COEUR d'ALENE - The honors for North Idaho College kept coming in on Saturday night.

NIC women's basketball coach Chris Carlson, basketball player Kama Griffitts and wrestler Jamelle Jones swept the college awards at Saturday's 49th annual North Idaho Sports Banquet at the Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn.

Carlson and Idaho men's basketball coach Don Verlin shared college coach of the year honors.

Carlson led the Cardinals to their first NJCAA championship and was named the national coach of the year following the team's 90-81 win over Trinity Valley in Salina, Kan., on March 19.

Griffitts, who has signed to play basketball at the University of Arizona next year, was named a second-team NJCAA All-American earlier this week after leading the Cardinals to the national title.

Jones was named most outstanding wrestler at the NJCAA tournament in Spokane in February after winning a national title at 197 pounds - his second national title in four years - at the Spokane Convention Center.

Female sports coach of the year honors were shared by Larson Anderson, who led the Grangeville Bulldogs to a 2A state girls basketball championship, and Timberlake’s Shawn Lawler, who coached the Tiger girls cross country team to its second straight state 3A title.

Rob Bafus was named male coach of the year after leading Troy to a 1A Division I state football championship.

Lewiston and Lapwai shared the award for female high school team of the year, both winning state championships in February at the Idaho Center in Nampa — Lewiston in 5A, Lapwai in 1A Division I.

Male team of the year honors were shared by the Coeur d’Alene football and Clearwater Valley boys basketball teams.

Savannah Blinn of Lewiston was named female athlete of the year and Jake Matheson of Coeur d’Alene was named male athlete of the year.

Verlin led the Vandals to a 18-14 season and third-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference.

Matheson had 51 catches for 904 yards and seven touchdowns, and also had 12 interceptions for the Viking football team, which won its first state title since 1985, beating Centennial in November at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow. Matheson also helped lead Coeur d’Alene to a Region 1 championship and third-place finish at the state 5A basketball tournament in March.

Blinn, who has signed to play volleyball at Gonzaga, led the Lewiston girls basketball team to its second straight 5A Region 1 championship and first state title since 1976. She also led the Bengals to state in volleyball for the second straight season and was named the 5A Inland Empire League player of the year.

Also Saturday night, six people were inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame — Jake Plummer, former Capital High, Arizona State and NFL quarterback who summered in Coeur d’Alene as a youth, and now lives in retirement in Sandpoint; Ian Waltz, a former Post Falls High and Washington State standout, and a two-time U.S. Olympian in the discus; Jeff Robinson, the University of Idaho’s all-time sack leader who went on to carve out a successful career in the NFL as a long snapper; Irene Matlock, who coached Sandpoint High to four state volleyball titles in four seasons in the 1980s, before going on to a distinguished career as volleyball coach at Community Colleges of Spokane; Ray Faraca, former two-way starter for the Idaho football team, and former Kellogg High football coach; and Ed Cheff, coach and architect of the powerhouse Lewis-Clark State College baseball program, who recently retired.

Also, the 1984 Sandpoint High volleyball team, coached by Matlock, was honored as this year’s Legends team.

The top high school athletes in each sport were also honored. Coeur d’Alene senior Kinsey Gomez won for top female track and field athlete, and top female cross country athlete.

AWARD WINNERS

NORTH IDAHO

COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR — Don Verlin, Idaho men’s basketball; and Chris Carlson, North Idaho College women’s basketball.

COLLEGE TEAM OF THE YEAR — NIC women’s basketball.

FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Kama Griffitts, NIC women’s basketball.

MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Jamelle Jones, NIC wrestling.

COACH OF THE YEAR, FEMALE SPORTS — Larson Anderson, Grangeville basketball; and Shawn Lawler, Timberlake cross country.

COACH OF THE YEAR, MALE SPORTS — Rob Bafus, Troy football.

FEMALE TEAM OF THE YEAR — Lewiston girls basketball (5A state champions), and Lapwai girls basketball (1A Division I state champions).

MALE TEAM OF THE YEAR — Coeur d’Alene football (5A state champions), and Clearwater Valley boys basketball (1A Division I state champions).

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Savannah Blinn, Lewiston.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Jake Matheson, Coeur d’Alene.

HIGH SCHOOL

FOOTBALL (5A-4A) — Jake Matheson, Coeur d’Alene.

FOOTBALL (3A-1A) — Brad Anderson, St. Maries; Marshall Williams, Troy.

CROSS COUNTRY — David Norris, Coeur d’Alene.

BASKETBALL (5A-4A) — Connor Hill, Post Falls.

BASKETBALL (3A-1A) — Eugene Heavy Runner, Clearwater Valley.

WRESTLING (5A-4A) — Casey George, Lewiston.

WRESTLING (3A-1A) — Ebben Lane, Kamiah; Trevor Hampton, Bonners Ferry.

SWIMMING — Patrick Loftus, Lake City.

BASEBALL — Devon Austin, Coeur d’Alene.

GOLF — Alex Pounds, Coeur d’Alene.

TRACK AND FIELD (5A-4A) — Cody Curtis, Coeur d’Alene.

TRACK AND FIELD (3A-1A) — Kyle Curtice, Kendrick.

SOCCER — Chris Wheelock, Lake City; and Tanner Williams, Sandpoint.

FEMALE

VOLLEYBALL (5A-4A) — Savannah Blinn, Lewiston

VOLLEYBALL (3A-1A) — Tia Asbury, St. Maries.

BASKETBALL (5A-4A) — Tanis Fuller, Lewiston; and Carli Rosenthal, Coeur d’Alene.

BASKETBALL (3A-1A) — Katherine Samuels, Lapwai; and Cassie Thompson, Timberlake.

SWIMMING — Kjirsten Magnuson, Lake City.

SOFTBALL — Richelle Ashburn, Post Falls.

TRACK AND FIELD (5A-4A) — Kinsey Gomez, Coeur d’Alene.

TRACK AND FIELD (3A-1A) — Taylor Hewitt, Culdesac.

SOCCER — Kellsi Parson, Lewiston.

GOLF — Kaceelyn Pouttu, Kellogg.

CROSS COUNTRY — Kinsey Gomez, Coeur d’Alene.

TENNIS — Shania Gustafson/Chelsea Macumber, Clark Fork.