Six Cats earn academic acclaim

ELLENSBURG — Central Washington senior Marcie Mullen was named to the GNAC cross country all-academic team for the third time and Ellensburg’s Stephanie Cooke received her second such honor Thursday, highlighting six Wildcats who made the squad

Mullen, a biology major from Sedro-Woolley, has compiled a 3.96 grade point average. Cooke, a music education major, has a 3.48 GPA.

They were joined by women’s teammates Jessica Hirschkorn from Enumclaw (junior, undeclared major, 3.60), Shannon Vreeland from Port Orchard (chemistry teaching, 3.56), and Mary Bakeman of Langley (theatre arts, 3.30).

Sophomore Wes Hargrove of Burlington, who has not declared a major, made the men’s squad with a 3.22 GPA.

Mullen 18th in regional

SAN DIEGO — Marcie Mullen finished 18th in the women’s race to highlight Central Washington’s efforts in the NCAA Division II Western Regional cross country championships Saturday.

Mullen had a time of 22 minutes, 45.4 seconds on the 6-kilometer course at the University of California San Diego.

Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler won the women’s race, while Chico State’s Scott Bauhs won the men’s race.

Chico State swept the men’s and women’s team titles.

MEN

Top 3 team scores: 1. Chico State 28; 2.Alaska Anchorage 67; 3. Western Washington 103.

Individual results

Top 5 (10 kilometers): 1. Scott Bauhs (Chico State) 32:15.8; 2. Marko Chesto (Alaska Anchorage) 32:24.6; 3. John Riak (Saint Martin’s) 32:35.1; 4. Angel Marquez (Chico State) 32:36.0; 5. Jacob Parisien (Alaska Anchorage) 32:54.2.

CWU results: 72. Wes Hargrove 37:15.2; 83. Scott Power 38:00.4; 101. Josh Kratzer 39:45.9.

WOMEN

Team scores (top 3): 1. Chico State 60; 2.Seattle Pacific 92; 3. Alaska Anchorage 104.

Individual results

Top 5 (6 kilometers): 1. Jessica Pixler (Seattle Pacific) 20:57.1; 2. Tori Tyler (Chico State) 21:33.9; 3. Sarah Porter (Western Washington) 21:38.1; 4. Laura Carr (Alaska Anchorage) 21:40.3; 5. Bre Schofield (UC San Diego) 21:44.2.

CWU results: 17. Marcie Mullen 22:45.4; 81. Stephanie Cook 25:13.0; 82. Adriana Mendoza 25:13.5; 125. Mary Bakeman 25:54.7; 128. Amanda Valera 27:00.8.

Mullen CWU’s top finisher at GNACs

NACHES HEIGHTS — Senior Marcie Mullen turned in Central Washington University’s top performance in Saturday’s GNAC cross country championships, placing 11th in the women’s race at Apple Ridge Run.

Mullen covered the 6,000-meter course in 23 minutes, 4 seconds, just one second from cracking the top 10. CWU’s women placed eighth.

East Valley grad Jeff Knutson, a sophomore, led the Wildcats’ men’s team, placing 28th in 27:07 for 8,000 meters. The men also placed eighth.

Jessica Pixler and her Seattle Pacific team repeated their GNAC titles, and Alaska Anchorage swept the top three places to dominate the men’s race.

All full teams qualified for regionals, to be held in two weeks at San Diego.

MEN

Team scores: Alaska Anchorage 34, Western Washington 53, Western Oregon 78, St. Martin’s 98, Seattle Pacific 119, Northwest Nazarene 183, Alaska Fairbanks 183, Central Washington 213, Montana State Billings 276.

Top 5: 1, Marko Cheseto (AA) 24:30; 2, Jacob Parisien (AA) 25:07; 3, Alfred Kangogo (AA) 25:09; 4, Brian Cronrath (SP) 25:10; 5, Jordan Welling (WW) 25:15.

Central Washington: 28, Jeff Knutson 27:07; 40, Wes Hargrove 27:51; 58, Scott Power 29:11; 60, Andrew Alhajri 29:14; 62, Josh Kratzer 29:22; 71, Chris Croteau 31:52.

