Locally: Mead graduate Suzanne Marble to be honored for legendary La Conner volleyball coaching career
Thirty years ago, Suzanne Liebert of Spokane, a Mead High School graduate, motored into, La Conner, Washington, in her “funny little college car,” and accepted a teaching position and the head volleyball coaching job at the high school.
On Thursday night at the school, the community will honor the teacher-coach, now Suzanne Marble, who in three decades has collected more than 500 victories, six state 2B championships and a spot in the Washington State Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“I was an elementary parent when Suzanne came to La Conner,” middle and high school counselor Lori Buher told the La Conner Weekly News. “I remember her funny little ‘college car’ that she parked out in front each day. I used to smile to myself every time I saw it – fresh out of college and into the real world!”
The “real world,” it turns out, at least on the volleyball court, didn’t stand much of a chance.
“Five hundred is a big number,” Marble told the Weekly News at the time the Braves produced win No. 500 in October 2019, “but it truly isn’t about the wins. Instead, it’s the relationships, community and volleyball culture for us.”
Event coordinators say Thursday’s celebration before a match against Mount Vernon will provide a chance for the public “to thank and support coach Marble for all she has done for La Conner volleyball” in what the Weekly News wrote will be her “final net campaign.”
Baseball
Antonio Garcia, the coach of the year in the collegiate summer Independence League in 2022, has joined the Gonzaga University staff as a volunteer assistant coach, head coach Mark Machtolf announced.
An infielder, Garcia played two years at the University of Kansas before medical issues forced him off the field and onto the bench as a coach. At GU, he will replace Sean Winston, who was promoted to assistant coach. Garcia will primarily work with hitters, infielders and catchers.
After his playing time ended at Kansas, Garcia spent two years as an undergraduate assistant followed by two years as a graduate assistant. He has spent summers since his undergraduate coaching days coaching and led the Western Nebraska Pioneers to the Independence League championship this summer.
College scene
Cambrie Rickard, a Lawrence University sophomore from Saint George’s, was named Midwest Conference women’s soccer offensive player of the week for a second time in three weeks for her first career hat trick that produced a 3-2 victory over visiting Illinois College on Oct. 1.
With the Vikings trailing 1-0 in the 19th minute, the 5-foot-8 forward took the ball from an Illinois College defender and beat the goalkeeper one-on-one to tie the game. Rickard gave the Division III Appleton, Wisconsin, school a 2-1 lead on a header off a corner kick in the 32nd minute, and it stayed that way until the Lady Blues tied it in the 79th minute.
Less than a minute later, Rickard scored her team-leading sixth goal from 25 yards out to produce the winner. She also has one assist for the 5-5 Vikings.
• Idaho swept Big Sky Conference women’s soccer player of the week honors as the Vandals ran their NCAA-leading shutout streak to 10 matches with 1-0 wins over Montana and Northern Colorado.
Junior midfielder Margo Schoesler won her first offensive player of the week award of 2022 after scoring one goal and setting up the winner in the other match. Against Montana, she nailed a late penalty kick for the win.
Sophomore Cassidy Elicker earned the defensive honor for the first time this season – the fourth for the Vandals and second straight – as Idaho continues to smother rival offenses.
• Sophomore Grace Courter highlighted a game in which she blocked multiple shots with her first career goal in Gonzaga’s 4-0 win over San Francisco on Oct. 1 to earn West Coast Conference women’s soccer defensive player of the week honors.
• In his eighth season, Todd Shulenberger has become the winningest coach in Washington State women’s soccer. The Cougars’ 1-0 victory over visiting Utah on Oct. 2 extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches and was Shulenberger’s 89th career win. Matt Potter won 88 in nine seasons (2003-11).
• A couple of seniors from the Greater Spokane League earned repeat GNAC All-Academic honors in men’s soccer.
Aidan Chaparro (North Central) of Seattle Pacific received his third award with a 3.50 GPA. Montana State Billings’ Bryan Maxwell (Lewis and Clark) earned his fourth with a 3.60 GPA.
• Hannah Stires, a Central Washington sophomore defensive specialist/libero from Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball defensive player of the week on Oct. 3 after she averaged 5.89 digs per set as the Wildcats split two matches.
• Following two strong performances on the road Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, including a record-tying blocking performance, Washington State senior Magda Jehlarova was named Pac-12 volleyball defensive player of the week for the sixth time in her career.
The middle blocker from Prerov, Czech Republic, tied a three-set WSU record with 11 total blocks and had a team-high 13 kills in Friday’s win at Cal. She had eight blocks and 12 kills in a 3-1 Sunday loss at No. 9 Stanford.
• Idaho’s Gevani McCoy was named the FedEx Ground FCS National Freshman of the Week by Stats Perform for his performance in the Vandals’ 55-35 victory over Northern Colorado on Oct. 1.
McCoy completed 22 of 27 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns and added 18 rushing yards, setting career highs for completions, passing yards, TD passes and total offensive yards (316).
• Led by sixth-place finishes from senior Cassie Kim and sophomore Chaewon Baek with 1-over-par 217s for 54 holes, the Gonzaga women won the Pat Lesser-Harbottle SeattleU Invitational golf tournament Oct. 4 at the Tacoma Country Club by one stroke with an 8-over 872.
• Charlotte Falstad, a Community Colleges of Spokane sophomore from North Central, was the NWAC women’s cross country runner of the week for her performance in the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational on Oct. 1. Falstad clocked 20 minutes, 12.9 seconds for 5K, a PR by 2:09.
Golf
Pros Todd Pence of the Fairways and Derek Siesser of Inland Empire Golf Academy in Spokane and their teams led the way for area entries, tying for fourth at the 2022 Pacific Northwest PGA Pro-Amateur Championship last week at Brandon Dunes Resort in Oregon.
The Pence and Siesser twosomes were in a four-way tie for fourth at 10-under-par 134 as ties collected a large percentage of area golfers behind winners Bruce Stewart of Oregon City, Ore., and Spencer Tibbits of Vancouver, Wash., at 15-under 129.
Defending champions Corey Prugh (Community Colleges of Spokane) and Reid Hatley (Hayden Lake Country Club) were in a seven-way tie for eighth at 9-under 135 that also included pro Gordon Corder and amateur Jeff Sweat of Manito Golf and Country Club. Pro Billy Bomar and Indian Canyon amateur Andrew Von Lossow were in a three-way tie for 15th at 136.
Wrestling
Derrick Booth, a former Post Falls High School and North Idaho College standout, has been named interim head wrestling coach at NIC for the 2022-23 season, director of athletics and recreation Shawn Noël announced. He said the search for a permanent coach will begin in mid-February.
Booth, an NJCAA All-American at 174 pounds for the Cardinals, completed his collegiate career at Division II Coker University in Hartsville, South Carolina, where he earned all-conference honors. He has coaching experience at Darlington, S.C., and Central Valley high schools and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa.