Post Falls kind of night
COEUR d’ALENE — Post Falls High dominated in the winter sports season, and did pretty much the same Saturday night at the 56th North Idaho Sports Banquet at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn.
Post Falls wrestling was named Male Team of the Year, and Post Falls girls basketball was named Female Team of the Year.
Post Falls wrestling coach Pete Reardon was named Coach of the Year for male sports in 5A/4A, and Trojan girls basketball coach Marc Allert was named Coach of the Year for female sports in 5A/4A.
A pair of three-sport standouts, Jake Pfennigs of Post Falls and Caleb Begger-ly of Coeur d’Alene, shared Male Athlete of the Year honors in 5A/4A.
Melody Kempton of Post Falls and Ashley Kaufman of Lake City shared Female Athlete of the Year honors in 5A/4A.
Shelby Starr of Timberlake was named Female Athlete of the Year in 3A/2A/1A.
Stacy Smith of Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy shared Coach of the Year honors in female sports in 3A/2A/1A.
Among the college awards winners, former North Idaho College basketball standout B.J. Blake, who played the last two seasons at Idaho, was named Male Athlete of the Year, and NIC men’s and women’s golf coach Russell Grove shared Coach of the Year honors with Idaho basketball coach Don Verlin.
Also during the banquet, former University of Idaho football greats Sam Merriman and Sherriden May, along with former Silver Valley high school stars from the 1960s, Denny Almquist and John Shelt, were inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame.
AWARD WINNERS
HIGH SCHOOL
BOYS GOLF (1 classification)
Cade Finlay, Kellogg (Finished fifth at the state 3A meet with a 154. Shot an opening round score of 77, which tied him for third on the first day. He also was medalist at the 3A district meet)
OTHER FINALISTS — Jacob Glenn, Post Falls; Tyler Gibbons, Kellogg; Dylan Knight, Lakeland; Chase Mitchell, Coeur d’Alene; Brayden Ogle, Coeur d’Alene.
GIRLS GOLF (1 classification)
Emily Dodge, Lake City (Shot two-day total of 162 at state 5A meet, which placed her sixth at the 5A meet in southern Idaho. She also was medalist at the District 1-2 tournament)
Makena Rauch, Moscow (Placed second at the 4A state meet with a two-day total of 162. She took medalist honors at the District 1-2 4A meet)
OTHER FINALISTS — Sami Dement, Lake City; Kat Rauenhorst, Kellogg; Savanna Routh, Post Falls
BOYS TRACK (2 categories)
5A-4A
Grady Leonard, Coeur d’Alene (Was a double winner at the 5A state track meet, taking the titles in both discus and shot put. He won the shot put title by 12 feet with a state record throw of 66 feet, 1.5 inches. He won the discus title by 18 feet)
OTHER FINALISTS — Alex Ayers, Lake City; Austin Byrer, Lewiston; Josh Corgatelli, Moscow; Jason Gray, Moscow; Parker Walton, Post Falls
3A/2A/1A
Cole Olson, Clearwater Valley (Won the 1A titles in both the 3,200 and 1,600 meter runs at the state 1A meet. Cole is now running at Lewis-Clark State College.
OTHER FINALISTS — Chase Blazzard, Troy; Landon Chang, CdA Charter; Jalen Kirk, Deary; Isaac Lavala, Bonners Ferry
GIRLS TRACK (2 categories)
5A/4A
Emily Hernandez, Lake City (Won the 5A state shot put title with a throw of 42 feet, 1.5 inches, which won the competition by more than four feet. She also finished ninth in the discus)
Katherine Ruck, Moscow (Had a first and a third at the Idaho state 4A meet. She won the 3,200 by six seconds and then was third in the 1,600. She also ran a leg on the 1,600 relay team and accounted for 17 of Moscow’s 25 points at state.