WOMEN

Team scores: Seattle Pacific 48, Alaska Anchorage 52, Western Washington 75, Western Oregon 111, Northwest Nazarene 123, Alaska Fairbanks 158, St. Martin’s 179, Central Washington 218, Montana State Billings 253.

Top 5: 1, Jessica Pixler (SP) 21:12; 2, Sarah Porter (WW) 21:51; 3, Jane Larson (SP) 22:06; 4, Laura Carr (AA) 22:10; 5, Elizabeth Chepkosgei (AA) 22:19.

Central Washington: 11, Marcie Mullen 23:04; 50, Adriana Mendoza 24:54; 62, Kelsey Kreft 25:47; 68, Mary Bakeman 26:56; 71, Shannon Vreeland 27:16; 72, Elizabeth Mann 27:20; 73, Amanda Valera 27:42; 76, Jessica Hirschkorn 28:23; 79, Tanja Owen 29:02.

Away at school: 15, Rachael Johnson (WW, West Valley) 23:19; 49, Helen Camden (SM, La Salle) 24:49.

Reilly named GNAC player of the week

SPOKANE — Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly was named GNAC offensive player of the week, the conference announced Monday.

Reilly completed 36 of 47 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 50-28 victory over Western Washington at Qwest Field in Seattle.

The 36 completions were a career-high and second-most in school history. His 429 yards of total offense was the seventh-most in a single game in school history.

Reilly also extended his streak of games with a touchdown pass to 41, setting an NCAA all-division record. He also broke a tie with Jon Kitna for the most career touchdown passes in school history (103), set a school record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,111 yards) and broke the conference record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception (184).

He was previously named GNAC offensive player of the week on Sept. 6 after the Wildcats’ 48-14 victory over Mesa State. He has received the honor five times in  two seasons CWU has been a part of the GNAC for football. The conference record of six belongs to Humboldt State’s Dustin Creager who played in the GNAC for four seasons from 2001-2004.

Reilly earned North Central Conference player of the week honors in Oct. 2007 after setting a career-high with 399 passing yards in a victory over South Dakota.

Mullen third in Western Invite

BELLINGHAM — Marcie Mullen finished third in the women’s race to lead Central Washington to a third-place team finish in the 35th Western Washington University Invitational cross country meet Saturday at Lake Padden Park.

Mullen, a senior from Sedro-Woolley High School, covered the 6-kilometer course in 22 minutes, 38 seconds, just 18 seconds behind runner-up Courtney Olsen of Western Washington. The Vikings’ Sarah Porter was the winner in a time of 21:24.

Central’s men were fourth, with Wes Hargrove’s 29th place the top finish by a Wildcat. John Riak of Saint Martin’s was the men’s winner, covering the 10-kilometer course in 31:44. Western Washington won the team title.

MEN

Team scores: 1, Western Washington 15; 2, Seattle Pacific 68; 3, Seattle Running Club 84; 4, Central Washington 94; 5, British Columbia 105.

Top 5, Central placers (10 kilometers): 1, John Riak (Saint Martin’s) 31:44; 2, Jordan Welling (WWU) 31:45; 3, Bennett Grimes (WWU) 31:48; 4, Sam Alexander (unattatched) 32:21; 5, Blake Medhaug (WWU) 32:31. Also: 29, Wes Hargrove 35:01; 30, Josh Kratzer 35:03; 38, Scott Power 35:36; 46, Andrew Alhajri 36:27; 50, Chris Croteau 37:00; 51, Jeff Knutson 37:54.

WOMEN

Team scores: 1, Western Washington 25, 2, Seattle Pacific 39, 3, Central Washington 73.

Top 5, Central placers (6 kilometers): 1, Sarah Porter (WWU) 21:24; 2, Courtney Olsen (WWU) 22:20; 3, Marcie Mullen (CWU) 22:38; 4, Natty Plunkett (SPU) 22:43; 5, Kate Harline (SPU) 22:47. Also: 17, Adriana Mendoza 24:04; 32, Kelsey Kraft 25:42; 33, Elizabeth Mann 25:47; 39, Shannon Vreeland 26:52; 42, Tanja Owen 27:19.

