Locally: EWU track assistant Mike Mikos named to state hall of fame

Mike Mikos, a volunteer coach at Eastern Washington University since 2005 following a highly successful high school coaching career on the west side, was inducted into the Washington State Track & Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame last weekend in Tacoma.

The pole vault is Mikos’ speciality, and since 2005 working with Eastern’s head pole vault coach, Eric Allison, the Eagles have produced 31 All-Big Sky Conference performers for top-three finishes for men and women, including 11 champions indoors and outdoors.

Mikos started his coaching career in 1982 at Columbia River High School in Vancouver and followed with stops at Bellevue, Arlington, Snohomish and Everett, producing five state champions, five runners-up and four third-place finishers, developing multiple 15- and 16-foot vaulters along the way.

The release announcing his induction reads in part: “Mike has volunteered as a coach for 25 of (the) 30 years he coached, refusing to accept payment. He is a true mentor who is in it for kids! … In all honesty, his humility has overshadowed the magnitude of his coaching accomplishments.”

Joining him in the Class of 2018 were Ron Vehrs, Bremerton East High School; Bob Summers, Mabton and Tolt high schools, Seattle Christian and Olympic College; and Ted Whan and Don Erickson, both Burlington-Edison High School.

Bowling

Grace Martin and John Hilden have a good rivalry going on the Junior Bowlers Tour this season. Sunday at Deer Park Lanes, it was Martin’s turn to shine.

Overcoming a slow start to qualify for the five-person roll-offs in third place thanks to an 844 series, Martin knocked off two opponents to get a chance at Hilden, who rode four-game series of 894 and 927 to qualify in first place.

When they squared off in the finals, Martin prevailed 214-202 in a match that went to the 10th frame for her second championship of the season. She averaged 232 in her three roll-off matches, 210 for the day. Hilden averaged 224 for the day, highest in the field.

Mason Georgeadis, who qualified second with the day’s high series, a 940, fell to Martin 257-226, to finish third; Madison Hilden, in her first roll-offs after qualifying fourth, was Martin’s first victim and placed fourth; and Kaleb Ramelow was fifth.

Martin and Haley Nava, with her career high, led the girls with 279 games. Georgeadis led the boys with a 266. Madison Hilden rolled an 851 series in match play.

The next JBT will be Feb. 25 at Players in the Valley with an extended five-game format.

College scene

For a third time this season, Brianna King, a Montana Western junior guard from Spokane, was named Frontier Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

King (North Central and Community Colleges of Spokane) averaged 22.5 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals as the Bulldogs knocked off two nationally-ranked teams, No. 10 Carroll (59-43) and No. 18 Rocky Mountain (64-57). She hit 10 of 30 shots from the field and 24 of 29 free throws.

Max McCullough of Eastern Oregon was named the Cascade Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the third time this season after the sophomore guard from Post Falls improved his conference-leading scoring average by averaging nearly 30 points a game in two Mountaineers’ victories. McCullough scored 36 against Northwest Christian, the 12th time this season he has hit 20 or more in a game. He entered last week averaging 21.9 points, 22.3 in conference play, and 32.4 minutes a game.

Keyshun McGee, an Eastern Washington sophomore from Bremerton, was named Big Sky Conference Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week after leaping a conference-leading 50 feet, 8 1/4 inches in winning the triple jump at the WSU Open. He was the Big Sky indoor champion in the event in 2017 and conference Freshman of the Year.

Josh Brown, a College of Idaho junior from Colfax, the 2017 Cascade Conference discus champion, was named the Cascade Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week after delivering the second-best mark in program history in finishing second in the weight throw at the Bronco Invitational. Brown’s career-best toss of 54 feet, 9 1/2 inches is an NAIA “B” qualifying mark.

Michaela Bayerlova, a Washington State freshman from Germany, was the Pac-12 Women’s Tennis Player of the Week after she collected two singles and two doubles victories as the Cougars swept Montana State and Idaho. She improved to 7-0 in singles and is ranked No. 3 among freshmen/newcomers in the ITA rankings.

