Brainard

PENDLETON — Blue Mountain Community College’s Chad Napoleon was named to the Northwest Athletic Conference East first team for the second year in a row.

“It’s the end of his illustrious Blue Mountain career,” Timberwolves coach Doug Baxter said. “This is the only time we have had a first-team player, let alone a guy doing it twice. I hope Multnomah (University) knows what they are getting.”

A 6-foot-5 center/forward from Delray Beach, Florida, Napoleon started all 27 games for the Timberwolves. He averaged 19.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He also shot 48.8% from the floor and 66.1% from the free-throw line.

“He’s been our energy,” Baxter said. “We’ve been hard on him, but I think he realizes that it was to make him better. We are going to miss our four sophomores, who accounted for 75% of our scoring. Chad, Tyler Newsom, Cash Lang and Kyan Thompson were the bulk of our scoring. We are on the recruiting trail.”

Napoleon also became the first BMCC player to score 1,000 points. He hit the milestone on Jan. 28, at Big Bend. He leaves the program as the top scorer in school history with 1,154 points.

Napoleon signed to play at Multnomah University on Feb. 25. The Lions play at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics level in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. They were 13-15 overall this season.

Lang also broke into the top five scoring list at BMCC during the season.

Walla Walla Community College’s Kyson Rose was named the NWAC East MVP, while North Idaho’s Corey Symons was named coach of the year.

The BMCC women had Jaelyn Brainard named to the NWAC East second team for the second year in a row, and to the all-defensive team.

“She was a kid who came to us from Coeur d’Alene,” BMCC coach Adam Driver said. “She deferred to kids there who went D-I. She came to us and built up her confidence and blossomed for us. She led us in scoring the past two years. We knew what we are going to get out of her every game.”

The 5-9 sophomore guard from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, averaged 16.2 points a game while shooting 46.2% from the floor. She also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Driver said Brainard has been talking to several NAIA schools about continuing her career.

“That’s the hard thing about being a two-year school,” he said. “You only get them for a short amount of time.

Aliyah Finch of Yakima Valley was named the NWAC East MVP and freshman of the year. Amy Sokaitis of Columbia Basin was named coach of the year.

NWAC East men

MVP — Kyson Rose, Walla Walla

Defensive player of the year — Julius Mims, North Idaho

Freshman of the year — Cobi Campbell, North Idaho

Coach of the year — Corey Symons, North Idaho

First team

Cobi Campbell, North Idaho; Emmett Holt, Spokane; Taden King, North Idaho; Julius Mims, North Idaho; Chad Napoleon, Blue Mountain.

Second team

Ayoni Benavidez, Wenatchee Valley; Javonte Garrett, Yakima Valley; Josh Gillespie, Walla Walla; Amar Rivers, Columbia Basin; Spencer Wright, Walla Walla.

All-Defensive team

Trey Arland, Walla Walla; Xavier Bailey, North Idaho; DJ Frye, Big Bend; Bright Kari, Yakima Valley; Trey Stevens, Spokane.

NWAC East women

MVP — Aliyah Finch, Yakima Valley

Defensive players of the year — Aliyah Finch, Yakima Valley; Dylan Lovett, Walla Walla, Trinidie Nichols, Columbia Basin.

Freshman of the year — Aliyah Finch, Yakima Valley

Coach of the year — Amy Sokaitis, Columbia Basin

First team

Madeline Gebers, Spokane; Ambra Hacker, Big Bend; Lexie Heath, Columbia Basin; McKenzie Long, Walla Walla; Trinidie Nichols, Columbia Basin.

Second team

Darbi Avery, Walla Walla; Jaelyn Brainard, Blue Mountain; Addie Kiefer, North Idaho; Dylan Lovett, Walla Walla; Alexis Stein, Wenatchee Valley.

All-Defensive team

Jaelyn Brainard, Blue Mountain; Monica Miller, Wenatchee Valley; AJ Sobotta, Spokane; Callie Tolman, Big Bend; Kylie Wood, Walla Walla.