Hart, White hold on to win

YAKIMA — Willy Hart and Taylor White turned in a solid second-day ride Saturday to easily hang on and win the team roping event at the Pro-West Rodeo Finals at the Central Washington State Fair.

Hart, from Yakima, and White, from Prosser, had a ride of 8.76 seconds Saturday. Combined with their 6.19-second ride Friday night, their combined time of 14.95 seconds was nearly three seconds better than runner-ups Tyler Bowman and Cody Lamb.

Hart and Taylor were ranked seventh entering the two-day event.

Two other locals also maintained their first-place standings from Friday.

Danny Alires from Moxee captured the saddle bronc riding, and Jana Isaac from Yakima held on to win barrel racing.

In other finals, two cowboys lived up to their top rankings.

Justin King, from Sagle, Idaho, came in ranked No. 1 in bareback riding and won, easily besting Ellensburg’s Orlun McGuffin. In tie-down roping, Tenino’s Brett Hale was the winner with a combined time of 19.78 seconds to beat Ellensburg’s Johnny Sloan.

Other winners were Jennifer Casey in break-away roping, Matt Cupp in steer wrestling, and Zach Bright in bull riding.

FINAL RESULTS

(First score or time is from Friday, second is from Saturday, followed by total)

Bareback Riding: 1, Justin King, Sagle, Idaho, 79-82—161; 2, Orlun McGuffin, Ellensburg, 78-74—152; 3, Dan Ketter, Tenino, 71-81—152.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Brett Hale, Tenino, 9.6 seconds-10.18—19.78; 2, Johnny Sloan, Ellensburg, 11.34-9.90—21.24; 3, Paul Cope, Nampa, Idaho, 13.97-12.06—26.03.

Break-Away Roping: 1, Jennifer Casey, Mesa, 2.77 seconds-2.62—5.39; 2, Jordan Crossley, Hermiston, Ore., 2.53-2.99—5.52; 3, Sadie Myers, Pullman, 2.59-3.93—6.52.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Danny Alires, Moxee, 71-67—138; 2, Jacob Stacy, Soap Lake, 66-66—132; 3, Devin Richter, Omak, NA-73—73.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Matt Cupp, Marsing, Idaho, 3.91 seconds-5.06—8.97; 2, Travis Taruscio, Stanfield, Ore., 5.20-4.84—9.48; 3, Erik Johnson, Eltopia,  5.21-4.86—10.07.

Team Roping: 1, Willy Hart, Yakima-Taylor White, Prosser, 6.19 seconds-8.76—14.95; 2, Tyler Bowman, Hermiston, Ore.-Cody Laumb, Walla Walla, 11.65-5.68-17.42; 3, Tyler Smith, Lewiston, Idaho-B.J. Roberts, Stansfield, Ore., 11.88-8.88—20.76.

Barrel Racing: 1, Jana Isaac, Yakima, 15.92 seconds-15.68—31.60; 2, Linda Roberts, Lapwai, Idaho, 16.23-15.80—32.03; 3, Cheyenne Allen, Mabton, 16.17-15.87—32.04.

Bull Riding: 1, Zach Bright, Soap Lake, 80-75—155; 2, Shane Olney, Toppenish, 77-NT—77; 3, Shawn Best, Omak, NT-73—73.

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

Central holds off NW Nazarene

ELLENSBURG — Four different players hit double figures in kills, led by Kady Try’s 17, as Central Washington outlasted Northwest Nazarene in a GNAC volleyball match Saturday night in Nicholson Pavilion.

Central (4-1,12-5) won 23-25, 25-22,17-25, 25-22,15-7.

In addition to Try, Emily Veenker had 16 kills, Rachael Schurman 13 kills and five blocks, and Erin Norris 11 kills and six blocks. Maggie Olson had 51 assists for the Wildcats.

Lindsay Forseth had 22 kills to pace Northwest Nazarene (2-4, 8-6).

Central Washington highlights: Kady Try 17 kills, 9 digs; Emily Veenker 16 kills; Rachael Schurman 13 kills, 5 blocks; Brandie Vea 30 digs; Deidre Scheidt 13 digs; Kayla Roof 16 digs; Erin Norris 11 kills.

