The All-SPSL North fastpitch team (below) came out yesterday. I have to make a note of the Coach of the Year, Tahoma’s Tom Milligan. Talk about a guy who deserves an extra nod. Milligan has put in his time with the program and has guided the Bears to their best fastpitch season in school history. It has been nice seeing that group break through this season.

SPSL NORTH: ALL-LEAGUE FASTPITCH
MVP: Hannah Kiyohara, Thomas Jefferson; Erin Crowley, Kentlake
Pitcher of the Year: Kelli Suguro, Kentridge
Coach of the Year: Tom Milligan, Tahoma

FIRST TEAM
Pitcher: Sammii Jimenez, Tahoma
Pitcher: Nikole Weber, Kentlake
Catcher: Amber Morrow, Auburn
Infield/1B: Lisa Maulden, Tahoma
Infield/2b: Erika Smyth, Kentlake
Infield/SS: Hannah Melick, Auburn Riverside
Infield/3B: Brooke Evans, Kentlake
DP: Jordan Walley, Tahoma
Utility: Jessie Richardson, Kentlake
Outfield: Lexi Goranson, Thomas Jefferson
Outfield: Ashley Mundo, Auburn Riverside
Outfield: Reno Whitcomb, Thomas Jefferson
Outfield: Kellie Nielsen, Kentlake

SECOND TEAM
Pitcher: Katie Jackson, Thomas Jefferson
Pitcher: Danielle Orvella, Kentridge
Catcher: Shelby Carter, Tahoma
Infield/1B: Allie Crowe, Thomas Jefferson
Infield/2B: Emily Miller, Tahoma
Infield/SS: Haley Beckstrom, Tahoma; Bailey Marshall, Kentwood
Infield/3b: Nicole Barger, Kentridge
DP: Ashleigh Mate, Kentridge
Utility: Kara Jenkins, Auburn Riverside
Outfield: Kaila Wilkinson, Tahoma
Outfield: Mackena Sherman, Kentwood

HONORABLE MENTION
Pitcher: Bethany Pfaff, Kentwood
Pitcher: Hannah Sauget, Kentlake
Catcher: Allison Newcomb, Kentwood
Infield/1B: Bree Cossey, Kentwood
Infield/2B: Cassidy DeWaele, Thomas Jefferson; Sadie Bynum, Federal Way
Infield/3B: Michaela Patton, Kentwood
DP: Rachel Burr, Kentwood
Utility: Mackenzie Blakeley, Auburn
Outfield: Katie Myers, Tahoma
Outfield: Alyssa Lonsbery, Auburn
Outfield: Alexis Engman, Kentlake

Cheyenne Gavino thought she had a chance.
And she made gold on it, too.
Gavino, who competes for Metropolitan Gymnastics in Kent (6822 S. 190th St.), brought home golden performance from the National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on May 1-2. A 16-year-old Mount Rainier High sophomore, Gavino grabbed gold in the all around. Her performance included first-place finishes in both the vault and the bars.
“I thought I had a shot,” Gavino said. “I just didn’t know about the level of competition.”
Gavino, who won a Class 3A state title this past winter, admits this was her biggest victory to date.
“I was pretty excited,” she said. “My mom was crying. Then that made me want to cry.”
Gavino wasn’t alone among Metropolitan gymnasts who shined.
Kristen Rodal grabbed a silver medal on the bars and took fourth on the floor. Bethany Pupava brought home a silver medal on the floor.
In all, Metropolitan gymnasts snagged eight medals.

