A little notice to Western Washington University junior Amanda Flores: If next spring the young lady behind the catcher's mask for Saint Martin's looks kind of familiar, she quite possibly is. Chances are it will be former Ferndale teammate Corrie Wilson.
Wilson said she hasn't told Flores, a friend and former teammate, of her decision to go to a Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival, though. "I guess this story will do the job," Wilson joked in a phone interview. "It will be a big surprise."
Wilson, a senior catcher at Ferndale this spring, signed her National Letter of Intent to play for the Saints starting next year. She said she made the choice over Eastern Oregon and Bellevue Community College.
"They have a really fun atmosphere and a pretty good core of players," Wilson said. "They seem like they're going to continue on their way to the top."
With GNAC play yet to get under way, Saint Martin's was second behind only the Vikings in the conference standings with a 4-4 record entering play on Saturday, Feb. 23.
"They had only nine wins three seasons ago, and last year they only had nine losses and finished second in (the GNAC)," Wilson said. "They had a great season last year, and they are looking for a big year this spring."
Wilson expects to come in and immediately compete for the Saints' starting catching position next spring.
"They are bringing in three catchers next year, and we're going to battle it out," Wilson said. "The neat thing is we can all play other positions, so if we don't get to start at catcher, we'll help the team somewhere else. If I'm not catching, I'll be somewhere else, and hopefully I'll make a positive impact at the plate."
Wilson certainly did that as a junior for the Golden Eagles last spring, as she hit .500 with 24 RBI, and she was selected first-team All-Northwest Conference.
She also had a .970 fielding percentage, and "As a catcher, she keeps people from stealing," Ferndale coach Holly Hilton wrote in an email.
Wilson said she plans to major in Criminal Justice or Education while at Saint Martin's.
BELLNGHAM'S NELSON HEADS TO PENINSULA
The Peninsula College women's soccer team just seemed to fit Bellingham senior Larkyn Nelson's style perfectly.
"Last year they scored more than 100 goals and won the NWAACC championship," Nelson said in a phone interview. "I like scoring goals, and I like winning."
Nelson was sold, as she signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Pirates next year.
She said she made the choice over the University of Great Falls and a couple of other small schools.
"I really liked the team atmosphere, and I like Port Angeles, because it is a lot like Bellingham," Nelson said. "I spent the night there on my visit and got to stay with a couple of the girls there. They were really nice, and they seemed to like me. The coach told me when I was there that I reminded him of one of the girls that will be leaving next year, and that was exciting to hear."
Nelson said she will be an attacker at Peninsula, where she hopes to utilize the talents that helped her lead Bellingham with nine goals and tie for the team lead with six assists last fall. She also was selected first-team All-Northwest Conference at forward.
Nelson said she has not yet decided on a major.
"That's kind of why I wanted to take the community college route, so I could take some baby steps in terms of my schooling," Nelson said. "Hopefully when I move on, I'll get to keep playing."
FERNDALE BOYS' BASKETBALL AWARDS
Luis Alvarez was selected the winner of the Jim and Paul Larose Golden Eagle Award this season.
Other varsity award winners at the team's banquet last week were: Kendall Kelly and Cameron Massey (captains), Luke Melton (Wayne Gibson Mr. Defense), John Weg (Mike Kirk Most Improved Player), Austin Honeycutt (Dick Rightmire Mr. Offense), Travis Hoffman (Larry Skogstad Inspirational) and Brady Shearer (Stan Burkhalter Sixth Man).
Max Zimmerman won the junior varsity Golden Eagle Award, while Lake Sullivan was the Most Improved honoree for the team. Kyler Schemstad was the C team Golden Eagle award winner, while Jackson King received the team's Most Improved award.
FERNDALE ACADEMIC AWARDS
Seven Ferndale teams received WIAA academic team awards during the winter season.
The girls' basketball varsity and C teams each received outstanding awards with team grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher, while the girls' basketball junior varsity team, the boys' basketball varsity and C teams, the wrestling team and the cheer team received distinguished awards with GPAs between 3.0 and 3.49.
Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 360-715-2286.
