Okanogan County athletes found it difficult to crack the top 10 finalists in the 38th annual Wenatchee Valley Medical Center Sports Awards announced June 6.
     Two sets of siblings are finalists this year - Pateros’ Hanna and Clara Hull for female college athlete and prep female athlete, respectively, and Tom and Kristen Ballinger for male and female college athlete, respectively.
     Also for prep athlete were Brewster’s Jasen Brown and Liberty Bell’s Cody Hutchinson for boys, and Okanogan’s Kelly Downey and Liberty Bell’s Kylie Paluck for girls.
     Brewster’s David Pendergraft is nominated for college male athlete, a title he’s won the last two years while playing for Gonzaga University’s basketball team.
     This is Pendergraft’s seventh finalist appearance as an athlete. He also won in 2004 as prep athlete.
     The most finalist appearances as an athlete are eight by Megan Franza (Cascade/University of Washington basketball) and Cathy Kuntz (Wenatchee/Portland State University volleyball and basketball).
     Also nominated was Brewster’s Hawkins Gebbers, who is playing baseball at Biola University. Gebbers was high school athlete of the year in 2005.
     Pateros Amanda Hull was nominated as a college female athlete.
     For female prep coach, Liberty Bell’s Mike Bourn was nominated for basketball and Pateros’ John Ellis was named in basketball.
     For high school sport teams, Liberty Bell’s boys’ basketball team and Pateros’ girls’ basketball team were nominated.
     Jeff Mertes of the NCW Sports Awards selection committee, said there was an extensive pool of nominees. There were 466 prep male and 352 prep female athletes, as well as 66 college male and 60 college female athletes from North Central Washington, he said.
     “The depth of candidates to become finalists was unprecedented,” Mertes said.
     Two Sports Awards Outlying Grants also will be presented - $1,000 to the fledgling Okanogan Youth Football organization and $500 to Cashmere’s soccer field lighting.
     Nominees:
     Prep male athlete - Jasen Brown (Brewster), Kris Carlson (Wenatchee), Blair Collins (Royal), Kellen Drake (Eastmont), Nick Gale (Eastmont), Cody Hutchinson (Liberty Bell), Derek Johnson (Wenatchee), Hector Ledezma (Royal), Zack Lewis (Royal), Tyson McGuffin (Chelan) and Carter Nell (Eastmont).
     Prep female athlete - Korynn Blanksma (Wenatchee), Kelli Bowers (Chelan), Kylie Brunner (Cashmere), Vanessa Chittim (Wenatchee), Morgan Clem (Eastmont), Kelly Downey (Okanogan), Ksenja Fredere (Wilson Creek), Clara Hull (Pateros), Kylie Paluck (Liberty Bell) and Brooke Randall (Eastmont).
     College male athlete - Tom Ballinger (Wenatchee/Carleton College track), Garrett Dorn (Wenatchee/Linfield College baseball), Nick Ellis (Eastmont/WSU golf), Tyler Fischer (Cashmere/Central Washington University track), Hawkins Gebbers (Brewster/Biola University baseball), Wade Jordan (ACH/Dana College wrestling), Jeff Kintner (Wenatchee/Whitworth University football & track), David Pendergraft (Brewster/Gonzaga University basketball), Ben Spaun (Wenatchee/Whitworth University track) and Josh Syria (Wenatchee/University of Oregon football).
     College female athlete - Kristen Ballinger (Wenatchee/Amherst College track), Heidi Dimmitt (Wenatchee/Western Washington University track), Jade Fulbright (Wenatchee/Lewis-Clark State College basketball), Jenna Haven (Eastmont/University of Montana track), Sheena Henderson (ACH/Eastern Oregon State University basketball), Hanna Hull (Pateros/Central Washington University basketball), Kassie Ludeman (Waterville/St. Martin’s University basketball), Cassie Merkley (Cascade/Idaho State University track), Amanda Miller (Eastmont/University of Washington track), Jenna Neff (Wenatchee/UNLV swimming) and Michelle Snyder (Eastmont/Florida State University softball).
     Male team coach - Wiley Allred (Royal football), Brandon Evenson (Ephrata basketball), Ken Hoyt (Eastmont wrestling), Rusty Keith (Wenatchee Valley College baseball), Jeff Kenoyer (Cashmere track), Brett McGinnis (Wenatchee basketball), Ben Orth (Royal cross-country & wrestling), Jim Oscarson (Chelan golf), Tom Turner (Quincy soccer) and Brandon Walsh (ACH football).
     Female team coach - Norm Armstrong (Wenatchee tennis), Jeff Barker (Chelan softball), Mike Bourn (Liberty Bell basketball), John Ellis (Pateros basketball), James Elwyn (Wenatchee swimming), Donene Hendricks (Chelan volleyball), Gary Millard (Eastmont track), Shelly Pflugrath (Wenatchee Valley College softball), Desiree Phelps (Manson volleyball) and Dennis Tronson (Cashmere soccer).
     Male team - ACH football, Cashmere track, Eastmont wrestling, Ephrata basketball, Liberty Bell basketball, Quincy soccer, Royal cross-country, Royal football, Wenatchee basketball and Wenatchee Valley College baseball.
     Female team - Cascade tennis, Chelan softball, Eastmont track, Entiat softball, Manson volleyball, Pateros track, Wenatchee swimming, Wenatchee tennis, Wilson Creek tennis, Wenatchee Valley College softball.