NW Briefs: Notre Dame pursuing OSU coach

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon State baseball coach Pat Casey, who led the Beavers to the College World Series title, has interviewed for the coaching job at Notre Dame, two newspapers reported on their Web sites Tuesday.

Casey told the Oregonian that he expects to be offered the job, but would not decide whether to accept until Thursday at the earliest.

The Portland Tribune also reported that Casey was in South Bend, Ind., Tuesday for an interview. It reported that athletic director Bob De Carolis of OSU has been working on an extension for Casey, whose base salary last season was $120,000.

Notre Dame is believed to be offering about $300,000 per season.

Casey, 45, has compiled a 391-253-4 record in 12 years at Oregon State.

Notes

• Kristin Hill, a 1990 graduate of Bellevue's Newport High School, has been named coach for the new women's swimming and diving team at Boise State. Hill was an NAIA All-American swimmer at the University of Puget Sound (as Kristin Watson). She has been an assistant coach at Texas A&M since 2000.

• Longtime high-school coaches Butch Blue, Ron Brown, Dave Denny and Earl "Punky" Omeg will be inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Aug. 10 in Kelso.

Blue coached 26 seasons at Battle Ground. Brown's career included 47 years and two state boys titles at Centralia. Omeg coached at Rochester, Yelm, Kittitas and Onalaska.

Denny won three state boys championships at Mark Morris of Longview before finishing his head-coaching career at Auburn High School. He is an assistant basketball coach at Highline Community College.

Three other coaches — Al Hairston, Ed Pepple and Jerry Koester — were inducted last week in Seattle in a separate ceremony.

• Seattle Pacific University finished 14th — the school's highest finish — in NCAA Division II all-sports standings. SPU's women's soccer team was runner-up in the nation, and the Falcons' men's basketball team reached the semifinals.

• About 1,500 rowers from more than 100 clubs in North America will compete next month in the USRowing Masters National Championships on Green Lake in Seattle. USRowing and the Green Lake Crew, Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing, and Conibear Rowing Club will host the event Aug. 10-13. Competitors from age 21 to over 80 are expected.

Compiled from The Associated Press and sports-information reports.