On site: WSU soccer coach Shulenberger agrees to extend the contract
Washington State University took a step last week to keep Todd Shulenberger, coach of the hugely successful Cougars women’s soccer team, a little longer.
Sporting director Pat Chun announced that Shulenberger has agreed to a contract extension that will keep the seven-year-old coach at the Palouse until the 2026 season.
“Coach Shulenberger has established one of the best football programs in the nation,” Chun is quoted in the press release announcing the extension.
“His teams are filled with exceptionally talented student-athletes who lead, win and compete at the highest level. He is simply one of the best coaches in the country and we are lucky that he will lead our program for many years to come. “
During his tenure, Shulenberger produced some of the most successful seasons in programming history, including 2019 when the Cougars won a program record of 16 games en route to their first trip to the College Cup. They lost in the semifinals 1: 2 against eventual runners-up North Carolina.
He has a record of 82-42-15 (0.643), the second most wins in program history.
The WSU has played five of Shulenbergers’ seven seasons in the postseason and has won the first-round NCAA tournament games in each of the last four, including this season. The 13 regular season wins for the Cougars in 2021 are the second most in program history. They added a 14th 3-0 over Montana in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
College scene
Montana Junior Carmen Gfeller (Colfax) was named Big Sky Conference Basketball Player of the Week on November 23, after leading the Lady Grizzlies to two victories the previous week.
Gfeller averaged 13 points on 71% shooting and 10 rebounds in road wins in North Dakota and North Dakota State, topped off by a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in a 65-63 win in North Dakota State in their game-winning basket .
• Claire dingus, Saint Martins junior striker from University HS, became the basketball player on Nov. 22 after averaging 26.5 points, nine rebounds and a 62.1% shot off the field, including 50% at 3-pointers, on two points Week of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference named victories of the Saints the previous week.
She scored 23 of their 32 points in the second half of a 68-63 win from behind against Sonoma State, California, when the Saints closed a half-time gap of 20 points.
• East Washington’s 101:38 win over Evergreen State College on November 21 in Cheney, where the Eagles set a school record with 17 3-point points, tying third-highest points by an EMU women’s basketball team and taking the first win for First year coach Joddie Gleason.
• Newcomer Libero. in central Washington Hannah Stirs (Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls) was Defensive Player of the Year for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and was an All-GNAC first-team selection, along with the Central runner-up outside hitter Ashley Kaufman (Seestadt).
Montana State Billings Senior Middle Blocker Joelle Mahowald (Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls) received an Honorable Mention.
Stires led the GNAC with 4.67 digs per set and had double digit kills in all 23 games. Kaufman finished seventh in the GNAC with 3.11 kills per set.
• North Idaho College placed in sophomore year Janae Rayborn (Lake City) first team and sophomore year Clair Hodge on the second, when the Northwest Athletic Conference All-East Region volleyball team was announced.
Freshmen from the Community Colleges of Spokane Leah Stueckle was in the second team.
The NWAC East Sophomore All-Stars included NICs Lili Rabbit (Coeur d’Alene HS), Rayborn and Hodge. Stuckle, Kendra Pope (Tal Christian) and Kylie Turner (University of HS) were picked by CCS.
• Defending champions CC Spokane dropped their first two games – 3-0 against Skagit Valley and 3-1 against Pierce – on November 19 and eliminated on day one of the NWAC volleyball championships. CCS took second place in the eastern region. Linn-Benton won his first NWAC title.
• Darby Doyle, West Washington’s Gonzaga Prep midfielder, was named to the second team for the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association All-West Region women’s game after scoring four goals and collecting five assists for the Vikings. As a junior, she was the second team of All-GNAC in 2019.
• The Washington State women’s swim team exited the Phill Hansel Invitational in Houston, Texas with five school records from November 18-20.
On the last day, one day after breaking the school record in the 400-yard IM, Senior Taylor McCoy (Pullman) added one in the 200 back (1 minute, 56.12 seconds). The Cougars also added a 400-free season record (3: 19.23) to the 200-free season they had previously set. And newbie Noelle Harvey broke the school record in the 200th backstroke (1:59).
• Logan Hunt, a sophomore College of Idaho student from Timberlake of Spirit Lake, Idaho, was named Cascade College Conference Men’s Runner of the Year after leading the Yotes to a third CCC cross-country championship in four years.
Hunt followed his 11-second victory in the conference meeting with a third place finish at the NAIA Championships on November 19 in Vancouver, Washington, the top-ranked CCC runner in the national meeting, and received All-America awards.
golf
Derek Bayley of Rathdrum, Idaho, a former Washington State University standout who failed to make the cut on his first two appearances on the Outlaw Tour this fall, put together a 7-under-par 206 (69-65-72) to save the Liv. to win the Lux Havasu Open Pro Am in Arizona in one fell swoop on November 21st.
Letters of intent
Oregon Women’s Football: Livvy Moore, MF, Wildlife Park HS; 112 career goals, 76 assists led Deer Park (20-1) to the State 1A championship in 2021.
Idaho Women’s Track / Cross Country: Chloe Overberg, Distances, Asotin, Washington; won the state 1B / 2B cross country championship in 2021.
shoot
Trinity Hilton, 15, Mead HS, shot 426 out of a possible 600 and finished fifth for the Spokane Junior Rifle Club’s top finish in the 2021 Washington State Civilian Marksmanship Program Championship air rifle competition on November 13 at the Spokane Rifle Club.
Seniors softball
Eight players from the region were members of Northwest Yeahoos, who finished second in their 60+ division at the Senior Softball USA Winter World Championships from November 19-21 in Phoenix, Arizona.
After struggling in the pool game – they lost their first two games – the Yeahoos won five in a row and defeated higher seeded teams to advance to the league championship game. But with a squad running down to 11 players, they lost 22-17 to the hometown of Scorpions.
Players from the region: Lee Libera, Coeur d’Alene; Kerry Pease, Cheney; Kevin Jacka, Al Martin, Don Owen, Doug Payne, Brian Williamson and Roger Williamson, all Spokane.
volleyball
The Spokane Area Volleyball Referees Association honored the Spray family twice when handing out awards in 2021. Sydney spray was named club official of the year and mother Debbie spray was the partner of the year.
Further awards went to the referring physician and the referee Alan Hirayama, Contributor of the Year; Wynn codes, Top first year civil servant; Corbin Wilson, Best Second Year Official and Most Improved; and Tyler Martindale, Top third year civil servant. Retired Referee Ron Walker was honored for his services throughout his 30 year career.
The new board and advisors of SAVRA: Brent Radford, President; Devin Darrough, former president; Veronika Douglas, Vice President; Jason Gonwick, Secretary; Phil Robinson, Treasurer; Alan Hirayama, to assign; Alex Collins, Shawn Ottosen, Shawna Sheehan and Corey Brantley, Members in general; and Barbs double, Linda Kildew, Sheehan, Ottosen, Hirayama and July Argotov-Jones, Sports shoes.