OTHER FINALISTS — Melody Kempton, Post Falls; Keara Simpson, Lake City; Kate Wray, Moscow
3A/2A/1A
Maisie McManus, Deary (Had a hand in scoring 38 points at the state meet for Deary, which tied for third overall. She won the 200 and 400 meters, ran the anchor leg on the winning sprint medley relay team, and then finished second in the 100 meters. Maisie is now running at Lewis-Clark State.
OTHER FINALISTS — Keidi Anderson, Logos; Casey Tighe, Orofino
BOYS TENNIS (1 category)
Derek Wendt, Moscow (Finished sixth at the state 4A meet and was the only North Idaho male individual to place at state in tennis. He also won the District 1-2 singles title)
OTHER FINALISTS — Jack DuCoeur, Lake City; Gavin Hewett, Lewiston; Jacob Jackson, Sandpoint; Patrick Rockwell, Sandpoint
GIRLS TENNIS (1 category)
Khloe Kyllonen and Laney Search, Sandpoint (Khloe and Laney captured the only state tennis title north of Nampa last year when they combined to take the 4A girls doubles crown. The duo was seeded fourth at state, but posted a 4-0 record, winning their semifinal and championship matches in three sets)
OTHER FINALISTS — Sophie Bush, Grangeville; Courtney Finney, Post Falls; Madelyn Parkey, Lewiston
SOFTBALL (2 categories)
5A-4A
Ashley Kaufman, Lake City (Helped Lake City to a second-place finish at the state 5A tournament and had a solid season both on the mound and at the plate as a sophomore for the Timberwolves)
OTHER FINALISTS — Bri Baldree, jr., Sandpoint; Casey Goleeke, sr., Post Falls; Haley Loffer, jr., Lake City.; Kylie Smith, sr., Coeur d’Alene; Kaitlan Ward, jr., Sandpoint
3A-2A-1A
Kadi Bateman, Bonners Ferry (Threw a pair of complete game victories on the final day to help Bonners Ferry win its first state title in softball. In four games at state, she allowed just six runs and threw two shutouts. At the plate, she hit two home runs)
OTHER FINALISTS — Rylee Chambers, Potlatch; Leah Higgins, Prairie; Shelby Starr, Timberlake; Lexi Schwartz, Orofino; Leah Higgins, Prairie
BASEBALL (2 categories)
5A-4A
Jackson Sumner, Coeur d’Alene (Hit .438 with 24 RBI and 20 runs scored a year ago for the Vikings. He had eight doubles, a triple and three home runs. He also had an on base percentage of .568)
Riley Way, Lewiston (Last year’s North Idaho Male Athlete of the Year hit .467 and had an on-base percentage of .568 and a slugging percentage of .600. He also pitched 12 1/3 innings)
OTHER FINALISTS — Trey Flint, jr., Sandpoint; Kodie Kolden, jr., Lake City; Kyle Manzardo, jr., Lake City; Andrew Neilson, sr., Lakeland; Luke White, sr., Lewiston
3A-1A
Jesse Dunham, Bonners Ferry (Helped the Badgers to a second-place finish at state by hitting .372 with 18 RBI and 19 runs scored. He had an on-base percentage of .532. He also went 6-0 on the mound with a 0.56 earned run average)
Nick Sabin, Bonners Ferry (Hit .428 for the Badgers with 27 RBI and 30 runs scored. He also had 11 doubles and three home runs. He saw action on the mound as well in four games. Was co-MVP of Intermountain League with Dunham)
OTHER FINALISTS — Chase Adkison, Grangeville; Garrett Borth, Genesee; Kiefer Gibson, St. Maries; Cole Thompson, Potlatch
VOLLEYBALL ( 2 categories)
5A-4A
Klaire Mitchell, Lake City (Setter was the MVP of the Inland Empire League and helped Lake City to a second-place finish at the state 5A tournament. She also is outstanding in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA)
OTHER FINALISTS — Grace Hicks, jr., Sandpoint; Ashley Kaufman, jr., Lake City; Mackenzie Morris, Post Falls; Allison Munday, Post Falls; Ashley Reyes, Lake City; Arlaina Stephenson, Lake City
3A-1A
Lindsey Kwate, Troy (The 15-year-old sophomore was the Player of the Year of the Whitepine League. She’s a powerful outside hitter and was a key cog in helping Troy repeat as the 1A Division 1 state champions in volleyball)
OTHER FINALISTS — Kenzie Dean, sr. Timberlake; Kaci Haeg, St. Maries; Leah Higgins, Prairie; Shay Kuykendall, Orofino; Brooke Stevens, Clark Fork; Maddie Wintz, Logos.
