Mid-Columbia sports briefs for Friday, Feb. 5

Richland athletes sign with colleges

Richland High School soccer standout Samantha Heilman signed her letter of intent to play soccer for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The Washington State Soccer Coaches’ Association named Heilman second-team all-state in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, she was the player of the year for the Mid-Columbia Conference and the Tri-City Herald All-Area team.

Heilman, a 5-foot-10 forward with a 4.0 grade-point average, also plays for Three Rivers Soccer Club.

▪ Richland’s Griffey March will play football in the fall at the College of Idaho, joining fellow Bombers Brecken Galliher and Hunter Grade.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound March was named the MCC All-Purpose Player of the Year last season and received first-team honors at defensive back and wide receiver.

Delaney Hodgins earns honor as scholar-athlete

Eastern Washington sophomore forward Delaney Hodgins (Chiawana High School) was named the Eastern Washington University women’s scholar-athlete of the month for January.

Hodgins, a health services administration major, has a 3.76 grade-point average.

She finished with 21 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against North Dakota on Jan. 2, then scored 21 points against Southern Utah on Jan. 14. She had 19 points against Montana on Jan. 23.

This is the third consecutive month a Tri-Citian has been honored. Hodgins’ older sister and teammate, Hayley, was a December scholar-athlete of the month, and football player Aaron Neary of Hanford was recognized in November.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 9:03 PM with the headline "Mid-Columbia sports briefs for Friday, Feb. 5."