Davidson lauded by Skagit Valley

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Daniel Davidson, a 2007 Eisenhower graduate, has been named co-Male Athlete of the Year at Skagit Valley College.

A two-year starter on the Cardinals basketball team, Davidson averaged 10 points and five rebounds and last season helped Skagit to a second-place finish in the Northern Division and a berth in the NWAACC Tournament.

He played in the NWAACC sophomore all-star game and was an all-region second-team selection.

Davidson excelled off the court, too, compiling a 3.71 grade point average and being named to the NWAACC Academic All-Star team. He also tutored students at Centennial Elementary School.

The 6-foot-4 Davidson will continue his academic athletic activities at Whitman College in Walla Walla.

Local report — Longton takes first in Northwest Tour race

POLSON, Mont. — After opening the season with 17th- and eighth-place finishes, Moxee’s Mike Longton found the winner’s circle in Sunday’s ASA Northwest Tour race.

And he couldn’t have picked a better time for it.

Taking home an unusually high $10,000 winner’s check, Longton captured the second annual Big Sky 150 at Mission Valley Speedway.

Erick Hargraves gave even more local flavor to the Tour’s third race of the season, placing third out of 25 starters.

Longton led 140 of the final 141 laps, giving way to runner-up Brent Harris of Wenatchee briefly on lap 133. He held off late challenges with two green-white-checker restarts on the banked 3/8-mile tri-oval.

“I had the most fun I have had in racing with the side-by-side racing with Brent (Harris),” Longton said. “We gave each other plenty of room.”

“He (Longton) had the stronger car today,” Harris added. “We tried but it was not enough.”

The Northwest Tour will visit Yakima Speedway for its next event on June 6.

BEARS BASEBALL

Bobbleheads highlight promos

Bobblehead giveaways of Dave Henderson and Shane Victorino will highlight the Bears’ promotional schedule for the coming season, the Northwest League team announced Tuesday.

Yakima County Stadium will also host six fireworks shows and seven Thirsty Thursdays among its special presentations, the club announced.

“The focus this year is affordability,” Bears general manager K.L. Wombacher said in a news release. “We want our fans to come out and enjoy top of the line entertainment but not have to spend a fortune to do so.”

Henderson, a friend of Bears manager Bob Didier, visited Yakima last season. He played for the Seattle Mariners among five major league teams but is best known for his ninth-inning home run in Game 5 of the ALCS that helped Boston to a 6-5 win over California and sparked the Red Sox to the World Series.

Henderson won a World Series championship ring with the Oakland Athletics in 1989.

Victorino, who played in Yakima during the 2000 season, won a ring last season with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Flyin’ Hawaiian’s bobblehead will be available on Aug. 8. Henderson’s will be available on July 18.

A full list of Bears promotions can be found on the team’s Web site at yakimabears.com.

Earlier, the Bears disclosed that they will not have free parking nights this season. The club last season paid parking fees for home games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Attendance did not increase enough on those nights, Wombacher said, to offset the cost of paying the fees.

AWAY AT SCHOOL

ANNIE HESS (Bickleton), a senior at Concordia College in Portland, won her third NAIA national track title in the discus with a throw of 176-7. Hess became just the second woman in NAIA history to win three discus titles.

CODY EDWARDS (West Valley), a freshman at Bellevue Community College, was named an all-tournament outfielder for the NWAACC champion Bulldogs, who defeated Columbia Basin 3-0 in the championship final.

HERSCHEL SANCHEY (Klickitat), MICHAEL VETTER (La Salle) and BRITTNEE SANCHEZ (Grandview) helped Spokane sweep the team titles in the NWAACC track and field championships. Sanchey won the 1,500 and placed second in the steeplechase, Vetter was second in the 100 and Sanchez won the 5,000 and took second in the 1,500.

5/20/09 Away at school

YAKIMA, Wash. — RACHAEL JOHNSON (West Valley), a sophomore half-miler on the Western Washington University track team, has become a record-setting performer for the Vikings.

Johnson set indoor school records over the winter in both the 800 (2:11.82) and distance medley relay — and earning All-America honors by placing seventh at the NCAA Div. II indoor national championships.

This spring in outdoor track, she broke one of WWU’s oldest school records with her 2:12.30 in the 800, a time that ranks 15th nationally going into the May 21-23 national meet in San Angelo, Texas. It will be her third national-meet appearance this year, having also made it in cross country.

CRAIG BARNES (East Valley), a senior at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., has been named to the all-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference second team. An outfielder, Barnes batted .358 with 25 runs scored and 22 driven in for the Swedes, who compete at the NAIA level. His fielding percentage was .964.

CHASE POWELL (Selah), a senior on the University of Portland baseball team, went 1-for-3 in his final game as a Pilot in a 1-0 home-field win over the University of San Francisco. Powell finished the season batting .302 with six homers, six doubles and 22 runs batted in as Portland finished 25-26. His .573 slugging percentage was second-highest on the team.