Yaks swept at Walla Walla

WALLA WALLA — Jill Taylor recorded three blocks, but Yakima Valley fell to Walla Walla 3-0 in an Eastern Region volleyball match Saturday night.

The Warriors won 25-11, 25-16, 25-12.

First-place Walla Walla improved to 6-1 in region play and 17-7 overall while YVCC fell to 0-7 and 1-20. No other details were available.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Morgan helps Western top Central

BELLINGHAM — Claire Morgan assisted on both goals as 11th-ranked Western Washinton edged Central Washington 2-1 in a GNAC women’s college soccer match Saturday.

Morgan’s first assist came on Kelly Irving’s goal in the 40th minute that broke a scoreless tie. Her second came in the 52nd minute when she found Brynn Regan for a score.

Central (2-3-0 GNAC, 5-4-2 overall) answered seven minutes after that when Hillary Franks put back a rebound off her own free kick. Western moved to 4-0-0 and 8-2-0.

First half: 1, Western Washington, Kelly Irving (Claire Morgan), 40:00.

Second half: 2, Western Washington, Brynn Regan (Morgan), 51:51; 3, Central Washington, Hillary Franks, 58:38.

Saves: Easterbrook (CWU) 6, Broadbent (WWU) 3.

CROSS COUNTRY

Mullen 14th at Willamette

SALEM, Ore. — Central Washington’s Marcie Mullen finished 14th in the women’s 5-kilometer race in the Charles Bowles Willamette University Invitational cross-country meet Saturday.

Mullen had a time of 18:26.30.

MEN

(8 kilometers)

Team scores (top 3, Central): 1, Chico State 33; 2, Southern Oregon 127; 3, Lewis-Clark 147. Also: 30, Central Washington 816.

Top 3: 1, Scott Bauhs (Chico State) 24:06.32; 2, Eric Burck (Concordia) 24:46.33; 3, John Riak (Saint Martin’s) 24:48.99.

Central placers in top 250: 189, Josh Kratzer, 27:58.63; 191, Wes Hargrove, 28:00.38; 211, Scott Power, 28:23.37; 225, John McDonald, 28:45.22; 249, Chris Croteau, 29:28.33.

WOMEN

(5 kilometer)

Team scores (top 3, Central): 1, Chico State 50; 2, Lewis-Clark 190, 3, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 215. Also: 24, Central Washington 612.

Top 3: 1, Maddie Coffman (Willamette) 17:37.53; 2, Mikayla Murphy (UC Santa Cruz) 17:41.46; 3, Jena Winger (Willamette) 17:55.80.

Central in top 250: 14, Marcie Mullen, 18:26.30; 176, Adriana Mendoza, 20:40.55; 186, Alex Borunda, 20:50.21; 215, Kelsey Kreft, 21:22.52; 235, Mary Bakeman, 21:41.20; 237, Amanda Valera, 21:45.27.

Another sweep for CWU volleyball

ELLENSBURG — Central Washington is off to a fast start in GNAC play, making quick work of its second straight conference opponent Saturday night.

Kayla Roof had 12 kills, and Rachael Schurman added nine kills and five blocks as the Wildcats swept Saint Martin’s 25-12, 25-14, 25-13 in Nicholson Pavilion.

Central (2-0, 10-4) opened GNAC play with a sweep of Montana State Billings on Thursday.

Maggie Olson had 25 assists for Central.

Shealun Campisi had 13 kills to lead Saint Martin’s (0-2, 2-8).

Central Washington highlights: Kayla Roof 12 kills; Maggie Olson 25 assists; Brandie Vea 19 digs; Meggie Graf 11 digs.

COLLEGE SOCCER

Central beaten in final minute

ELLENSBURG — Jill Jensen scored two goals in the final seven minutes, including the game winner with 33 seconds left in regulation, as Saint Martin’s rallied to top Central Washington 2-1 in a GNAC women’s soccer match Saturday at the Central Soccer Field.

Central grabbed an early 1-0 lead on Hannah Bridges’ goal 1:46 in, but the Wildcats couldn’t add to that, setting up Jensen’s late heroics.

Central dropped to 3-2-2 overall as it lost the GNAC opener for both teams. Saint Martin’s improved to 3-4-0 overall.

