Eastern Arizona College punter Caleb Walden, a 2008 Capital High graduate, was recently named to the NJCAA preseason all-American first team.

Quarterback Tanner Mangum, who will begin his sophomore season at Timberline High this fall, is featured in the CBS MaxPreps Fresh Faces Class of 2012 Top 100.

Chari Hawkins, who will be a senior this fall at Madison High in Rexburg, placed fourth Wednesday in the young women's heptathlon at the USATF National Junior Olympics in Greensboro, N.C.

The Les Bois U17 girls will be in Virginia Beach, Va., this weekend competing in the US Club Soccer National Cup.

Joseph Delgado, an Ontario High (Ore.) freshman who competes for Boise-based YMCA Team Idaho, won the youth boys pentathlon Tuesday at the USATF National Junior Olympics in Greensboro, N.C., breaking a 20-year-old record in the process.

Boise native Nick Symmonds appears to be peaking at the right time after he posted a personal best over 800 meters in his final tuneup for next month's IAAF World Championships.

These Treasure Valley athletes have either signed or have announced their intention to sign letters of intent with colleges programs.

One of the greatest joys of being a high school sports reporter is bumping into former athletes who have moved on to college programs or other walks of life.

Just last week I was lucky enough to catch up with Bishop Kelly graduate and former 800-meter state champion Spencer Carter in Missoula, Mont. Carter, who is running for Notre Dame these days, said he is in Missoula doing a summer internship or something of that sort with Montana Youth Homes.

Josh Downey was recently hired to replace Dave Roberts as Timberline High boys basketball coach after leading Heritage High in Vancouver, Wash., to a stunning turnaround in his only season at the school.

Recent Centennial High graduate and standout basketball player Heather Adams is among 25 student-athletes selected from 55,000 applicants as national recipients of a 2009 Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY) Award.