Western Oregon's Waechter up For Oregon Sports Awards Athlete of The Year

Other nominees in Waechter’s category include Corban College basketball player Eric Fiegi, Willamette runner Nick Symmonds, George Fox baseball player Derrick Jones and Concordia track and field standout Scott Halley.

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MONMOUTH - The 55th annual Oregon Sports Awards will return to the Tiger Woods Center at the Nike World Campus next month, and Western Oregon University pitcher Nick Waechter will be one of the event’s honorees.

The Oregon Sports Awards will celebrate the best in the state in 2006 with another glittering stage show at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton.

The event will honor the top athletes, coaches, teams, administrators and organizations from last year in the state of Oregon.

Former University of Oregon and NFL star Ahmad Rashad will host this year’s festivities, which begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11th.

Comcast 14 will televise the show live, and 1080 the Fan will offer simulcast coverage, along with a 90-minute pre-show broadcast.

More than 70 athletes, coaches, teams and organizations will honored for their performances in 2006.

Winners in 13 categories, from high school to the professional ranks, will be announced during the stage show.

Waechter is one of five finalists for the Ad Rutschman Small College Male Athlete of the Year.

The Roseburg native was a perfect 12-0 on the mound in 2006, helping to lead the Wolves to their sixth straight conference title and a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Division II west region tournament.

The junior, who had a 2.36 ERA, was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and Division II west region pitcher of the year, and was named to the second team All-American squad.

He is WOU’s all-time leader in strikeouts with 269.

He was drafted in the 23rd round by the New York Mets, and signed with the organization last June.

More than a dozen other sports celebrities from Oregon’s past and present will help hand out the awards.

Tickets are $50 and include complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres before the show, along with desserts and coffee afterward.

For ticket information, call (503) 721-7477, ext. 12

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