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Former Lakeland standout

Coffey earns All-America honors

Idaho sophomore punter Cade Coffey was named a second-team All-American by STATS on Tuesday.

Coffey, from Lakeland High, also picked up honorable mention accolades on the HERO Sports Sophomore All-America Team.

Coffey, an All-Big Sky First Team selection, averaged 44.1 yards per punt to rank fifth in the FCS and help Idaho net 40 yards per punt — the best mark in the Big Sky and second best in the country. The Rathdrum native booted 19 kicks of at least 50 yards, including a career-long 80-yard punt against Southern Utah that is tied for the second-longest punt of the year, nationally.

Coffey was a USA Today Freshman All-America selection in 2017 at the FBS level. He is the latest in a long line of decorated Vandal punters. Coffey is just the fourth different starting punter since 2006, following Austin Rehkow (2013-16), Bobby Cowan (2009-12) and T.J. Conley (2006-08) — each of whom earned All-America recognition during their careers.

He is Idaho’s first All-America punter at the FCS level since Tom Sugg in 1991.

EWU players honored

on All-America teams

Quarterback Eric Barriere has joined the list of Eastern Washington University football All-Americans, as he was honored Tuesday as an honorable mention selection on the Hero Sports NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Sophomore All-America team.

In addition, kicker Roldan Alcobendas, center Spencer Blackburn and nose tackle Jay-Tee Tiuli were chosen by STATS to its All-America squad, a week after that same trio earned honors from the Associated Press.

LC-State women’s basketball announces signing of

Lake City’s Muehlhausen

LEWISTON — Lewis-Clark State women’s basketball coach Brian Orr announced the signing of Sara Muehlhausen, a 6-foot-3-inch post player from Lake City High.

“We are really happy to be adding Sara to next year’s roster,” Orr said. “One of her biggest strengths is the ability to block or change slots and during her campus visit, it was clear she was going to be able to make a positive impact on our program. She will be a great teammate, an outstanding student, and we think she has the potential to become an outstanding player in our league.”

Muehlhausen is a two-sport athlete and has lettered in track and field as well as basketball. Last season on the track, she qualified for state in the 5A triple jump.

A member of the Honor Roll, she has lettered in academics as well as athletics.

“I chose LC because it offered a chance for me to be part of a great team while pursuing my academic goals,” Muehlhausen said. “I really liked that the school isn’t only focused on a player’s performance on the court, but off the court as well. Another big thing for me was that the team and coaches seemed to really care about each other as individuals. I thought that was awesome.”

“We are excited for Sara to sign with LCSC. Her progress from her freshman year until her senior year has been sensational,” high school coach James Anderson said. “Sara is loved by her teammates, coaches and teachers. She is a hard working student and respected by her peers.”

In terms of her athletic ability, Anderson said, “At 6-3 she is very mobile and athletic. Sara is always ready to play and do whatever she can to help her team. She is very active on defense and deflects a lot of balls. We feel like she will progress to be a great collegiate player.”

Vandal women land Arizona

transfer, former four-star recruit

Idaho’s women’s basketball team signed Shalyse Smith to a financial aid agreement, head coach Jon Newlee announced Tuesday morning.

Smith, a transfer from the University of Arizona, will join the Vandals for the spring semester.

“Shalyse is an unbelievably talented player both offensively and defensively,” Newlee said. “There is a reason she was ranked as the seventh-best wing in the country and the 48th-best player in the country regardless of position as a high school senior last year. She is so explosive with the ball and is a relentless physical rebounder. She plays with such a high motor defensively, and is so athletic she will be able to guard 1 through 5 for us. I really just love her all-around game and the fact that she plays with such passion and desire when she steps on the floor.”

A Tacoma, Wash. native, Smith competed at Arizona during the 2018 fall semester where she appeared in three games and averaged 13.5 minutes. The four-star recruit was highly recruited out of Bellarmine Prep where she averaged 16.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game her senior year.

Prior to her time at Arizona, Smith enjoyed a decorated prep career at Bellarmine where she finished rated as the No. 7 forward and No. 48 player in the nation by ProspectsNation.com.

The versatile 6-foot-1 forward ended her high school career with 1,246 points as she posted 15 double-doubles with eight games of 20-plus points and a season-high of 24 (twice).