Locally: Former Gonzaga guard Louise Forsyth transfers to Idaho
Louise Forsyth, a 6-foot-1 guard who played in 93 games in four years at Gonzaga, has signed with the University of Idaho, Vandals coach Jon Newlee announced.
“Louise is extremely versatile offensively; she is a knock-down shooter from beyond the arc and finishes well at the basket,” Newlee said. “Her length and athleticism at 6-1 gives us a lot of options on the defensive end as well.”
Forsyth averaged 8.2 minutes in the games she played, scoring 210 points while shooting 37.1% on 3-pointers.
During the 2020-21 season, she played in 22 games for a Gonzaga team that went 23-4, won the WCC tournament and made it to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She was part of 107 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances at GU.
She was also a 2020 WCC All-Academic honorable mention.
Forsyth is from Langley, British Columbia, where she was an award-winning three-sport star in high school. She has played on two Canadian national teams, winning gold at the 2015 FIBA Americas Tournament.
College scene
Washington State senior Chloe Larson recorded a U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II time in the 50-meter freestyle while competing at the St. George, Utah, Sectional Meet on April 22.
The 2021 NCAA qualifier and Pac-12 50 freestyle champion recorded a 25.26-second split during the 100 freestyle at the long course meters event. The 25.26 is tied for the 12th-fastest time by an American this year.
Larson is the fifth Cougar to post an Olympic Trials qualifying time, following seniors Mackenzie Duarte (200 breaststroke) and Taylor McCoy (200 backstroke) and junior Lauren Burckel (200 and 100 breast). Sophomore Mia Zahab posted times in seven events for Team Canada.
• North Idaho College sophomore Sal Silva got his revenge and a National Junior College Athletic Association wrestling championship in the process last week in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Silva pulled out a 3-1 decision over defending champion Jake Beeson of Pratt (Kansas) Community College, who had beaten him 4-3 in the 2020 semifinals, to become the 55th NJCAA national champion in NIC program history and the first since 2016.
Silva, who finished third a year ago, has signed to wrestle for NAIA Arizona Christian University in Glendale. He is from Tucson, Ariz.
Four other Cardinals had top-seven finishes to earn NJCAA All-America honors: Redshirt sophomore Navarro Nanpuya (fourth, 174), sophomore Cohle Feliciano (fourth, 285), freshman Brandon Bollinger (sixth, 157) and freshman Weston Presser (seventh, 165). Feliciano was seventh as a freshman in 2020.
• Alek Jacob, the Gonzaga junior right-hander from North Central HS who pitched the fifth no-hitter in program history on April 16, was named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Pitcher of the Week.
The 6-foot-3 Jacob, who spent the first two West Coast Conference series in the bullpen, threw 124 pitches, tying his career high with 12 strikeouts. He issued only two walks in completing the school’s first no-hitter 1990.
Jacob’s no-no was also selected a Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week by USA Baseball and he was named WCC pitcher of the week for the second time in three weeks. With junior infielder Brett Harris, the Zags swept WCC weekly awards for the week ending April 18.
Harris had seven hits, six runs, three RBIs, three doubles and one home run while batting .583 for four games. He had a 1.083 slugging percentage with just one strikeout in 12 at-bats.
• Hannah Pukis, Washington State’s redshirt sophomore setter, was named honorable mention on the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I All-America team.
She was previously named first team All-Pac-12 and on the AVCA Pacific North first team. She ranked fifth in the Pac-12 in total assists (577) and in assists per set (9.31).
• With four players finishing in the top 10, the Gonzaga women’s golf team won the school’s first West Coast Conference championship on Saturday in Henderson, Nevada, in a two-hole playoff with defending champion Pepperdine.
The Zags and Waves both finished the 54-hole tournament at 33-over 897. GU has placed second three times, the latest in 2016. Pepperdine was seeking its 19th title in the 24 years of the tournament.
