Locally: Whitworth’s KC McConnell honored as NWC’s Woman of the Year
Whitworth’s KC McConnell has been named the Northwest Conference’s Woman of the Year and becomes the conference’s official nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
McConnell is the first Pirate to be selected to represent the NWC in the award given to those who distinguish themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
She graduated in May as a double major in kinesiology and education and finished with a grade-point average of 3.95. She wa
McConnell was named as a first-team NCAA Division III All-American and she also was an important contributor to the women’s tennis team.
“In my 29 years of collegiate coaching, I have seldom seen a student-athlete in any sport that matches KC in academics, athletics and service,” said Helen Higgs, Whitworth’s women’s basketball coach.
Baseball
Gonzaga signed Jake Vieth of Tacoma to a national letter of intent to join the Bulldogs for the 2017 season.
Vieth played two years at Tacoma Community College, where he was named the Northwest Athletic Conference’s MVP as a sophomore.
He was second in the league with a .405 batting average. He also had seven home runs and 41 RBIs.
“Jake is a quality left-handed power hitter who also hits for average,” Gonzaga coach Mark Machtolf said in a release. “We are very excited that he will be a Zag in 2017.”
Vieth joins a class including signees Taylor Borchers, Haydan Hastings, Troy Johnston, Keaton Knueppel, Mac Lardner, Casey Legumina, Parker Price and Gunnar Schubert.
Football
University of Idaho senior tight end Trent “Buck” Cowan has been named the the Mackey Award Watch List, which honors the bets collegiate tight end.
Cowan finished fourth among FBS tight ends in 2015 with 48 catches for 648 yards, including two games with more than 100 yards of receiving.
“Trent is very deserving of this honor,” Vandals coach Paul Petrino said in a news release. “He had a great year in 2015 and we expect great things out of him again this year.”
Cowan is the second Vandal to receive Mackey consideration. Daniel Hardy was a Mackey Award semifinalist in 2010.
Golf
Amy Hasenoehrl of Lewiston was one of three Idaho golfers who receieved All-American Scholar honors from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.
The golfers mush have had at least a 3.5 GPA for the previous fall and spring semesters. Hasenoehrl helped the Vandals to the 2016 Big Sky Conference Championship.
Shooting
The Spokane Junior Rifle Team recently recently received scores from the NRA Open Sectionals Indoor Championships. The championship is made up of sectionals in which shooters compete in their local areas. Scores from those sectionals are then sent to the NRA where the scores are validated and published.
In the Precision Air Rifle Standing competition, in which shooters fire 60 shots from a standing position at a distance of 33 feet, Taylor Christian, 14, of Spokane Valley, scored 576 out of a maximum score of 600.
Christian placed first in the marksman class and 25th nationally. In the same competition, Aidan Maddox, 16, of Spokane, scored 576 to place first in the sharpshooter class and 27th nationally. Hannah Freund, 14, of Spokane, scored a 560, and placed fifth in the marksman class. She also finished 81st nationally in the same event.
In the team event for the Precision Air Rifle Standing competition, SJRC Gold scored 2,268 out of a maximum score of 2,400 to finish in first place in the marksman and sharpshooter classes and seventh nationally. The team included Maddox; Cassidy Wilson, 15; Maliya Hillman, 17; and Katie McAdam, 14; all of Spokane.
SJRC Silver team scored 2,234 to finish in second place in the marksman and sharpshooter classes and 14th nationally. The team included Christian; Mason Maystrovich, 14; Mike Cooper, 18; and David Wright, 17; all of Spokane.
In the Precision Air Rifle 3 Position, in which shooters fire 20 shoots at a distance of 33 feet from prone, kneeling and standing positions, Wright scored 580 to place first in the sharpshooter class and 12th nationally.
In the team event for the same competition, SJRC Silver scored 2,279 points to place first in the marksman and sharpshooter classes and sixth nationally.
In the Smallbore (0.22) Rifle 3 Position event, Wilson scored 1,116 out of a maximum score of 1,200 to finish in fourth place in the marksman class and 44th nationally.