Former Mariner Bret Boone hired as manager of Victoria ballclub

Former Seattle Mariners second baseman Bret Boone has been hired as the manager of the Victoria (B.C.) Seals, a team in the Golden Baseball League.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for me to start the second chapter of my baseball career," said Boone, 40. "Returning to the Pacific Northwest is a thrill for me."

Boone's position with the Seals marks his first foray into professional baseball management.

Boone is a three-time All-Star and won four Gold Glove awards in his 14 major-league seasons. He finished his playing career with a .266 batting average, 252 home runs and 1,021 RBI in 1,780 games.

The Seals open their season May 21. The Golden Baseball League is an independent league featuring nine teams, from Calgary to Tucson.

Golf

• Senior Nick Taylor provided one of the bright spots of the day by shooting a 1-under 70 — the only Washington Husky to score in the red on Tuesday at the Lexus Classic in Fresno, Calif. Taylor birdied the final two holes to finish the tournament 2-over and tied for 11th place.

• Sophomore Kristen Allard led the Washington State golf team with a 73 in the second round of the UNLV Spring Invitational. She is tied for 17th place.

College basketball

• Seattle University player Charles Garcia has been named Independent Player of the Year, while head coach Cameron Dollar is Independent Coach of the Year in voting done by the coaches and sports information directors of the seven Division I independent schools.

• Seattle Pacific guard Daesha Henderson of Snohomish is the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's basketball Player of the Year. For the season, the 5-foot-8 Henderson is averaging 13.3 points, a conference-best 2.5 steals and 2.7 assists.

SPU's Julie van Beek was named Coach of the Year.

Track and field

• Ruby Roberts, a two-time state cross-country champion from Kingston High, has signed with Washington State University.

• Puyallup's Emmanuel Bofa was selected as the West region Track Athlete of the Year for the Div. III indoor track and field season. Bofa competes for Whitworth and specializes in the 800 meters.

Elsewhere

• At the U.S. Men's National Curling Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., a team from Seattle's Granite Curling Club is tied for fourth place as the playoff round nears. Wes Johnson of Everett and his team of Leon Romaniuk, Paul Lyttle and Richard Maskel are 3-3 after a 10-3 win Tuesday afternoon.

From sports information reports