GU sophomore Cassie Kim tied for second at 6-over-par 222, a stroke behind medalist Caroline Hwang of Pepperdine, with the Zags’ Quynn Duong (224) tying for fourth and fifth-year student Jessica Mangrobang and freshman Mary Scott Wolfe (228) tying for 10th.
• Whitworth senior Reilly Hegarty, medalist at the Northwest Conference Tournament thanks to a career-best round of 6-under-par 66 at Kalispel Country Club in Spokane on April 18 to close the 36-hole championships, was named NWL men’s golf Player of the Year.
Hegarty’s 2-stroke victory with a 1-over 145 also earned him NWC player of the week. He led the Pirates with a 74.09 stroke average during the season and finished in the top five in five of the six NWC tournaments, including third in the Spring Classic.
Pirates grad student Caleb Belton, who was fifth in the NWC tournament, joined Hegarty on the first team. Senior Will Alexander, who tied for third, was on the second team.
• Madline Hahn, a first-year member of the Whitworth women’s golf team who finished eighth at the NWC Tournament April 17-18 at Kalispel Country Club, was named to the All-NWC second team.
• Laura Gerner, a grad student at Idaho, tied for second in the Big Sky Conference women’s golf championships last week at Arrowhead Golf Club in Molalla, Oregon, with a 7-over-par 223 to earn a spot on the all-tournament team and lead the Vandals to fourth place at 58-over 308.
Eastern Washington, led by junior Jaelin Ishikawa, who tied for eighth at 9-over 225, had an eighth-place team finish at 947. Idaho senior Valeria Patino also tied for eighth.
Sacramento State, led by medalist Tess Blair at 1-under 215, was team champion at 901.
• Idaho’s Jose Suryadinata was named Big Sky Conference men’s golf Freshman of the Year and was joined on the all-conference first team by grad student Sean Mullan and junior Colt Sherrell, the 2019 Freshman of the Year. The Big Sky men’s championships are this week in Boulder City, Nevada.
• North Idaho College freshman James Swan was named Northwest Athletic Conference Week 3 men’s golfer of the week on April 23 for his seven-stroke victory in the Spokane Spring Invitational at MeadowWood Golf Course with a 3-under-par 139.
• Jonny Hillman and Echo Anderson, Carroll College students from Post Falls, were named to Frontier Conference all-academic teams in men’s and women’s golf, respectively, with GPAs of 3.25 or above. Hillman, a sophomore, graduated from Genesis Prep.
Anderson, a Lake City HS graduate, also was named Frontier women’s golf Freshman of the Year.
• Makamae Gomera-Stevens, the 27th pick in the 2021 NWSL draft, led a trio of Washington State Cougars selected to All-Pac-12 women’s soccer teams. The senior midfielder was named to the second team while senior forward Elyse Bennett and junior defender Mykiaa Minnis were on the third team. Both had been all-freshmen picks their first years.
• Washington State senior Marissa Zucchetto was the final Pac-12 women’s soccer goalkeeper of the week after she posted her fifth shutout of the season, leading the Cougars to a 0-0 double-overtime draw against No. 22 Washington in the final game of the season.
• Gonzaga sophomore goalkeeper Lyza Bosselmann was the WCC women’s soccer defensive player of the week after she posted her fourth shutout of the season with a three-save, 3-0 season-ending victory over Pepperdine in Spokane on April 17. It was GU’s first win over the Waves since 2010.
• Gonzaga’s Chris Watkins, whose Bulldogs went 7-3-1 and finished third in the West Coast Conference, was named the league’s 2021 women’s soccer co-coach of the year to lead a strong showing by the Zags when league honors were announced.
GU placed junior midfielder Sophia Braun on the all-conference’s first team with defenders Maddie Cooley, a senior, and junior Jordan Thompson on the second team, Bosselmann receiving honorable mention, and midfielder Kayla Chatman-Haggerty and forward Kate Doyle named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.
Santa Clara senior forward Kelsey Turnbow, a two-time Washington Gatorade Player of the Year (2013-14 and 2014-15) while attending Central Valley HS before the family moved to Arizona, was named All-WCC first team for the fourth time.