ADAM STEWART (Davis), a sophomore on the Eastern Washington track and field team, finished eighth in the Big Sky Conference championships in the high jump at Missoula, Mont.

Stewart, who won the Big Sky indoor title, entered the meet tied for second among conference high jumpers at 6 feet 83/4 inches. H went 6-43/4 at Missoula.

Walkenhauer an academic all-star

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — West Valley’s Kevin Walkenhauer, a junior on Central Washington’s baseball team, has made the GNAC’s academic all-star team.

A biology major, Walkenhauer has compiled a 3.86 grade point average.

Other Wildcats making the squad were senior Frank Donangelo (3.49, ublic relations), and junior Michael McCanna (3.31, construction management).

5/3/09 Away at School

ISLEY GONZALEZ (Sunnyside), a senior at Washington State, lowered her 5,000-meter career best to 16:18.04 at the Mount Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif. Her time ranks second in WSU history and is four seconds off the school record.

JAKE SHANKLIN (Ellensburg), a senior at Wyoming, threw the hammer a career-best 214-2 for a track record in the Gem City Duals in Laramie, Wyo. The mark ranks 10th in the nation among NCAA throwers and qualified him for the USA Championships in Eugene this summer.

MARCUS RANCE (Davis), a senior-to-be at Stanford, caught a 22-yard pass in the recently-played Cardinal spring game. Rance is returning from having the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee repaired.

RACHAEL JOHNSON (West Valley), a sophomore at Western Washington,  won the 800 meters in the Western Washington University Twilite Track and Field Meet. Johnson’s winning time was 2:15.23.

SCOTT WALL (La Salle), a sophomore on the Pacific Lutheran University baseball team, pitched a three-hit, 5-0 victory over Puget Sound to help the Lutes share the Northwest Conference championship with George Fox.

Wall struck out 10 and retired his final 13 hitters for his third shutout of the season, raising his record to 5-2. Also an offensive lineman on the football team, Wall carries a 3.0 grade point average.

KELLEN MOORE (Prosser), a redshirt sophomore on the Boise State football team, completed 10 of 16 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ recent spring game.

Away at school: Ike grads shine in Portland

YAKIMA, Wash. — CLAIRE FAUCHER and LAIKEN DOLLENTE (Eisenhower), juniors at Portland State and the University of Portland, respectively, helped their teams to standout seasons. Faucher averaged 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists in helping the Vikings to a 23-10 record and a 57-51 first-round WNIT win over Portland. Dollente averaged a team-high 15.3 points plus 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists as the Pilots finished 17-14.

CLAIRE RAAP (Prosser) and KAYLA STANDISH (Ellensburg), freshmen on the Gonzaga women’s basketball team, helped the Bulldogs to a 27-7 record and a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament. Raap averaged 4.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.2 minutes during 33 reserve appearances. Standish played in 34 games, starting three, and averaged 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game.

SCOTT WALL (La Salle), a sophomore on the Pacific Lutheran baseball team, pitched back-to-back shutouts for the Lutes. The right-hander beat Pacific 10-0, limiting the Boxers to five hits while striking out five and walking one. He followed with a 2-0 win over Willamette, blanking the Bearcats on only two hits while fanning four with no walks.

REEDY BERG (Eisenhower), a sophomore left-handed pitcher on the Gonzaga University baseball team, held Washington to three runs over five innings on Monday in the Bulldogs’ 7-3 win over the Huskies. Berg struck out four en route to his first win of the season.

DUSTIN DANIELS (West Valley), a freshman on the Big Bend Community College baseball team, was named the Vikings’ Player of the Week last week. The first baseman-outfielder is batting .310 for for Big Bend, which is 4-6 in Eastern Region play and 15-13 overall.

EV’s Mohsenian helps George Fox to D-III Final Four

YAKIMA, Wash. — ARIANNA MOHSENIAN (East Valley), a freshman on the George Fox University women’s basketball team, has helped the Bruins to a 30-0 record and a berth in the NCAA Division III Final Four.

George Fox, from Newberg, Ore., last weekend defeated Hope College in a sectional final in Crestview Hills, Ky. The DIII women’s Final Four will be held Friday and Saturday at Holland, Mich.

Mohsenian has played in all 30 George Fox games with one start. She is averaging 5.9 points a game, fifth best on the team, in 21.4 minutes. Mohsenian is also shooting .324 from 3-point range.

This season’s roster lists one senior, three juniors, no sophomores and 10 freshmen.

ADAM STEWART (Davis), a sophomore at Eastern Washington University, won the high jump in the Big Sky Indoor track and field championships at Flagstaff, Ariz., last month. Stewart, who was EWU’s scholar athlete of the month, jumped a career-best 6 feet, 8 1/4 inches. Visit the EWU website for a Q&A with Stewart.