The Kentwood High girls and Kent-Meridian boys continued to turn heads this past weekend.
The Conquerors rolled to the team title at the Lake Washington Invitational, racking up 58.75 points, well ahead of Skyline and Jackson, both of whom tied for second place with 40 points.
Holly DeHart once again blazed a path for the Conquerors, winning the 100 (12.29), the 200 (24.85) and running the second leg of Kentwood’s winning 4 x 200 relay team, which also included Aiesha Goodlow, Quincie Proctor-Guyton and Dana Wareham.
Meanwhile, the Kent-Meridian boys brought home the top spot from the Oregon Relays in Eugene. The Royals collected 82 team points, which put them just ahead of second-place Oregon City (78.25) and third-place Camas (63).
Defending Class 4A 800-meter state champion Derrick Daigre blistered the oval once again, winning the event in 1:56 flat, four seconds ahead of the next closest competitor. The K-M 4 x 100 relay team (BJ Arceneaux, Brandon Harris, Prescott Jackson and David Jones) also raced to victory, breaking the tape in 42.68. That same group also was victorious in the sprint medley (200, 200, 400 and 800), an event that’s not included in Washington. The Royals also snagged gold in the distance medley thanks to a strong performance from the contingent of Matt Bailey, Jackson, Jordan Thompson-Walker and Daigre.

For the second consecutive week, Central Washington University junior and 2007 Kent-Meridian graduate Torrie Self shattered the school’s hammer throw record, throwing a distance of 179-feet, 4 inches last Friday at the Western Washington University Twilight meet at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium.
Self, who had thrown for a distance of 170-feet, 9 inches in the previous Saturday’s Spike Arlt Invitational at Ellensburg’s Tomlinson Stadium, improved upon her previous personal best by more than 8 1/2 feet. In the process, Self established a NCAA Division II automatic national qualifying mark and posted the third-best mark in the event in the nine-year history of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Self also placed third in the women’s shot put and women’s discus. Her event title in the hammer was the lone individual first-place finish for the Wildcats.

The Kent Valley Rainiers won the Pacific District Pee Wee Tier I Championship on March 21 with 4-3 double-overtime victory over the L.A. Selects in San Jose, Calif.  The Rainiers, a select hockey team comprised of local 11 and 12 year old, became the first Washington team in more than 30 years to represent the Pacific District at the USA Hockey Tier I National Championships.  Tier I is the highest level of youth hockey played in the U.S. and includes teams from major hockey towns like Detroit, Chicago, Boston and New York.
The Rainiers will head to Buffalo, N.Y. to try and capture a National Championship from April 7-11.

Steve Finch, a 2000 Lindbergh High graduate, became the latest edition to the Diamond Sports Training Center staff on Monday, March 3. Finch, who has coached multiple youth teams in the area, including the Kent Bulldogs from 2006 to 2008, will be the Training Center’s Business Operations Manager.
“He’s the complete package,” said Nevin Garthwaite, General Manager of Diamond Sports Training Center. “Steve is not only a great baseball team manager and coach, he is also highly experienced in managing sporting goods retail sales and training center operations.”
Finch, 28, most recently managed the retail store and training center operations at Northwest Team Sports (previously Varsity Baseball) in downtown Kent. Finch is looking forward to his new role with Diamond Sports Training Center.
“I’m looking forward to bringing my knowledge and what I learned at Northwest Team Sports to Diamond Sports,” he said.
In addition to taking over as the Business Operations Manager at Diamond Sports Training Center, Finch also coaches the 13U Rawlings Rebels, which includes players from around the Kent Valley. Of special interest to Finch, is the Diamond Sports Training Center’s one-of-a-kind artificial turf infield, which is completely netted for live game action. Diamond Sports Training Center is the only facility in the area with a complete infield.
Finch’s initial focus will be the Training Center’s pro shop, which provides a wide range of high quality baseball and fast pitch equipment and apparel such as Rawlings, Nike, Wilson, DeMarini, Worth, Majestic and others. He will also look after the daily operations at the training center, improving camps and clinics. Later this spring, Finch will announce plans for a Diamond Sports outdoor summer and fall program and an exciting new winter indoor team training program.
For more information on the Diamond Sports Training Center (13712 24th St. E, Sumner, Wa.), call 253-987-5082 , go to the web site www.diamondsportstrainingcenter.com, or e-mail, frontoffice@diamondsportstrainingcenter.com