SPORTS FOUNDATION PICKS FERRIS COACH - The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)

Stacey Ward, who led Ferris to the 1997-98 State 4Avolleyball championship, has been selected as one of threerecipients of the 1998 Women's Sports Foundation Budget Car Coachof the Year Award.

It honors female coaches not coaching a national,professional, major-league or NCAA Division I or II team.Selection criteria include sportsmanship, ethical conduct andcontribution to the sport.

Ward will be honored during a luncheon at the WSF conventionMay 2 in Berkeley, Calif.Other winners are Nanette Zack of Chicago and Susan Ellis ofDallas.Irene Matlock, who coaches volleyball at Community Collegesof Spokane and the Splash U-18 club team, was a nominee.Ward got into coaching in 1981 as a junior at WhitworthCollege, coaching the junior varsity at Northwest Christian. Shehas been at Ferris the last nine years, compiling a 212-60 recordwith three Greater Spokane League championships and four stateplacings. She also has coached club volleyball for 11 years, thelast eight guiding the RiverCity U-12 teams. The award is based oncoaching at both levels.AwardsA dozen people from the Spokane area will be among thosehonored at the Washington Secondary Schools Athletic AdministrationAssociation awards ceremony April 23 at Cavanaugh's Inn at the Park.Slated to receive an Honors Award, which goes to people ineducation, are Larry Warner and Bob Richards, both ofGarfield-Palouse, and Helen Chaney of East Valley.Commendation Awards will go to Dan Birdsell and Dr. KeithHindman, both Deer Park; Sam Compogno, Gonzaga Prep; BeverlyBucher, Reardan; Bud Bagott and Bill Cofield, both Gar-Pal; TomNelson and Darrell Stubbe, both St. John-Endicott; and MargeTurley, Prescott.The award 'goes to individuals from within the community whodo things for kids,' said Joe Richer of Cheney, president-elect ofWSSAAA. 'It is really heartwarming some of the things these peoplehave done.'Additionally, a highlight of the WSSAAA convention, whichstarts April 21, will be the selection of the state athleticdirector of the year. Among the nominees are Fred Vogel of Cusick,Bill Ames of University and Alli Bennett of Garfield-Palouse.Bruce Werner, a 1962 graduate of Shadle Park High School, wasrecently named California athletic administrator of the year.Werner is athletic director at American River College inSacramento. His father, George Werner, was the longtime director ofstudent activities for Spokane School District 81 and is a memberof the Inland Northwest Hall of Fame Scroll of Honor.Walter 'Spike' Arlt, whose 37-year coaching career included27 at Central Washington University, will be inducted into theWashington State Coaches Track and Field Hall of Fame next month atthe state high school meets in Tacoma.A 1960 graduate of Washington State, where he played footballand track (he was fifth in the high hurdles at the 1960 Olympictrials), his career started at Harrington High School but peaked atCentral, where he turned the Wildcats into a national power intrack and cross country.BaseballThe Spokane Blue Devils senior American Legion team will holda preseason informational meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the ShadlePark High School gymnasium.The team is for players from Shadle Park, North Central,Lakeside, Northwest Christian, Deer Park, Riverside, Chewelah,Colville and Kettle Falls high schools. Info: Lance Rickman, (509)326-6912.Spokane's American Legion program will hold a mandatorycoaches meeting April 19 at 315 W. Mission. The 16-and-under (A)coaches will meet at 1 p.m. and the junior (AA) coaches at 3. Info:Dennis Thompson, (509) 624-5789.College sceneKatie King of Spokane (Gonzaga Prep) continues her stellarplay for the Notre Dame women's golf team.In seven tournaments, King, a senior co-captain, has onefirst place and three other top-five finishes. She was fourth inthe Northern Illinois Snowbird, shooting a second-round par 72,best individual round of the 232 shot in the two-day tournament.Western Washington sophomore Sarah Hiss of Spokane (Lewis andClark) was named the Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference femaletrack athlete of the week after long-jumping a national-qualifying18 feet, 6-1/2 inches on April 4.Jen Harrell of Spokane (Gonzaga Prep), a junior at DickinsonCollege, contributed 11 points for the Red Devils women in theLittle Three track meet.She was third in the 100 hurdles, fourth in the 400 hurdlesand ran legs on relay teams that finished first (4x400) and second(4x100).George Fox senior Phil Autry of Spokane (University HS) ran aleg on the men's 4x800-meter relay team that posted aNorthwest-best 7:52.90 at the Willamette Open on April 4.Gonzaga Prep grad Sarah Johnston, senior catcher on thePacific Lutheran softball team, had five hits and five RBIs as the20th-ranked Lutes (22-3) swept two games from Seattle University.Wheaton (Ill.) College senior baseball captain Todd Kinley ofSpokane (Lewis and Clark) used an 8-for-22 (.364) stretch to raisehis batting average to .308. He's scored 12 runs and driven in sixfor the 10-8 Crusaders.Four baseball players from the area are contributing atColumbia Basin College, which is tied for first in its conferencein the NWAACC.The quartet: Rob Elmer (Mead), pitcher/third base; MarkSkates (Coeur d'Alene), pitcher/outfield; Justin Williams (NorthCentral), outfield; and Grant Reeves (Mead), first base/ pitcher.CBC plays at Spokane Falls CC on Friday and Saturday.Kathy Klubben of Spokane (East Valley), a senior gymnast atSeattle Pacific, has raised her season-best balance beam score to9.5 and has contributed to the Falcons' team scoring in six meets.Power liftingFour Spokane lifters brought home two first-place trophies,two seconds and the best-lifter award from the 1998 Big SkyPowerlifting Championships on April 4 in Great Falls, Mont.Brent Mikesell was named best lifter after winning theheavyweight title by squatting 785 pounds, bench-pressing 475 anddeadlifting 765 (he barely missed an 800-pound attempt). His2,025-pound total is the second best all-time for a state ofWashington lifter.Matt Mikesell won the 242-pound class by squatting 565,benching 405 and deadlifting 610.Seconds went to Joel Legard, 181 pounds (550 squat, 325bench, 625 deadlift) and Bob May, 275 (670 squat, 390 bench, 590deadlift).SoccerThe Spokane Skyhawks will hold tryouts for its premier teamsthis week at the Spokane Youth Sports Association's North Complex.All will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m.Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be for U-13 boys and girls;Monday and Wednesday for U-14 and U-15 boys and girls; and Tuesdayand Thursday for U-16, U-17 and U-19 boys and girls.Info: Eddy Birrer, (509) 467-3174 or Chris Corativo, (509)466-7886.