Kevin Pfefferle has been named the new head cross country coach for the Islanders. Pfefferle coached the team as an assistant or head coach for almost a decade beginning in 1989, and is now returning to the head coaching position. Pfefferle ran cross country at the University of Nevada-Reno before transferring and competing in cross country and track at the University of Wyoming.

During Pfefferle's earlier association with the Islander program, GISH teams qualified seven times for the state cross country meet, and 12 individual harriers placed in the top 25 at state.

K.C. Hehnke has been named the new head softball coach for the 2008 softball season. Hehnke is a graduate of Grand Island Senior High, and a graduate of Mesa Community College, where he played baseball. Hehnke moved back to Grand Island after graduation and began coaching American Legion Baseball. He started coaching softball in the Sorenson organization; he served as an assistant coach for the Grand Island Senior High softball program in the fall of 2007.

Heartland High's Kluthe earns Believers and Achievers recognition

Lauren Kluthe of Heartland High School has been honored as one of the Nebraska School Activities Association and U.S. Bank's Believers and Achievers.

Kluthe participates in volleyball, basketball, track and field, play production and music. She was an all-state volleyball selection, earned a fifth-place medal in the 100-meter hurdles in the state meet and a finalist for the Wendy's High School Heisman.

Kluthe has a 4.0 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.

* POWERLIFTING

Doniphan hosting Class state meet Saturday

DONIPHAN -- The Class C State High School Powerlifting Championships will be Saturday at Doniphan High School. Competition in the 36th annual event starts at 8 a.m.

More than 100 boys and girls are expected to participate in the event where individuals will compete to record the highest total in the three power lifts -- squad, bench press and deadlift -- in 10 different weight classes.

Defending champions in the Class C state meet at Grand Island Central Catholic (girls) and Centura (boys).

Also Saturday, the Class B state powerlifting meet will be at Omaha Roncalli High School, starting at 8 a.m.

* TRACK & FIELD

Hastings College signs Millard North athlete

Hastings College head cross country and track and field coach Ken Clay is pleased to announce that Scott McLaughlin of Millard NOrth has signed a letter of intent to compete for the Broncos.

* BASKETBALL

Reinertson earns trip to National Elks Hoop Shoot

Rylee Reinertson of Gibbon won the Elks Regional Hoop Shoot competition for 12- and 13-year-olds in Denver last weekend.

By winning, Reinertson earned the right to represent Nebraska in the shoot as he won the Nebraska State Championship at Hastings College in February. He will now go to Springfield, Mass., in April for the National Elks Hoop Shoot competition.

Reinertson is 12 years old and is a sixth grader at Gibbon Elementary.

* COLLEGE TENNIS

Nebraska men blank Indiana State, 6-0

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. The Nebraska men's tennis team improved to 6-8 with a 6-0 sweep of the Indiana State Sycamores on Friday morning. The struggling Sycamores lost their fourth match in their last five contests and dropped to 4-9 overall this spring.

"It was good to be outside playing again," said NU Head Coach Kerry McDermott. "I thought the team played really well. We had good focus and good intensity from the start."

The teams started off with singles play due to weather concerns, with the agreement that if neither team reached four points after singles play, they would decide the match in doubles. The Huskers made sure that the match never reached that point, as it was never in doubt as the Huskers took all six singles matches.

Hendrik Stahmer got the scoring started for the Huskers with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Mpiloenhle Migogo at No. 4 singles. Calin Paar made it 2-0 after defeating Rishi Behl 6-3, 6-0 at No. 2 singles. Mark Tate, seeing his first singles action in nearly a month, breezed to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Blake Douglas at No. 6 singles to extend the NU lead to 3-0. Renato Melo clinched the match for the Huskers, giving the team its fourth point with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles.

Francois Van Impe and David Bendheim each added victories after the match had been decided. Van Impe, playing in his first match at No. 3 singles this season after spending the previous 12 NU matches at Nos. 4 and 5 singles, won 6-4, 7-5 over ISU's Jon Sigurdsson. Bendheim fought back after losing the first set to beat Anton Tsymbalov 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to finish the scoring for Nebraska.

"David did really good again, said McDermott. He played really hard even after the team outcome had been decided, and showed good fight to come back and win."

The Huskers will play two more matches in Johnson City on Saturday before heading home. They will face No. 42 East Tennessee State at 10 a.m., then will play South Carolina Upstate at 4 p.m.