Amber Easterbrook made six saves for Central, while Saint Martin’s Ashley Engel stopped eight shots.
First half: 1, Central Washington, Hannah Bridges (Kaycie Hutchins), 1:46.

Second half: 2, Saint Martin’s, Jill Jensen (Julianna Sackeyfio), 83:42; 3, Saint Martin’s, Jensen, 89:27.

Saves: Ashley Engel (SMU) 8, Amber Easterbrook (CWU) 6.

COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY

Mullen 13th in Sundodger Invite

SEATTLE — Marcie Mullen posted a 13th-place finish to lead Central Washington’s women in the Sundodger Invitational cross country meet Saturday at Franklin Park.

Mullen covered the 6-kilometer course in 22 minutes, 38.79 seconds, helping the Wildcats finish 11th overall.

Central’s men were 12th, with Jeff Knutson posting the team’s top finish at 64th place. Knutson had a time of 27:01.64 over the 8 kilometers.

MEN

Team scores (top 3): Southern Oregon 51, Academy of Art 72, Simon Fraser 81. Also: 12, Central Washington 332.

Top 5, Central in top 100: 1, Edward Kibet Taragon (AA) 22:44.19; 2, John Riak (Saint Martin’s) 24:48.92; 3, Ryan Brockerville (SFU) 24:54.12; 4, Amos Maru (AA) 24:55.34; 5, David Laney (SOU) 25:01.14. Central: 64, Jeff Knutson 27:01.64; 79, Josh Kratzer 27:29.10; 87, Wes Hargrove 27:43.13.

WOMEN

Team scores (top 3): Alaska Anchorage 40, Western Washington 63, Simon Fraser 91. Also: 11, Central Washington 266.

Top 5, Central in top 100: 1, Sarah Porter (WWU) 20:49.74; 2, Elizabeth Chepkosqei (UAA) 21:33.74; 3, Jessica Smith (unattatched) 21:50.06; 4, Gwen Greiner (Seattle Running) 21:55.88; 5, Laura Carr (UAA) 21:58.78. Central: 13, Marcie Mullen 22:38.79; 66, Stephanie Cooke 24:28.09; 89, Mary Bakeman 25:08.42; 90, Alejandra Borunda 25:10.16; 93, Amanda Valera 25:20.33.

YOUTH BASEBALL

Hitting, agility clinics offered

Baseball Advantage, started by former Yakima Bears manager Jay Gainer, will be offering speed and agility training, and hitting clinics this week.

Both are six-week clinics, with the speed and agility training each Monday, and the hitting clinics Tuesdays and Thursdays. Times are 6 to 8 p.m. for all sessions.

Cost is $150 for one of the two clinics, or $200 for both.

Baseball Advantage is located at 701 N. 1st Ave., Suite F, behind InCommand Computers.

For more information, call 966-6559.

College Roundup — YVCC earns first win on new field

YAKIMA — Abby Drollinger and Hannah Shattuck scored two goals each as Yakima Valley won its first soccer match of the season, and also got its first win on its new field, 8-0 Saturday over Southwestern Oregon.

The victory evened the Yaks’ NWAACC and season records at 1-1-1 while the Lakers fell to 0-6.

Rachel Mohs added a goal and three assists while Jennifer Mickey had a goal and two assists.

Casey Hester made five saves for YVCC, which led 4-0 at halftime.

“I’ve felt that our strength has been our defense,” said Yaks coach Luiz Machado, “and yesterday we were unlucky (in a 2-0 loss to Lane). “Today the team stepped up and the offense proved me wrong. We showed that not only our defense can play well, but our midfield and attacking players have what it takes to score goals.”

First half: 1, Yakima Valley, Abby Drollinger, 16:00; 2, Yakima Valley, Hannah Shattuck (Rachel Mohs), 22:00; 3, Molly Snell (Mohs), 23:00; 4, Yakima Valley, Mohs (Sandra Mendez), 45.00.

Second half: 5, Yakima Valley, Shattuck (Joan Hoptowit), 55:00; 6, Jennifer Mickey (Mohs), 56:00; 7, Drollinger (Mickey), 72:00; 8, Sandra Mendez (Mickey), 74:00.

Saves: Anita Cary (SWOC) 19; Casey Hester (YVCC) 5.