FOOTBALL (2 categories)
5A-4A
Caleb Beggerly, Coeur d’Alene (Was the MVP of the Inland Empire League. He played both running back and linebacker and led the team on both sides of the ball. He had 94 tackles last season, including 62 solo tackles and 5.5 quarterback sacks. He also finished with two interceptions and caused a fumble. On offense, he rushed for 758 yards on 91 carries for an average of 8.3 yards per carry. He also scored 14 touchdowns and caught 20 passes)
OTHER FINALISTS — Josh Brandt, Lakeland; Ross Chadderdon, Coeur d’Alene; Noah Gunn, Coeur d’Alene; Cole Ramseyer, Coeur d’Alene; Alex Stockton, Sandpoint; Braden Vaughan, Post Falls; Colson Yankoff, Coeur d’Alene)
3A-1A
Edward Becker, Genesee (Was named the Idaho Statesman’s 1A Division I Player of the Year. He rushed for 1,363 yards and 24 touchdowns and also had 880 receiving yards and 11 TD receptions. On defense, he played linebacker and had 54 tackles, including seven for loss, and two interceptions. Helped Genesee win the 1A Division I state title)
OTHER FINALISTS — Ryan Morgan, Kellogg; Chase Jerome, Kellogg; Noah Kaschmitter, Grangeville; Jalen Kirk, sr., Deary; Jacob Stubbers, Prairie; Jalen Kirk, sr., Deary
BOYS SOCCER (1 category)
5A-4A
Kyle Sanchez, Post Falls (Named the MVP of the 5A Inland Empire League. He also was named first team to the Idaho High School Soccer Coaches Association all-Idaho team as a defender. He served as captain of the team and helped Post Falls to a 12-4 overall record and a second-place finish at state. In 12 of the team’s 16 games, Post Falls’ defense held opponents to one goal or less)
OTHER FINALISTS — Diego Esquivel, sr., Post Falls; Tanner Kohal, Sandpoint; Tanner McCliment-Call, Post Falls; Denton Meijerink,Timberlake; Nick Morris, Post Falls
GIRLS SOCCER (1 category)
Riley Walkington, Sandpoint (Was the MVP of the 4A Inland Empire League and the North Idaho Soccer Player of the Year. As a junior, she had 13 goals and four assists. In the classroom she has a 4.0 GPA)
OTHER FINALISTS — Emma Bartlett, Coeur d’Alene Charter; Demi Randall, Lewiston; Bridget Rieken, Lake City; Kassy Skeen, Bonners Ferry
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY (1 category)
Chad Humphreys, Coeur d’Alene (Came on at the state meet where he finished third overall in a time of 16 minutes, 18.35 seconds. He was the top North Idaho finisher in the state meet after he placed fourth in the district championships. He was named Runner of the Year by District 1 coaches)
Joey Perez, Lewiston (finished right behind Chad at state in fourth, just three-tenths of a second behind. Joey won the district title and helped Lewiston place fourth at state)
OTHER FINALISTS — Caden Byrer, Lewiston; Carter Gordon, Lake City; Michael MacMenamin, Kamiah; Sakti Woodbury, Lewiston
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY (1 category)
Sydney Shanahan, Post Falls (Had a strong season for the Trojans. She won the district 5A title and then had the fastest time of all North Idaho runners at state. She was the only North Idaho female runner to break 19 minutes on the state course as she finished 12th in the 5A meet in 18 minutes, 54.59 seconds)
OTHER FINALISTS — Hannah Davidson, Sandpoint; Lauren Forster, Coeur d’Alene; Melanie Gianopulos, Clearwater Valley; Laurel Hicke, Moscow; Katherine Kaul, Sandpoint; Brooklyn Shell, Coeur d’Alene
