Union’s Hruby signs with Boise State
Union senior Ashley Hruby has signed a letter of intent to play women’s soccer at Boise State. A forward and midfielder, Hruby was a 3A Greater St. Helens League all-league player for three seasons with the Titans. She was honorable mention all-state as a senior.
In 2009, the Broncos won the Western Athletic Conference championship and earned their first NCAA Tournament berth.
King’s Way tennis earns state title
The King’s Way Christian girls tennis program was the only Clark County team to earn an academic state championship for its sports and classification during the spring sports season.
The Knights topped all 1B schools with a team GPA of 3.595 for the 11-player squad. King’s Way Christian is coached by Kathy Wilson. Butch Blue is the athletic director.
4A-3A district track meet starts today
The Class 4A and 3A district track and field meets will begin today at McKenzie Stadium.
There will be 38 event finals today in the 4A/3A boys and girls meet. The meet will conclude Friday with 32 more event finals.
The first event today is the 4A boys pole vault, which starts at 2:30 p.m. The first track event is the 3A boys 100 meters at 4 p.m.
4A-3A district golf begins today
The Class 4A and 3A girls golf district tournaments will be held today and Thursday at Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland.
Golfers will tee off at 9 a.m. today. Team champions will be crowned after today’s action. Those golfers surviving the cut will compete for berths to state on Thursday. The 4A golfers will advance to state. Some of the 3A golfers will advance directly to state, while others will qualify for next week’s bi-district tournament.
The state tournaments are May 25-26 in the Tri-Cities.
Ridgefield soccer begins playoffs today
The Ridgefield boys soccer team, which outscored its opponents 19-1 en route to the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League championship, opens the district playoffs with a 7 p.m. home match today against Hoquiam.
The Spudders top scorers are senior Brandon Dawkins (seven goals, three assists), junior Travis Heim (six goals), and senior Antonio Tamex (4 goals, 3 assists).
Coach Jason Staley credits strong defensive play for Ridgefield’s success. Goalkeeper Matt Newman, sophomore sweeper Miller Grening and senior defenders Iulica Kinonen and Ty Estes have played significant roles, Staley said.
Ridgefield is shooting for a return to the state tournament after losing 1-0 to Cheney in the opening round of trhe 2009 state tournament.
WIAA seeks central eligibility hearings
Transfers and eligibility cases have been a sticky issue for schools, leagues and districts across the state. The WIAA is trying to streamline that process.
The organization’s executive board is formalizing a plan that would centralize eligibility process. Currently, each of the nine districts in the state have their own eligibility boards that conduct hearings, though all operate under the same rules.
“Everyone has the same rules, but it’s a little bit different from district to district,” said Ed Ploof, executive board president and athletic director at Bellarmine Prep. “Some decisions are judgment calls and your judgment might be different than mine.”
Ploof said the idea is to make rulings consistent and streamline the eligibility process. It’s possible that a “clearinghouse” would be created to easily determine a student’s eligibility.
The WIAA executive board announced that it was going to pursue possible changes to the eligibility process two weeks ago at its annual Rep Assembly in Renton. Executive director Mike Colbrese told the athletic directors, principals and superintendents in attendance that despite operating under the same rules, each district does things differently, forcing the need for a centralized process.
Under WIAA rules, transfer students are eligible to compete in varsity sports at their new school only if they reside in that school’s boundaries. Students that do not, or those seeking a fifth year of eligibility, can apply for a hardship waiver. Ploof said the general definition of a hardship is “something that is beyond the student’s control.”
— Tacoma News Tribune