• Gonzaga redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Johan Garibay and junior forward Demitrius Kigeya were named to the second team, junior midfielder Frankie Ljucovic received honorable mention and midfielder Richard Ruiz was on the All-Freshman team when the WCC named its men’s soccer all-conference teams.
• Claire Neder, a Seattle Pacific senior midfielder from Mead, was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s soccer offensive player of the week for scoring two goals in each victory as the Falcons swept two games from Western Oregon on April 16 and 17, 5-0 and 4-0.
• Melisa Ates, Washington State’s career tennis leader in combined singles and doubles victories and a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, received a 2021 President’s Award from WSU president Kirk Schulz.
The award honors those who demonstrate exceptional leadership and service to students, the school and the community. The senior from Antalya, Turkey, a two-year team captain, has 195 combined singles and doubles victories and holds the program record for doubles wins (90) and is third on the singles list (105).
Ates, who will graduate in May with a degree in computer science, received the 2020 Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Arthur Ashe Jr. Sportsmanship & Leadership Award for the Northwest Region.
She has been active in the Pullman community, participating in more than 100 hours of community service, and has volunteered her time at WSU athletics community events such as Butch’s Bash and being a Coug-Pal for local elementary school kids. Pre-pandemic, she spent time monthly at Pullman’s Circles of Caring.
• Eastern Washington’s 5-2 victory at Montana on April 18 clinched the Big Sky women’s tennis North Division title, sending the Eagles to the conference tournament for a third straight season, this time with a 4-0 conference record. Senior captain Rylee Braeden secured the win with her singles victory.
• Idaho freshman Francisco Bascon, who led the Vandals to a 4-1 win over Portland State on April 17 with victories at No. 1 singles and doubles, was named Big Sky men’s tennis player of the week for a second consecutive week and fourth time this season. The win clinched the North Division title for Idaho and the No. 1 seed into the Big Sky tournament.
• Jack Ammon, George Fox’s standout quarter-miler from Northwest Christian HS, was named Northwest Conference men’s track and field athlete of the week after he turned in the best time in the NWC and 19th best in the nation when he won the 400m in 48.81 seconds in the Wes Cook Invitational on his home track in Newburg, Oregon, on April 17.
• Two weeks after shattering the program’s 5,000m record, Gonzaga junior Kristen Garcia ran the second fastest 1,500m in school history, clocking 4 minutes, 26.92 seconds at the Sam Adams Classic on April 17 at Whitworth. The record is 4:17.79 set in 2013.
• James Mwaura broke the Gonzaga men’s 5,000m record Friday, the sophomore timing 13:36.18 at the Oregon Relays in Eugene. The old record was 14:11.97 set the prior week by freshman Evan Bates. Bates (14:00.57) was one of four Zags under his old mark, following Mwaura, sophomore Yacine Guermali (13:52.54) and junior Peter Hogan (13:58.36).
• The Whitworth men and women remain second in Week 4 of the USTFCCCA West Region Division III track & field ratings, both led by Northwest Conference rival George Fox. The Pirates men fell from 16th out the national Top 25.
• Whitworth junior catcher Maddy Thomas was named Northwest Conference softball player of the week after she went 8 for 11 with seven RBIs and scored six runs as the Pirates won three of four games from nationally third-ranked Linfield April 17 and 18 to drop the Wildcats to fifth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll.
Thomas hit three home runs in Sunday’s finale of the series and finished the weekend with six extra-base hits. Behind the plate, she threw out two runners attempting to steal in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader that Whitworth won 8-4.
• Elizabeth Horner (junior, Mt. Spokane) and Hannah Beach (senior, Rosalia) shared in Pacific Lutheran’s fourth NWC varsity crew of the week award on April 19 after the Lutes beat Lewis & Clark by nearly 15 seconds over 2,000m to remain unbeaten against Division III opponents.
