Locally: Whitworth softball standouts Mattea Nelson, Corinne Vasiloff earn All-NWC honors

From staff and news services

Whitworth’s Mattea Nelson earned first-team honors and teammate Corinne Vasiloff received second-team recognition on the 2023 All-Northwest Conference softball team.

Nelson had a dominant season at third base. The graduate student from Northwest Christian finished second in the NWC in batting average (.443) and hits (62). Nelson set a school record while leading the conference in doubles (20). She was second in the conference in triples (four) and fourth in total bases (96) and drove in a career-high 28 runs.

Nelson concludes her three years at Whitworth with a career average of .399 with starts in 109 games.

Vasiloff finished the season 15-7 in the circle with a 3.90 earned run average. She struck out 95 batters and walked 57. Opponents had a .280 batting average against her.

Catcher Taylor Hofheins (.365 BA), SS Jazz Johnson (.318 BA, 42 hits, 31 RBIs) and 2B Haley Montoya (.359 BA, 55 hits, 16 doubles) all received honorable mention for Whitworth.

Academics

Alyssa Benthagen, a senior from University, and Kilee Imada, a junior from West Valley, were named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic team in softball.

Benthagen is a business major at Central Washington with a 3.66 GPA. Imada is an elementary education major at Montana State Billings with a 3.27 GPA.

The primary criteria for All-Academic recognition is a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20.

Baseball

Whitworth starting pitcher Hunter Dryden has claimed All-Northwest Conference honors in baseball for the second straight season.

Dryden, who was named to the second team, was joined on the list by senior catcher Riley Cissne, freshman first base/DH Henry Zaske and junior relief pitcher Hunter Williams, who all received honorable mention consideration.

Dryden, a junior from Deer Park, finished 5-2 with a 3.07 earned run average over 11 starts for a team that won 11 games in 2023. He struck out 48 batters in 58.2 innings pitched. He ranked fifth in the NWC in ERA and in opponent batting average (.226).

Cissne batted .328 with 41 hits over the course of 33 games. He was third on the team in batting average. Defensively, Cissne threw out nine attempted base stealers.

Zaske led the Pirates with a .354 average in 27 games as a first-year player. He drove in 13 runs and scored 12 while splitting time between first base and designated hitter.

Williams had a 4.19 ERA in 53.2 innings, mostly out of the bullpen.

Golf

Gonzaga women’s golfer Cassie Kim was selected as an individual for the NCAA women’s regionals and will compete in the Pullman Regional at Palouse Ridge Golf Club May 8-10.

Kim finished the regular season with a team-best 73.30 average round score, which ranks fifth all-time in program history. She has a 74.82 career round average in 91 rounds, which ranks fourth all-time at GU.

All regional play will take place May 8-10 at six sites, with a total of 396 student-athletes competing. The national championships are scheduled for May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Hoopfest

Guaranteed team registration for Hoopfest closes on May 15. To register a team or volunteer for Hoopfest, go to spokanehoopfest.net

Players looking for a team are encouraged to join the Hoopfest Free Agent Forum on Facebook.

Hoopfest 2023 will take place June 24-25.

Shooting

Three shooters from Spokane Junior Rifle Club participated in the National Junior Olympic Championships last month in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Tanner Krebs, a 15-year-old student at Shadle Park, placed 20th in U18 and 44th overall in Men’s 10-meter Standing Air Rifle, scoring 1,201.4 out of a possible 1,254.1 points. Garrett Pearsall, an 18-year-old student at Mt. Spokane, scored 1,158.9 points for 41st place in U21 and 100th overall.

Krebs scored 1,112 points in men’s 50-meter Smallbore 3 position, placing 18th in U18, 39th overall. Pearsall placed 27th in U21, 57th overall, with a score of 1,090.

Anna Pearsall, age 20, scored 1,078 points in women’s 50-meter Smallbore 3 position. She placed 56th in U21, 115th overall.

Tennis

Three players from Gonzaga have received all-conference honors in WCC men’s tennis.

Sasha Trkulja, a junior, was recognized in singles and doubles. He was named second-team all-conference in singles, and he and partner Matthew Hollingworth, a senior, were named second-team in doubles for the second consecutive season.

Sophomore Arthus de la Bassetiere received honorable mention in singles for the second straight year.

Trkulja won eight singles matches in the No. 1 spot and teamed with Hollingworth for another eight wins at the No. 1 doubles position.

Bassetiere won nine singles matches for the Zags.

Gonzaga senior Cate Broerman was named honorable mention All-WCC in women’s singles for the third year in a row. She won 11 matches in the No. 1 position for the Bulldogs. During her career at Gonzaga, she has won 41 dual single matches to rank fifth in program history.