• Twenty-four area athletes, half of them at Eastern Washington, have been named to Big Sky Conference Fall All-Academic teams in football, cross country, soccer and volleyball with grade-point averages of 3.20 or better. Ashlee Pedersen, a Montana senior in women’s soccer from Mt. Spokane, was honored for the fourth time. Five others received fall academic awards for a second or third time. They are: Eastern Washington: Football – Stu Stiles, junior, Mt. Spokane (3rd ); Cole Karsteter, jr., Ferris; Beau Byus, jr., Central Valley (2nd); Jonah Jordan, jr., Mead. Men’s cross country – Domenic Rehm, jr., Medical Lake/Community Colleges of Spokane; Matthew Hommel, senior, CV/CCS; Evan Sanford, sophomore, Mead. Women’s cross country – Kaelah Corrigan, so., North Central; Kari Hamilton, sr., Clarkston; Gracie Ledwith, sr., Lewis and Clark/CCS. Women’s soccer – Chloe Williams, sr., LC (3rd). Volleyball – Taylor Larsen, jr., Colfax. Idaho: Men’s cross country – Josiah Anderson, so., Moscow (Logos High). Women’s cross country – Sierra Speiker, jr., Oroville, Washington; Kara Story, so., Hayden (Coeur d’Alene High); Krista Story, so., Hayden (CdA High). Women’s soccer – Morgan Crosby, so., University (2nd); Makayla Presgrave, jr., St. Maries (Kootenai High). Montana: Football – Reggie Tilleman, jr., Genesee, Idaho. Women’s cross country – Madison Ward, freshman, St. George’s. Women’s soccer – Taryn Miller, jr., CV. Montana State: Men’s cross country – Andrew Vandine, so., NC. Idaho State – Women’s soccer – Meaghan Bare, jr., Lake City (3rd).
• After winning the Northwest Conference regular-season softball championship for a third straight season and snapping a Linfield streak of four straight tournament titles, Whitworth has been picked to reclaim the crown, according to a poll of the nine conference head coaches. Three teams received at least one first-place vote in the preseason poll with Linfield picked to finish second behind the Pirates, who advanced to an NCAA Division III regional final and have two All-NWC first-team players in their lineup. The Pirates have back 2017 All-NWC infielder Michelle Silva and 2016 first-team infielder Chelsey Hayes, who sat out last season to focus on her studies. Both are juniors.
• Whitworth, with two returning second-team All-Northwest Conference selections, was picked to finish second behind defending champion Linfield in a tight Northwest Conference preseason baseball poll of league coaches, who bestowed first-place votes on four teams.
• Back for the Pirates are 2017 All-NWC second-team infielder Joel Condreay, a junior, and sophomore pitcher Matthew Young.

Hockey

Former Spokane Chiefs coach Mike Babcock was announced as one of three 2018 recipients of Hockey Canada’s highest honor, the Order of Hockey in Canada.

The award was initiated in 2012 to celebrate individuals for outstanding contributions or service to the growth and development of hockey in Canada. Longtime Edmonton Oilers star Ryan Smyth and University of Calgary coach and Olympic goal medalist Danielle Goyette will also be honored June 18 in London, Ontario.

Babcock, who won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008 and now coaches Toronto in the NHL, launched his career in the Western Hockey League.

He played at Saskatoon and Kelowna and coached Moose Jaw before arriving in Spokane, where he coached from 1994-2000. He ranks second in career games coached with the Chiefs (425) and has the third-best winning percentage (.525).

During his third season in Spokane, Babcock coached Canada to victory at the 1997 IIHF World Junior Championship. He has gone on to coach Canada at several major international competitions, winning gold at the 2004 IIHF World Championship, 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games and 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs experienced both the good and the bad at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game last week in Guelph, Ontario. On the plus side, the defenseman from Lloydminster, Alberta, who is ranked 14th among North American skaters on the NHL draft prospects list, tied for second in on-ice testing the week before the game that gauged fitness and skill levels. In 30-meter sprints he had top-three finishes in three of five drills that involve puck-handling, including placing first in forward skating with the puck. Other skills included backward skating with the puck (second), reaction with the puck (third) and weaving agility (third). Fellow Chiefs defenseman Filip Kral from the Czech Republic is ranked 52nd on the NHL draft prospects list. On the negative side, Smith was captain of Team Orr that lost 7-4 to Team Cherry in the Top Prospects game.

Letters of intent

North Idaho softball – Betty Comack, P, Coeur d’Alene High; sister of former Cardinals player Kathy (Comack) Patzer (2013-14).

Idaho women’s soccer – Maddie Haas, MF, Lewiston, two-time All-Inland Empire League; Juliana deTar, F, junior, transfer from Evergreen Valley College, California.