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Gonzaga University Athletics

CCS nationally ranked

Staff And News Reports

The Community Colleges of Spokane has been recognized as sixth-best in the nation in a competition that tracks the cumulative point totals based on the success of its teams.

The Sasquatch women’s cross country, men’s cross country, women’s softball, men’s golf and women’s track and field all won Northwest Athletic Conference Championships.

Of the 15 Sasquatch sports teams, 11 finished third or better in the conference, which earned the Sasquatch second place in the State Association of the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators. Overall, the Sasquatch finished sixth out of about 550 two-year institutions.

College scene

• Washington State track athlete Matt Wardell, a senior from Post Falls, was among 34 Cougars named to the Pac 12 All-Academic teams. Wardell, who competes in throws, was named to the second team.

His younger brother, junior Sam Wardell, was given honorable mention.

On the WSU women’s track team, Steffie Pavey, a sophomore from Oldtown, Idaho, was named to the first team.

Celena Ward, a senior from Spokane, and Morgan Wilson, a redshirt sophomore from Colfax, were given honorable mention.

• Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Lisa Fortier was named this week to the board of directors of the Women Basketball Coaches’ Association. Fortier, who led the Zags to a 26-8 record and berth in the Sweet 16, also previously was named the WBCA Spalding Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year.

• Former Gonzaga women’s basketball guard Haiden Palmer is traveling to China to play with an all-star team from the United States taking part in the Four Nations International Basketball Tournament.

Palmer started three years for the Zags and led the 2013-14 team in scoring with 15.1 points a game. The Indiana Fever selected Palmer in the WNBA draft but she played professionally in Israel where she averaged more than 15 points a game for Elitzur Netanya.