ISLEY GONZALEZ (Sunnyside), a senior at Washington State, finished ninth in the 3,000-meter race at the Husky Indoor meet with a personal best time of 9:27.57. Her time would have broken the WSU record, but she was running unattached.

DANIEL DAVIDSON (Eisenhower), a sophomore on the Skagit Valley men’s basketball team, made the all-NWAACC academic team with a grade point average of 3.68. He was also voted to the all-Northern Region second team and helped the Cardinals to the NWAACC Tournament.

RACHEL HOTCHKO (Davis), a junior on the St. Mary’s, Md. swim team, will compete in the NCAA Division III national championships this week in Minneapolis. It will be the second straight national apparance for Hotchko, who last year qualified in the 100 butterfly. This year she’s seeded 19th in the fly with a school-record time of 57.30. Hotchko holds six school records (two individual, four relays).

JUSTINE HAYS (La Salle), a senior at Whitworth University, has been named captain of the Pirates tennis team. Hays is 7-0 in Northwest Conference competition, both in singles and doubles, for her first-place team.

KAREN CHASE (West Valley), a senior on the University of Puget Sound women’s basketball team, has been named to the All-Northwest Conference second team. Chase, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her career, averaged 12 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Loggers.

Stohr named all-conference, frosh of year

YAKIMA, Wash. — Jasmine Stohr made a quick first impression during her inaugural season with the Lewis-Clark State College basketball team.

Stohr was named to the first team all-Frontier Conference team and also selected the conference’s freshman of the year. She was the only freshman named to the first team.

The 6-foot guard-forward from La Salle High School led the Warriors in scoring, averaging 13.4 point per game. She also averaged 4.1 rebounds, fourth-best on the team, led them in steals (56), was third in blocked shots (16) and fifth in assists (53).

Behind Stohr and fellow first-team all-league selection Sadie Short, Lewis-Clark State captured the conference tournament championship with a 79-78 overtime victory over top-seeded Westminster, and an automatic berth in the NAIA national tournament. The Warriors are 23-7.

WV’s Chase scores 1,000th point at UPS

KAREN CHASE (West Valley), a senior at the University of Puget Sound, scored the 1,000th point of her Logger career in a recent 68-63 victory over Whitman. Another UPS senior, Andrea Edwards (West Valley/Columbia Basin College) scored 11 points in her final regular-season home game.

RACHEL HOTCHKO (Davis), a junior at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, helped the Seahawks set Capital Athletic Conference and school records by swimming on the 200 medley relay. The team’s time of 1:47.17 w as also an NCAA provisional qualifying time, and knocked nearly three seconds off the school record.

LYNSEY BERNFELD (West Valley), a junior at Carleton College, competed in a men’s and women’s program that produced the highest combined grade-point average among all collegiate swim programs.

PATRICK ELERDING (Sunnyside Christian), a junior at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina, won the 100-yard butterfly (48.9 seconds), was second in the 100 breaststroke (56.6) and was third in the 50 free (21.1) in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association championships at the University of Georgia.

TANA STICKNEY (East Valley/Yakima Valley CC), a junior at Eastern Oregon, totaled 21 points and 18 rebounds in the Mountaineers’ 69-58 loss to 11th-ranked College of Idaho. Stickney is averaging 9.1 points, fourth best on the team, and a team-high 5.8 rebounds.

Wildcats, Garcia set for Combine

YAKIMA, Wash. — For Mike Reilly and dozens of other pro football hopefuls, today’s when the fun starts.

Reilly, the former Central Washington quarterback, is scheduled to join Wildcats teammate and tight end Jared Bronson and ex-Eisen-hower and University of Washington offensive lineman Juan Garcia at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indiana-polis.

The three athletes will be involved in numerous physical and mental and psych-ological tests at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts. The Combine, which players attend by invitation only, runs through Tuesday.

“They let a lot of us from the West Coast get in a day early to acclimate to the time change,” Reilly said in a telephone interview from his southern California training headquarters last week. “I’ll actually start my medical work Thursday. From what I’ve been told, they try to do anything and everything to get you out of your comfort zone physically and mentally.”

The combine is an annual gathering of college players who display their playing and thinking talents in front of NFL coaches, general managers and scouts. It allows personnel directors to evaluate players in a standardized setting.

The NFL draft is scheduled for April 25-26.

Reilly said his activities today would include registration and orientation. Friday he’ll undergo height and weight measurements, medical exams plus psychological testing and meeting with the media.

On Saturday he’ll meet with representatives from the NFL Players Association and undergo more psychological testing. The physical workouts, including timing in the 40-yard dash and position-specific drills, will be held Sunday.

Reilly joked that he’d received some good-natured razzing from some of his training colleagues regarding a comparison by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. to the Arizona Cardinals Kurt Warner.

“I’ve been getting a little harassment,” Reilly said. “Guys have been calling me big timer or Kurt Warner or sometimes just Kurt. It’s fun, actually. And to be compared to a guy who was a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl isn’t exactly an insult.”

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