BOYS SWIMMING (1 category)
Jon Archer, Post Falls (Captured the only individual title in North Idaho among the boys at the Idaho state meet. He won the 100 backstroke and continued with a strong state meet by placing second in the 200 individual medley. He also helped the Post Falls 400 freestyle relay team to seventh place)
OTHER FINALISTS — Jacob Ballard, Sandpoint; Aren Kariotis, Lake City; Gabe Markowski, Coeur d’Alene; Tristan Whiting, Coeur d’Alene
GIRLS SWIMMING (1 category)
Payton Bokowy, Sandpoint (She won four medals at the state 4A meet and had perhaps the best meet of any swimmer there. She won the 50 and 100 freestyle events and then helped the Sandpoint 400 freestyle relay team place second and the 200 freestyle relay team place third)
OTHER FINALISTS — Natasha Astrauskas, Post Falls; Kate Bokowy, Sandpoint; Julia Cummings, Bonners Ferry; Emily Deitz, Coeur d’Alene; Brianne Gundlach, Lake City; Kendra Newman, Lakeland
GIRLS BASKETBALL (2 categories)
5A-4A
Melody Kempton, Post Falls (The 6-foot senior forward led the Trojans to a state title by averaging 16 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists per game. She leaves the school as its all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots. Ranked by ESPNW as one of the 100 recruits in the country, she will play at Gonzaga next season)
OTHER FINALISTS — Bayley Brennan, Post Falls; Grace Kirscher, Sandpoint; Gracey Meyer, Moscow; Keara Simpson, Lake City
3A-1A
Amil Mitchell, Lapwai (The Central Idaho League’s Player of the Year averaged 17.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 3.2 assists per game while playing all five positions on the floor. She was a first-team all-state selection for the second straight year by the Idaho Statesman)
Shelby Starr, Timberlake (The 5-foot-7 senior guard averaged 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game. She helped the team finish third at state in 3A and was the MVP of the Intermountain League as well as a second-team all-state selection)
OTHER FINALISTS — Kourtne Carpenter, Nezperce; Kaci Haeg, St. Maries; Lilly Kelley, Timberlake; Bella Murekatete, Genesis Prep
BOYS BASKETBALL (2 categories)
5A-4A
Jake Pfennigs, Post Falls (Was named the all-Idaho 5A Player of the Year as well as MVP of the 5A Inland Empire League. The 6-foot-7 senior averaged a double-double of 17.3 points and 11. 8 rebounds a game. He also averaged 3.4 assists per outing and shot 44 percent from the 3-point line. He has signed to play baseball at Oregon State next season)
OTHER FINALISTS — James Carlson, Lake City; Sam Matheson, Coeur d’Alene; Tanner McClement-Call, Post Falls; Robbie Johnson, Sandpoint; Gabe Quinnett, Moscow
3A-1A
Jonny Hillman, Genesis Prep (Was the North Star League Player of the Year and a first-team all-Idaho pick for 1A Division II. The 6-1 junior guard averaged 19.3 points, 3.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per outing)
OTHER FINALISTS — Glover Buell, sr., St. Maries; Chase Jerome, Kellogg; Jalen Kirk, Deary; Emmit Taylor III, Lapwai
WRESTLING (2 categories)
5A-4A
(All state champions)
Ridge Lovett, Post Falls (On a team that had seven individual state champions, Ridge was simply perfect at 126 pounds. The junior posted a 49-0 record and was just one of three wrestlers in the entire state to go undefeated all season)
