Big Sky honors local runners
Two runners with local roots were honored when the Big Sky Conference announced its 2010 fall all-academic teams for men’s and women’s cross country.
Honored were Carissa Gwerder and Veronica Stinnett. Gwerder, a graduate of Enumclaw High who competes for Northern Arizona University, earned a 4.0 grade-point average. Stinnett, a Bonney Lake High graduate who competes for Sacramento State University, had a 3.67 GPA.
To be eligible, students-athletes had to participate in at least half of the team’s competitions; achieve a GPA of 3.2 or better; and complete at least one academic term at a Big Sky university.
Both athletes competed in the Big Sky Conference championships and the NCAA Division I West Regionals.
Gamblin Motors supports baseball
Art Gamblin Motors is supporting the Enumclaw and surrounding communities through a partnership with Chinook Little League. The dealership will provide baseball equipment, instructional clinics, a monetary donation and an opportunity to raise an additional $10,000 in funds through a Chevy vehicle giveaway-fundraiser.
The effort is part of the Chevy Youth Baseball initiative being rolled out across the nation from March through July.
“Baseball is a great American past-time and Chevrolet is proud to have a long-standing history with this tradition on a national level. Art Gamblin Motors is bringing that level of commitment for youth baseball to the Enumclaw community, where our customers and their families live,” said Alan Gamblin, president of Art Gamblin Motors. “Our youth baseball program on the Enumclaw plateau is truly cherished and we are happy and excited to support the kids in a significant way.”
Art Gamblin Motors will present the Chinook Little League with equipment bags, baseball buckets, dry-erase coach’s clipboards and Chevy Youth Baseball T-shirts. The sponsorship includes clinics with experienced instructors from former MLB/MiLB players and coaches or the Ripken Baseball professional staff.
In addition, a one-time donation check will be presented by Art Gamblin Motors to Chinook Little League. The team also will have an opportunity to raise additional funds as part of a Chevy Youth Baseball Fundraiser. Sponsored leagues across the country will each receive 2,000 fundraiser entry tickets to distribute for a suggested donation, and the league will keep 100 percent of proceeds raised. At the end of the fundraiser, there will be five winners of a Chevy Equinox or Chevy Cruze vehicle of choice, up to $30,000 in value, and in each participating market there will be a secondary prize of a home entertainment center valued at $1,000.
Chevrolet is recognized on the national level as the official vehicle of Major League Baseball.
Cawley Lamb joins AppleSox team
The two-time defending West Coast League Champion Wenatchee AppleSox will have four Gonzaga Bulldogs joining the team in 2011 including outfielder Payden Cawley Lamb.
“We have a great tradition of Gonzaga players coming through our program,” said AppleSox coach Ed Knaggs, who spent seven years as a Gonzaga assistant coach. “It’s one of the schools that we always get the full allotment of four players from.”
Of the 35 players on Gonzaga’s roster, 14 previously played for the AppleSox or are set to play for the team in 2011.
Cawley Lamb, a freshman from Buckley, was named first team all-state his senior year at White River High.
“We almost took him last summer out of high school when we had a need in the middle of the season,” Knaggs said. “He is a young left-handed hitting outfielder. They think he will have a chance to play a lot as a freshman.”
The AppleSox open the 2011 season June 3 with a three-game home series against the Kitsap BlueJackets.
The AppleSox have won the West Coast League Championship four out of the last six seasons. Three alumni have reached the major leagues, Jason Hammel (Colorado Rockies), Clay Mortensen (Colorado Rockies), and Cole Gillespie (Arizona Diamondbacks).
Junior Hornet tryouts March 16
The Enumclaw Junior Hornets football program has announced tryouts will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 16 at Thunder Mountain Middle School.
The Junior Hornets are comprised of five teams: one is for second- through fourth-graders and the others are for fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students. Players practice four night per week during the summer and three night per week during the school year. The season begins in late July and runs through mid-November.
Registration forms can be downloaded by visiting www.jrhornetsfooball.com.
Players should provide a completed registration form, take water and wear comfortable workout clothes and cleats.
Wolverines open registration
Wolverine Football and Cheer registration will take place at KeyBank in Enumclaw from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday and March 13.
Returning players and cheerleaders are invited Sunday and new players and cheerleaders should show up March 13.
Football players must be between the ages of 7 and 14. Cheerleaders must be between the ages of 7 and 15. Youth are divided by age and weight and play teams from Pierce and King counties. Full pads and uniforms are provided under strict safety regulations.
For information, call the Wolverine voicemail at 360-802-6411 or visit the website at www.wolverinejuniorfootball.com.
Kahne finishes sixth in Phoenix
In the second race of the 2011 season, Enumclaw NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne finished sixth Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Sunday’s finish moved Kahne up eight spots in the driver’s standings to 15th.
Jeff Gordon won the race.
Carel, SPU take No. 3 seed
Enumclaw High graduate Riley Carel went 2-for-2 from the field, including a 3-pointer, for five points in Seattle Pacific University’s 77-58 win over Simon Fraser Thursday in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Carel, a freshman for the Falcons, also had four of the team’s 14 assists in the regular-season finale.
The defending champion Falcons improved to 12-6 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play to finish third in the regular-season standings. They enter the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and were scheduled to host No. 6 Western Oregon in a first-round game Monday. Those teams split their two regular-season meetings.
