The Seattle University athletic department celebrated the end of a successful year, one that saw many of the teams have success in their first seasons at the Division I level, with the annual awards show, held Thursday night, May 14, at Pigott Auditorium.
The most prestigious award that is given out is the Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award, which recognizes two student-athletes for their accomplishments both in competition and in the classroom. Katie Hansen (Portland, Ore.) was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year after continuing as one of the best distance runners in history, winning two races during the cross country season and continuing to set records in the indoor track and field season. She is majoring in biology with a 3.93 grade point average. Men’s basketball star Austen Powers (Glendale, Ariz.) received the Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award after helping the team post a 21-8 record, including victories over Louisiana Tech, , Loyola Marymount, and UC Irvine. In the classroom, he is carrying a 3.55 grade point average while majoring in liberal studies.
The Bill Fenton 101 Club Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards, named for the long-time athletic director at the university, were presented to Jamie Foote (Lynnwood, Wash.) of the softball team and Bryson Chiu (Carmel, Ind.) from the men’s swim program. Foote led the softball team with a .381 batting average, nine doubles, two triples, seven home runs, and 32 runs batted in. The senior third baseman earned first team All-Independent honors as she helped her team win the Independent Softball Tournament at the end of the season. Chiu scored the most points for the men’s swim team at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships and was one of three SeattleU swimmers to compete in the Austin Grand Prix, an elite swim meet coordinated by USA Swimming. During the past year, Chiu set two school records individually and was part of a third one in the 200 medley relay.
The Mission Awards are given to an individual and a team in recognition of their work in the community. Sean Rawson (Hood River, Ore.) of the men’s soccer team was involved in recruiting students to the Opus Prize/Mission Day events and then spent winter quarter in through SU’s IDIP program. He has earned a 3.905 grade point average majoring in international studies and will return to after graduation as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps International. The team award went to the volleyball squad, which has accumulated over 225 hours of community service so far this year working for organizations such as Susan G. Komen For The Cure, the Rotary Boys and Girls Club, Children’s Literary Project, and Childhaven.
The Mark Escandon University Sports Service Award, named for the former athletic trainer who spent 12 years within the department, is given to an individual who has gone above and beyond in their service to the athletic department. Caitlin Kimura was brought in to work part-time with concessions. Not only did she transform the concession service into a well-oiled machine, but then she moved into marketing and promotions, initiating ideas such as SU Idol and student-athlete features at actual events.
One of the new awards was Competition of the Year, presented to the team which had, in the selection committee's opinion, the most exciting athletic event of the year. The women's basketball team earned the award for its come-from-behind 75-74 victory over North Dakota on Feb. 7 at the Connolly Center, in which SeattleU was down by five with 51 seconds remaining before a tying three-pointer by Breanna Salley (East Bethel, Minn.) and a game-winning free throw from Chelsie Morrison (Portland, Ore.) kept the perfect home record alive. That contest beat out other nominees such as the men's soccer team's 1-0 victory at Portland, the women's tennis team's upset of Eastern Washington on the road, and Hansen coming back to win her section of the 5000 meter run at the Husky Classic.
Another new honor, called the Freshman 15, recognized the best first-year student-athletes in the department. The 16 freshmen who were called on stage to accept this honor were: Keith Andrews (men's swimming), Erik Barkhaus (men's cross country), Sarah Bolce (women's cross country), Aaron Broussard (men's basketball), Hayley Cobb (women's swimming), Kaytlyn Dill (volleyball), Justin Goar (men's golf), Ty Jaros (men's track and field), Kelsey Johnson (women's golf), Elle Kerfoot (women's basketball), Hannah Klein (softball), Kyle Peterman (men's soccer), Jordan Salisbury (women's soccer), Katrina Schwab (women's tennis), Adam Strizich (men's tennis), and Rachel Vranizan (women's track and field).
Libby Graff (Beaverton, Ore.) of the volleyball team and Shaun Burl (Berkeley, Calif.) of the men's basketball squad served as co-hosts of the event and participated in three dance routines. The crowd was also treated to several videos, including the highlight video at the end of the event showcasing some of the best moments from the past nine months. After the show, the student-athletes gathered together for an ice cream social in the lobby of the Pigott building.
The Seattle University athletic department is about to complete Year One of the reclassification process and will begin Year Two on July 1, 2009. The addition of baseball brings the sport count for the department to 19, and all of them will be required to follow Division I rules, including in scheduling.