OTHER FINALISTS — A.J. De La Rosa, Post Falls; Sam Edelblute, Lakeland; William Edelblute, Lakeland; Jordan Grimm, Post Falls; Braydon Huber, Post Falls; Isaac Jessen, Post Falls; Tyler Morris, Post Falls; Roddy Romero, Post Falls
3A-1A
(All state champions)
Carson Morrow, Clearwater Valley (Had an outstanding year for the Rams as he won the district title at 152 pounds and followed that up with a state championships at the 2A/1A level. He posted an overall record of 45-3)
Layton Paul, Potlatch (Is perhaps the most decorated wrestler to come out of Potlatch as he again placed at state by winning the 195-pound weight class at the 2A/1A meet. Layton, a senior, posted a 39-4 record)
OTHER FINALISTS — Parker Walters, Grangeville
MALE TEAM OF THE YEAR
5A-4A
Post Falls wrestling (The Trojans had seven wrestlers win 5A state championships, which helped the team win the state title and set a 5A team scoring record with 338.5 points. And they won the state team title by 166 points, almost doubling the score of ever other team in the meet)
OTHER FINALISTS — Coeur d’Alene football; Coeur d’Alene swimming; Post Falls soccer; Coeur d’Alene swimming
3A-1A
Lapwai basketball (The Wildcats posted a 22-3 record and really came on at the end of the year, winning its final 11 games. The Wildcats won their three games at state by an average of 18.7 points, including a 22-point triumph in the championship game. One of the team’s losses was by one point to Ferris of Spokane, while another was to Prairie, a team it defeated in its other two outings)
OTHER FINALISTS — Genesis Prep basketball, Kellogg golf, Potlatch baseball, Prairie football
FEMALE TEAM OF THE YEAR
5A-4A
Post Falls basketball (The Trojans posted a 24-2 record, losing only to Central Valley of Spokane and Liberty of Nevada. Post Falls won its final 16 games of the season. It dominated the postseason, winning its two district tournament games by an average of 37 points. It then defeated three Boise-area teams to capture the state championship. After its 49-41 loss to Liberty, Post Falls only allowed only one team to score more than 45 points the rest of the season)
OTHER FINALISTS — Lake City volleyball, Lake City softball, Sandpoint tennis, Sandpoint soccer
3A-1A
Coeur d’Alene Charter soccer (Won the District 1-2 tournament and then won three straight one-goal games at state to claim the title, defeating Sugar-Salem 2-1, Marsh Valley 1-0 and then Shelley 1-0 in the championship game. The team posted an 18-0-1 record and had a 1-1 tie against Timberlake early in the year. The Panthers won their final 14 matches and never allowed more than two goals in any game. The team posted 11 shutouts and outscored opponents 105-13 during the season)
OTHER FINALISTS — Bonners Ferry softball, Orofino softball, Prairie track, Timberlake softball, Timberlake basketball
MALE COACH OF THE YEAR
5A-4A
Pete Reardon, Post Falls wrestling (Led the Trojans to one of the most dominating state tournament wins in any sport. The Trojans had seven wrestlers win state titles and the team won the title by 166 points, nearly double the score of anyone else in the field)
OTHER FINALISTS — Shaun Amos, Coeur d’Alene football; Gabe Lawson, Post Falls soccer; Doug McCan, Coeur d’Alene swimming
3A-1A