High school scene
St. Maries, which won the school’s first boys state basketball championship since 1960, picked up three special awards at the 58th North Idaho Sports Banquet on April 17 at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.
Bryan Chase, who led the Lumberjacks to the Idaho 2A title and a 23-1 record, shared boys coach of the year; Eli Gibson, a major contributor to basketball and football successes at the school, was the 1A-3A male high school athlete of the year; and St. Maries basketball was boys team of the year.
Zachary Eastman, Lapwai basketball, shared boys coach of the year. His Wildcats were the only team to defeat St. Maries, avenging an earlier loss to the Lumberjacks, compiled a 20-4 record and won the Idaho 1A Division 1 title.
Other major award winners:
Athletes of the Year: Katy Ryan, Lakeland, Female 5A-4A, 4A Inland Empire League volleyball MVP and basketball co-MVP; Brooke Jessen, Timberlake, Female 3A-1A, Intermountain League co-MVP in volleyball and basketball; Gunner Giulio, Coeur d’Alene HS, Male 5A-4A, State 5A 170-pound wrestling champion with 36-2 record, 2nd team All-State football.
Girls Coach of the Year: Stacy Smith, Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, soccer, State 3A champion. Girls Team of the Year: Timberlake basketball, State 3A champion, 23-2 record.
Hagadone Character Award recipients:
Female: Mayalu Spencer, Lapwai; Isabel “Izzy” Burns, Moscow; Hannah Tweit, Kendrick; Grace Tiegs, Nezperce; Hannah West, Timberline; Emma Pinkerton, Bonners Ferry; Sarah Michalski, Bonners Ferry; Kiley Cutler, Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy; Abby Tiller, Kootenai; Lily Tweedy, Lake City; Katy Ryan, Lakeland; Martina Rivera, Lakeside; Taryn Soumas, Timberlake; Hattie Larson, Sandpoint; Camille Neuder, Sandpoint; Martha Smith, Clearwater Valley; Ellea Uhlenkott, Prairie; Sarah Wilkey, Coeur d’Alene; Shayne Sullivan, Kellogg; Talowa Fallingwater, Mullan; Kirsten Miller, St. Maries; Paige Valliere, Clark Fork; Makia Fitzmorris, Priest River; Emily Proctor, Deary; Jenna Carpenter, Lewiston; Isabelle Raasch, Troy; Mya Barger, Kamiah.
Male: AJ Ellenwood, Lapwai; Barrett Abendroth, Moscow; Maison Anderson, Kendrick; Ryen Zenner, Nezperce; Chase Hunter, Timberline; Daniel Walker, Bonners Ferry; Jordan Gallegos, Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy; Carter McGann, Kootenai; Matthew Whitcomb, Lake City; Riley Siegford, Lakeland; Tucker Sanchez, Lakeside; Ryder Paslay, Timberlake; Darren Bailey, Sandpoint; Ridge Shown, Clearwater Valley; Dean Johnson, Prairie; Jack Prka, Coeur d’Alene; Blaine Gooder, Kellogg; Riley Trogden, Mullan; Will Farkas, Wallace; Dylan Sotin, St. Maries; Wesley Simko, Clark Fork; Travis Mathews, Priest River; London Kirk, Deary; Kash Lang, Lewiston; Elijah Phillis, Troy; Jace Sams, Kamiah.
Hockey
The Western Hockey League announced that because of public health concerns and the ongoing challenges of operating amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no playoffs at the end the shortened 24-game regular season.
Additionally, the league also announced a change in the distribution of major awards. Individual winners will be recognized in each of the four divisions, and they will then vie for league-wide honors. Traditionally, conference winners were selected from division winners. Now it will be four individuals in each category instead of two competing for the top league awards.
The WHL said it will continue to work with government and health authorities regarding schedule options for the 2021-22 WHL regular season.
• The Chiefs announced that its Restaurant Workers Appreciate Week promotion with The Odom Corporation raised $3,880 for Big Table, which provides support for workers in the restaurant and hospitality industries locally.