Reedsport graduate Leslie Wheeler dominated the Northwest Conference women's golf championships last week, winning by seven strokes and earning her first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III championships.

Wheeler, who competes for Linfield, had a two-day total of 156 to lead the Wildcats to second place behind Puget Sound at Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters.

Wheeler opened the two-day tournament with a 5-over 77 and followed that with a 79. She was seven strokes better than Puget Sound's Emily Lau and Willamette's Whitney Ueno.

Wheeler, a senior, also was conference champion as a sophomore, but wasn't selected for the national tournament that spring.

The national event is in Florida next week.

“I'm very excited, and a little nervous,” Wheeler said. “I don't know what to expect going into it.

“I've talked to a couple girls who have (been to nationals) in our conference, so it's helped ease the nervous wreck of a person I am right now.”

The national tournament, to be played at Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort at Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla., begins on Tuesday and runs through May 11.

“Overall, I'm just really excited to be able to play and represent Linfield,” Wheeler said. “It's a great opportunity and I'm really glad I've gotten a chance to play the past four years to develop my game. This is a really good finish to my senior year.”

Earlier this spring, Wheeler won the George Fox Invitational and finished second in both the Puget Sound Invitational and the Northwest Conference Spring Classic.

“I'm really glad with my new coach (Karly Cramer) this year,” Wheeler said. “She's helped a ton. She's amazingly inspirational.”

Wheeler grew up learning golf at Forest Hills Country Club, where her dad, Kevin, is the pro.

“My dad has been great,” she said. “It will be really nice because he is flying out to watch.”

Romanko sets record

Air Force Academy freshman Ally Romanko returned to Oregon recently and set a freshman record for her team by running an all-time best 2:10.49 in the 800 meters at the Oregon Invitational.

Romanko, a North Bend graduate, placed seventh and broke her own record, set during the indoor season.

Earlier this spring, Romanko won the Service Academy Championships 800 in 2:11.63. She placed fourth in the event at the Mountain West Conference indoor championships.

Over the weekend, Romanko moved to sixth on the all-time Air Force list in the 400 meters, clocking a time of 57.99 seconds in her first effort at the event.

Track qualifiers

Four South Coast athletes have qualified for the NCAA regionals in track and field.

Oregon's Leah Worthen, a Marshfield graduate, has qualified as part of the school's 4x400-meter relay team. Worthen has season bests of 55.41 seconds in the 400 and 25.00 seconds in the 200 and also tried the 400-meter hurdles for the first time, with a best of 64.28.

North Bend graduate Ashley McCrea, also at Oregon, has qualified in the javelin, with a season best of 166 feet, 8 inches.

Brookings-Harbor graduate Inger Appanaitis, at Nevada, also has qualified in the javelin with her best this spring of 158-4. She recently won the shot put at the Hornet Invitational with a mark of 45-103/4.

Siuslaw graduate Haley Hunt, at Colorado State University, has qualified in the hammer throw with a toss of 184-9 and is close in the shot put (45-113/4).

OIT track

A trio of South Coast athletes won events for the Oregon Institute of Technology in a dual meet against Southern Oregon University last weekend.

North Bend graduate Brian Wuethrich won the shot put and discus and finished second in the javelin and hammer throw.

Bandon graduate Kelsey Stolz won the javelin, while fellow former Tiger Nicki Smith won the high hurdles.

Cram wins decathlon

Siuslaw graduate Collin Cram won the NWAACC decathlon this week.

Cram, who competes for Lane Community College, had a score of 6,553 for the two-day event. He won the long jump, shot put, high hurdles, discus, pole vault and javelin.

Dellinger sets record

Marshfield graduate Mary Beth Dellinger set a new school record for Campbell University while competing at the Northeast Conference swimming championships in Washington, D.C.

Dellinger was timed in 2 minutes, 19.14 seconds in the 200-yard butterfly to set a new school record. She placed 18th in that event, 20th in the 400 individual medley (4:58.12) and 21st in the 200 backstroke (2:21.31).

Dellinger is a freshman at Campbell.

Martindale signs with Regis University

Siuslaw graduate Kammy Martindale will join the Regis University basketball team in Colorado next year.

Martindale, who averaged 16.5 points a game as Lane Community College won the NWAACC championship this winter, will transfer to the Denver school for her final two years of college eligibility.

Regis, anNCAA Division II school, won the Rocky Mountain Conference this winter.