Easterbrook, CWU blank ND

BELMONT, Calif. — Behind a record-setting performance by goalie Amber Easterbrook, Central Washington closed out its three-match California road trip with a 2-0 victory over Notre Dame de Mamur on Saturday.

Easterbrook, who made five saves, recorded her 12th career shutout to become Central’s all-time leader in that category.

Miranda Heslep scored in the 34rd minute, and Serena Tomaso added an insurance goal in the 78th minute. Kaycie Hutchins assisted on both scores.

First half: 1, Central Washington, Miranda Heslep (Kaycie Hutchins), 33:06.

Second half: 2, Central Washington, Serena Tomaso (Hutchins), 77:52.

Saves: Amber Easterbrook (CWU) 5, Kalia DeMarquez (NDDM) 4.

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

Central splits two in Classic

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Central Washington knocked off eighth-ranked Augustana from South Dakota, rebounding from an earlier loss to Southwest Minnesota State in the Roseville Classic volleyball tournament Saturday.

The Wildcats knocked off Augustana, 25-20, 25-16, 20-25 and 25-22 as Erin Norris led the way with 15 kills and two blocks. Lauren Vercammen added 11 kills, and Rachael Schurman and Kayla Roof had 10 kills each. Maggie Olson had 49 assists.

Against 13th-ranked Southwest Minnesota State, Central lost 25-20, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22. Schurman led the Wildcats with eight kills and two blocks, and Olson had 20 assists.

CROSS COUNTRY

Central’s Mullen 3rd in Apple Ridge

NACHES HEIGHTS — Marcie Mullen from Central Washington University finished third in the women’s race in the Apple Ridge Run Invitational cross country meet Saturday.

Mullen finished in 23 minutes, 49 seconds, just three seconds behind runner-up Joscelyn Minton from Saint Martin’s. Western  Washington’s Sarah Porter was the winner in 22:21, helping the Vikings win the team title.

Western also won the men’s race, although Saint Martin’s John Riak (23:52) and Josiah Price (25:21) were the top two individual finishers.

MEN’S RESULTS

Team scores: 1, Western Washington 36; 2, Saint Martin’s 56; 3, Northwest Nazarene 89; 4, Seattle Pacific 90; 5, Alaska (Fairbanks) 129; 6, Central Washington 164.

Top 10: 1, John Riak (SMU) 25:52; 2, Josiah Price (SMU) 26:21; 3, Bennett Grimes (WWU) 26:33; 4, Blake Medhaug (WWU) 26:33; 5, Eric Brill (WWU) 26:44; 6, Kyle Van Santen (unattatched) 26:53; 7, Yonas Berhe (WWU) 27:02; 8, Brian Cronrath (SPU) 27:11; 9, Manuel Santos (unattatched) 27:24; 10, Josh Wageman (NNU) 27:30.

Central results: 29, Jeff Knutson 29:03; 32, Wes Hargrove 29:15; 34, Josh Kratzer 29:23; 40, Andrew Alhajri 30:04; 43, Scott Power 30:40; 46, Chris Croteau 31:58.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

Team scores: 1, Western Washington 43; 2, Northwest Nazarene 66; 3, Seattle Pacific 82; 4, Saint Martin’s 91; 5, (tie) Central Washington 109, Alaska (Fairbanks) 109.

Top 10: 1, Sarah Porter (WWU) 22;21; 2, Joscelyn Minton (SMU) 23:46; 3, Marcie Mullen (CWU) 23:49; 4, Theresia Schnurr (UAF) 24:05; 5, Jaclyn Puga (NNU) 24:07; 6, Ashley Puga (NNU) 24:11; 7, Courtney Olsen (WWU) 24:19; 8, Lauren Breihof (WWU) 24:19; 9, Phoebe Hartnett (WWU) 24:24; 10, Kim Beaman (SPU) 24:47.
Other Central results: 27, Stephanie Cooke 26:16; 30, Adriana Mendoza 26:29; 32, Alex Borunda 26:49; 34, Mary Bakeman 26:51; 38, Amanda Valera 27:05; 50, Kelsey Kreft 28:50; 51, Stephanie Vreeland 29:16.