
Five athletes who are being enshrined in the Portland Interscholastic League’s Hall of Fame now live in Vancouver or competed at Clark College
The historic Portland Interscholastic League, featuring high school athletes and teams for decades in the Rose City, will be adding 36 members to its Hall of Fame on Sunday, and five have ties to Clark County.
- Dave Gassaway, Class of 1974 from Madison High School, earned three basketball letters and three baseball letters. He was voted the school’s top athlete as a senior. He would go on to play baseball at Oregon State University. After college, he excelled in a 42-year engineering career. He also coached youth sports. He now lives in Vancouver.
- Lisa Gunderson Romig is a 2000 graduate of Wilson High School. She won a state championship in the high jump and pole vault as a four-year letter earner in track and field, plus she earned three letters in cross country, three in basketball, and one in swimming. She was the Portland State University athlete of the year in 2007 and was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American. She now lives in Vancouver.
- Laura Matthews Stanford is a 1980 Jackson High School graduate, who earned four softball letters, three in volleyball, and three in basketball. She earned a full basketball scholarship to Clark College before continuing her college career in Hawaii.
- Livia Strandberg is a 2015 graduate of Roosevelt High School. She earned four volleyball letters, four basketball letters, and one softball letter. She was second-team all-state in volleyball. From Roosevelt, she excelled at Clark College, being named a junior college All-American. She also played basketball at Clark. She then played two years of volleyball at Concordia University. She lives in Vancouver.
- Kisha Swafford-Gayhart is a 1998 graduate of Benson. She earned four track and field letters and three basketball letters. In track and field, she was a state champion at the 100, 200 and as a member of the 4×100 relay team. She is a teacher in Clark County and lives in Vancouver.
For more information on the PIL Hall of Fame and the banquet, go to: https://pilhalloffame.org/
Also read:
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- Opinion: Kindness is always welcome, even in places where one does not always find itPaul Valencia reflects on how a brief moment of kindness between a journalist and a football coach underscores the importance of respect in journalism and public life.
- The Study of Sports Podcast Dec. 30, 2025: A look ahead to 2026 with WIAA amendments, a year in review in high school sports, plus remembering the Mariners’ magical runThe latest Study of Sports Podcast looks ahead to proposed WIAA amendments, reviews high school sports in 2025, and reflects on the Seattle Mariners’ memorable run.
- Virginia Rodeman defies limits and wins No-Gi World Championship in Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBattle Ground athlete Virginia Rodeman won two divisions at the No-Gi World Championship in Las Vegas, continuing an eight-year rise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition.
- High school sports: Pac Coast Wrestling to showcase some of the best in the Northwest and beyond Clark County will host major high school sports events next week, highlighted by the Pac Coast Wrestling Championships in Ridgefield and holiday basketball tournaments featuring local teams.