Simon Miller, Kellogg golf (Led the Wildcats to the school’s first state boys golf championship. Kellogg won the 3A state title by 66 strokes over 36 holes. They did it by placing four players among the top eight finishers in the event and all five players finished among the top 16)
OTHER FINALISTS — Marsell Colbert, Genesee Prep basketball; Ryan Hasselstrom, Prairie football; Dan Lucier, Kellogg football; Jim Shepherd, Potlatch baseball; Bob Sobotta, Lapwai basketball; Craig Tefft, St. Maries football
FEMALE COACH OF THE YEAR
5A-4A
Marc Allert, Post Falls basketball (Coached the Trojans to the state 5A championship. At state, Post Falls beat Capital by 3 points, Borah by 2 and then Eagle by nine in the championship. The team went 24-2 and won 16 straight games to end the season. Defense was the key as the club allowed only one team to score more than 45 points during that win streak)
OTHER FINALISTS — Kent Anderson, Sandpoint tennis; Conor Baranski, Sandpoint soccer; Jesse Lenz, Lake City softball; Mike Summers, Lake City volleyball
3A-1A
Ryan Hasselstrom, Prairie track (The only coach in North Idaho to be nominated for both Male and Female Coach of the Year. He led Prairie to the state championship game in football where it fell to league rival Genesee, but in track, the Pirates girls team won the state title. In came down to the final event, the 1,600 relay and Prairie won the race to capture the state title by two points. Prairie won the 800 relay and placed second in the 400 relay as those three relay teams scored 28 of Prairie’s 59 points)
Stacy Smith, Coeur d’Alene Charter soccer (Led a dominant Coeur d’Alene Charter soccer team in the 3A-1A ranks. The team went 18-0-1 and won its first 14 matches of the season. The team outscored the opposition 105-13 and never allowed more than two goals in any game. The team also had 11 shutouts)
OTHER FINALISTS — Tomi Bateman, Bonners Ferry softball; Shannon Erbst, Orofino softball; Casi Reisenauer, Timberline softball
HIGH SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE
5A-4A
Caleb Beggerly, Coeur d’Alene (A three-sport start for the Vikings, Caleb played both running back and linebacker in football and was league MVP. He had 94 tackles, 5 quarterback sacks and two interceptions on defense, and rushed for 758 yards, caught 20 passes and scored 14 touchdowns on offense. He was a guard on the basketball team and an outfielder on the baseball team)
Jake Pfennigs, Post Falls (A football, basketball and baseball standout who is planning to attend Oregon State next year on a baseball scholarship. He had an outstanding 2017 baseball season and was an all-league selection as a pitcher. Jake was named the all-Idaho 5A Player of the Year as well as MVP of the 5A Inland Empire League in basketball. He averaged a double-double of 17.3 points and 11.8 rebounds a game. In football, he was the league’s Newcomer of the Year and helped the team into the 5A playoffs)
OTHER FINALISTS — Robbie Johnson, Sandpoint; Kodie Kolden, Lake City; Kyle Manzardo, Lake City; Colson Yankoff, Coeur d’Alene
3A-1A
Chase Jerome, Kellogg (Was the Intermountain League’s Offensive Player of the Year. He was named first team all-league at quarterback and also at defensive back and was a second-team all-state selection at defensive back by the Idaho Statesman. He was the MVP of the IML in basketball and was a first-team all-Idaho selection after he contributed 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game.
