status.

To earn the recognition, the athletes must be enrolled for two semesters, earn a varsity letter and maintain a GPA of at least 3.5.

The overall squad also earned the ITA All-Academic Team award, which recognizes teams that have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better.

The Pirates men, the only team from the Northwest Conference to receive the award, had a cumulative GPA of 3.68 for the spring semester.

• The Washington State women’s track and field team and 10 of its members have received national recognition from the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association.

The women’s team, which had a 3.22 cumulative GPA, was one of 224 programs, or 64 percent of all Division I schools, to receive the same award, which recognizes athletic and academic excellence.

Those singled out for awards were Erin Allen, of Kent; Christine Ekelem, Etiwanda, California; Kristine Felix, Wailuku, Hawaii; Dominique Keel, Beaverton, Oregon; Charlotte Muschamp, Edendale, New Zealand; Abby Regan, Coonamble, Australia; and Kelsie Taylor, Naches, Washington.

In addition, three WSU men were honored with the same award. They are Drew Jordan, of Medford, Oregon; Thane Pierson, of Naches; and Matthew Swanson, of North Vancouver, British Columbia.