FRESNO - Three athletes from Hanford will be among Fresno State student-athletes honored tonight, when the university plays host to its 17th annual academic awards banquet.

Hanford High graduates Leah Miller and Jenny Thigpin, and Hanford West graduate Charles Williams will be recognized for earning at least a 3.0 GPA for either of the last two semesters.

Miller is a sophomore who's a member of the women's equestrian team. Thigpin recently completed her senior season with the women's basketball team, and Williams is a freshman sprinter for the track squad.

The sold-out event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Radisson in downtown Fresno. The program, which will be presented by the Kiwanis Organization for the past 10 years, is known as the Kiwanis Torch of Excellence dinner.

This year, 160 student-athletes will be attending out of the 249 current students eligible for this recognition...

"Excelling academically at the university level is a great accomplishment, worthy of recognition,'' said Maury Nyberg, Kiwanis Torch of Excellence chair. "When you add a sport into the combination, the challenge grows quite significantly.''

BASEBALL

No decision for Coulon

TUCSON, Ariz. - Former Hanford High Bullpup David Coulon pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief for Arizona and got no decision in the Wildcats' 7-6 non-conference victory over Liberty on Sunday. The junior left-hander gave up three hits and one run while striking out two and walking none.

Coulon is 3-2 with a 4.56 earned run average and 40 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. The junior has made six starts for Arizona (35-11).

Abbott's team opens postseason

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Hanford High graduate Tim Abbott and the Mount Mercy College Mustangs are slated to begin play in the NAIA Region VII Championships on Tuesday in Lacrosse, Wisc.

Abbott (8-3) is the wins leader for Mount Mercy (23-18) and owns an 3.80 earned run average. Mount Mercy is the No. 4 seed and will play No. 4 St. Francis on the opening day of the six-team, double-elimination tournament.

SOFTBALL

Meeks closes season

SACRAMENTO - Former Hanford West High standout Kayla Meeks finished the season at Sacramento State in strong fashion, picking up the win and collecting two hits at the plate as the Hornets defeated Saint Mary's 9-1 in the first game of a Pacific Coast Soft-ball Conference doubleheader Sunday.

Meeks did not play in the second game, a 5-0 Saint Mary's victory.

A sophomore transfer from Loyola Marymount, Meeks pitched all five innings of the first game, giving up six hits and one run while striking out two and walking two. Offensively, she was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored.

Meeks (12-12) was the winning pitcher in more than half of Sacramento State's victories, posting a 3.26 earned run average. She won nine of her last 13 decisions as the Hornets finished 20-33 overall and 11-8 in conference.

Meeks batted .298 with three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Gonzales scores twice

SANTA CLARA - Ex-Hanford West star Tiffany Gonzales hitless, but managed to score two runs in Loyola Marymount's PCSC doubleheader sweep of Santa Clara on Sunday.

The conference-champion Lions (46-16 overall, 8-2 conference) won 7-2 and 8-1, ending the regular season with 13 consecutive wins. They'll learn their opponent for NCAA Regionals next week.

Gonzales, a freshman utility player started both Sunday's games as the designated player. She was 0-for-2 and for-3, scoring a run in each game. The freshman has played in 23 games for the Lions, batting .210. She's made including six pitching appearances, netting no decisions.

Hanford product Breann Netto, formerly of San Joaquin Memorial High, started both games at second base and went hitless. The freshman saw action in 29 games for the Broncos (12-47).

Facchini bound for regionals

LA MIRADA - Hanford West High graduate Morgan Facchini and her Biola University team will play in the NAIA Region II championships on Tuesday. Biola is the No. 4 seed in the three-day, double elimination tournament at Riverside, and will face top-seeded California Baptist in its opening game.

Facchini has played in 37 games and started 35 for Biola (31-15). The freshman has recorded a .990 fielding percentage with just two passed balls this season. She's batting .229.

(May 7, 2007)