Ryan Morgan, Kellogg (Was the Most Valuable player of the Intermountain League in football. The senior running back was also a first-team all league selection at linebacker and made the all-state second team at linebacker)
OTHER FINALISTS — Edward Becker, Genesee; Jalen Kirk, Deary
HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE
5A-4A
Ashley Kaufman, Lake City (Outstanding softball player who was named the Inland Empire League’s top pitcher last spring. She posted 16 victores and a 1.60 earned run average. She pitched 118.1 innings and struck out 96. Opponents hit just .214 against her. At the plate, she hit .328 with 18 RBI. She hit eight doubles and had three home runs. In volleyball she recorded 294 kills and had a .312 hitting percentage for the Timberwolves. She also had 191 digs, 15 blocks, and 62 service aces)
Melody Kempton, Post Falls (Excelled at everything this past year. She started it off by winning the state 5A high jump in Boise last spring, In basketball she was the 5A Player of the Year and led the Trojans to the state title. She averaged 16 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists. She is Post Falls’ all time leader in points at 1,486, rebounds at 892, and blocked shots at 211)
OTHER FINALISTS — Grace Kirscher, Sandpoint; Gracey Meyer, Moscow; Klaire Mitchell, Lake City; Demi Randall, Lewiston; Bridget Rieken, Lake City
3A-1A
Shelby Starr, Timberlake (The 5-foot-7 senior guard, averaged 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game. She helped the team finish third at state and was the MVP of the Intermountain League as well as a second-team all-Idaho selection. In volleyball, she was co-MVP of the Intermountain League and helped her team to a fourth-place finish. And in oftball, she was the co-MVP of the league and helped her team finish second at state. Shelby also played soccer at Timberlake)
OTHER FINALISTS — Kaylee Auer, St. Maries; Kadi Bateman, Bonners Ferry; Anna Druffel, Genesee; Lilly Kelley, Timberlake; Kaci Haeg, St. Maries
COLLEGE MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Brayon Blake, Idaho basketball (Former North Idaho College standout was named first-team all Big Sky Conference. He averaged 16.6 points and a league-best 9.5 rebounds a game. An inside-outside threat, Brayon canned 50 3-pointers and made .455 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. The senior had 12 double-doubles during the season, most in the Big Sky. He scored in double figures in 26 of Idaho’s 31 games this season. He also earned All-District 6 second team honors by the National Association of Basketball Coaches)
OTHER FINALISTS — Tyler Blakeley, LCSC track; RayQuan Evans, NIC basketball; Ross Gilbert, NIC golf; Levi Perry, NIC wrestling; J.J. Robinson, LCSC baseball; Victor Sanders, Idaho basketball
COLLEGE FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Mikayla Ferenz, Idaho basketball (Named MVP of the Big Sky Conferene as well as a first-team all-league selection. Mikayla averaged 22.5 points and 6.4 ebounds per game. She shot 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point arc. She made 129 3-pointers during the season, which is both a Big Sky and UI single-season record. She also posted the school’s first triple-double in more than 30 years. She was a a CoSIDA All-District First Team selection. She also was honored to the Big Sky All-Academic team)
OTHER FINALISTS — Kennedy Anderson, NIC softball; Madie Brown, NIC golf; Ariel Jensen, LCSC track; Janelle Lucas, Idaho swimming; Rechelle Meade, Idaho track; Kayla Neumann, NIC volleyball
COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR
Russell Grove, NIC golf (In his third season at the helm, Russell led the Cardinal men to the 2017 Northwest Athletic Conference title by two strokes in the conference tournament. North Idaho College also won the NWAC regular season title. It was the first title for the men’s golf team since joining the NWAC as a fuill-member in 2014-15. During the season, the Cardinals won their own North Idaho College Invitational, the 10-teamGrays Harbor League Match, the Green River Invitational, and the Big Foot Invitational, The team finished second in three other matches.
Don Verlin, Idaho basketball (The Vandals posted a 22-9 record and finished second in the Big Sky Conference’s regular season standings with a 14-4 record. The team knew about home-court advantage as they went 11-2 in Moscow. The Vandals hit their stride near the end of the season when they won nine of their final 10 regular season games. The 22 wins is the most at Idaho in 25 years since the 1992-93 season when Idaho went 24-8.
OTHER FINALISTS — Abid Akbar, Idaho tennis; Jeremiah Robbins, LCSC baseball; Kelsey Stanley, NIC volleyball; Corey Symons, NIC men’s basketball
COLLEGE TEAM OF THE YEAR
Lewis-Clark State College baseball (The Warriors captured their 19th NAIA World Series title overall, posting a 40-14 record. The team won 20 of its final 22 games of the season, including five of six at the World Series to capture the title of the 10-team double-elimination tournament. A week later, the program had a record seven players selected in the major league draft and an eighth player, Gunnar Buhner, the son of Mariner great Jay Buhner, sign a free-agent contact)
OTHER FINALISTS — University of Idaho men’s basketball; University of Idaho women’s tennis; North Idaho College men’s basketball