Results

Nebraska 6, Indiana State 0

Doubles

Was not played (weather concerns)

Singles

No. 1 David Bendheim (NU) def. Anton Tsymbalov (ISU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 2 Calin Paar (NU) def. Rishi Behl (ISU), 6-3, 6-0

No. 3 Francois Van Impe (NU) def. Jon Sigurdsson (ISU), 6-4, 7-5

No. 4 Hendrik Stahmer (NU) def. Mpiloenhle Migogo (ISU), 6-2, 6-0

No. 5 Renato Melo (NU) def. Michael Wenham (ISU), 6-3, 6-4

No. 6 Mark Tate (NU) def. Blake Douglas (ISU), 6-3, 6-1

Nebraska women defeat Texas Tech, 6-1

LINCOLN The Nebraska women's tennis team rebounded from its first loss of the season last weekend with a 6-1 victory over Big 12 foe Texas Tech on Friday afternoon at the Nebraska Tennis Center. The Huskers improved to 12-1 with the win, including 2-1 in Big 12 play, while the Red Raiders fell to 7-5.

In doubles, the pairs of Jana Albers/Imke Reimers and Maria Ring/Wiveca Swarting each notched their 11 victory of the season, as Albers and Reimers won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles and Ring and Swarting won 8-1 at No. 2 doubles. Nebraska dropped its No. 3 doubles match, as Amber Chandronnait and Stephanie Evans fell short to TTU's Kelsy Garland and Simone Templeton, 8-5. The Huskers still won two of the three and took a 1-0 lead into singles play.

Imke Reimers opened up the scoring for Nebraska in singles play, as she defeated Kelsy Garland 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Reimers improved to 12-1 this season and 15-4 in the fall and spring combined with the win. Amber Chandronnait also improved to 12-1 this spring and 15-4 overall with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Kerryn Potgieter of Texas Tech at No. 5 singles.

Swarting, Albers and Evans each won in straight sets at No. 2, 3 and 4 singles, respectively. Texas Tech picked up its only point of the day with Maria Jose Andres' 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles over NU's Abby Buxton.

The Huskers head west to California next week for a match against Loyola Marymount on March 20. The match LMU is the first of a five match road trip for Nebraska, as it plays four straight Big 12 opponents on their home court from March 28-April 6. The Huskers return home for a match against Missouri on April 11.

Results

Nebraska 6, Texas Tech 1

Doubles

No. 1 Albers/Reimers (NU) def. Durham/Jackson (TTU), 8-3

No. 2 Ring/Swarting (NU) def. Potgieter/van der Drift (TTU), 8-1

No. 3 Garland/Templeton (TTU) def. Chandronnait/Evans (NU), 8-5

Singles

No. 1 Imke Reimers (NU) def. Kelsy Garland (TTU), 6-1, 6-2

No. 2 Wiveca Swarting (NU) def. Samantha van der Drift (TTU), 6-1, 6-1

No. 3 Jana Albers (NU) def. Simone Templeton (TTU), 7-6 (3), 6-0

No. 4 Stephanie Evans (NU) def. Janet Durham (TTU), 6-4, 6-4

No. 5 Amber Chandronnait (NU) def. Kerryn Potgieter (TTU), 6-3, 6-3

No. 6 Maria Jose Andres (TTU) def. Abby Buxton (NU), 6-1, 6-1

* BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

Northwest Little League taking registrations

The Northwest baseball/softball organization is accepting applications for the upcoming season.

The cost is $35 for ages 5-12 boys and 5-13 girls. Boys ages 9-12 needing gray pants will be $43 and can be picked up at Play It Again Sports.

Registration received after April 1 must include a $10 late fee payment. Registration forms can be picked up at Play It Again Sports.

For more information, call Roger Doud at (308) 384-7266.

* SOFTBALL

Grand Island to host District 5 tournaments

Grand Island has been awarded this year's District 5 softball tournament and will host the event June 20-22 at the Bob Sorensen Softball Compex.

There will be 10 divisions playing simultaneously. The tournament will include Class B and Class C competition in 18-and-under, 16-and-under, 14-and-under, 12-and-under and 10-and-under girls.

The A-B-C-D-D Girls Softball League of Grand Island has also announced that the 2008 season will be dedicated to the men and women of the the armed forces. The organization's first event will be a "Support Our Troops" tournament May 24-25 in Grand Island with some of the proceeds going to service men and women.

The "Support Our Troops" tournament will be open to Class B and Class C teams in 18-and-under, 14-and-under and 12-and-under divisions.

For more information, call Bob Sorensen at (308) 382-0039 or Jan Sorensen at (308) 381-2132.

Play It Again Sports summer softball meeting planned

There will be an informational meeting at 5 p.m. Sunday in the old gym at Grand Island Northwest High School for players and parents interested in Play It Again Sports summer softball.

The meeting is open to girls who currently attend or plan to attend Northwest High School. Teams are being planned for 18-and-under, 16-and-under and 14-and-under age divisions.

For more information, contact Stacey at (308) 382-8266.