WWU Sixth In National All-Sports Rankings

Goodrich

Paced by a sixth straight national title in women's rowing and fourth and eighth place national finishes in men's and women's cross country teams, Western Washington placed sixth among 310 NCAA Division II schools in the final 2009-10 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings.

Western's sixth-place national finish is the highest ever national finish by a GNAC school and led all West Region schools, beating out UC San Diego which was eighth with 626 points.

The previous best-ever finish by a GNAC school was Western Washington's 10th place last year.

“I'm ecstatic about our finish and where that puts us among the best programs in Division II,” said WWU Director of Athletics Lynda Goodrich.  “That certainly reaches our goal of being among the Top 20, and hopefully this stretch of Top 10 finishes will continue for some time.”

Western finished with 642 3/4 points, 206 1/2 of those in the spring, 146 in the fall and 191 1/4 in the winter.

The Vikings tied for 14th in the women's division and tied for 16th in the men's division at the indoor track and field nationals, and the men's and women's outdoor track and field teams both tied for 18th at nationals.

Western reached the regional semifinals in men's basketball and the first round in women's basketball.  The women's golf squad placed seventh at the Super West Regional and the men's golf team tied for seventh at the Central/West Super Regional.

Grand Valley State captured its fifth straight Division II championship with 1021 1/2 points. 

Western, which was the GNAC combined sports team champion for 2009-10, won league titles in men's cross country, men's golf and men's outdoor track & field.  The Vikings also took the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference championship.

Three other GNAC teams - Seattle Pacific (43rd), Alaska Anchorage (46th) and Alaska Fairbanks (99th) - all finished in the Top 100.

Learfield Sports Directors Cup (Final Standings) - 1. Grand Valley State MI 1021 1/2, 6. Western Washington 642 3/4, 43. Seattle Pacific 357, 46. Alaska Anchorage 345 1/2, 99. Alaska Fairbanks 206, 127. Central Washington 160 1/2, 208. Western Oregon 38 1/2, 210. Montana State Billings 37, 233. Saint Martin's 5.

Western Washington Wins GNAC All-Sports Title With Record Point Total

Goodrich	O'Connell

Western Washington has won its second consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-sports title with a record-point total of 167.

Points are awarded (on a two-point increment) based on the final finishes in each of the conference's 15 sports.

Those sports include football, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track & field, men's and women's outdoor track & field, men's golf, baseball and softball. Next year women's golf becomes the 16th recognized sport.

It's the sixth overall championship for the Vikings under the leadership of athletic director Lynda Goodrich. The Vikings won four consecutive titles beginning with the 2001-02 season and running through 2004-05.

Western Washington broke its own record point total of 161 it set in 2004-05.

The Vikings outdistanced Seattle Pacific 167-140 in the overall standings. Western Oregon finished third with 117 points. Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene tied for fourth-place with 109 points.

WWU also won the men's all-sports title for the seventh time in nine seasons, also with a record point total of 78. Western Oregon finished second with 62 points.

Seattle Pacific earned the women's all-sports title with 94 points, edging the defending champion Vikings by five points. The Falcons have won six of the last seven women's titles.

While SPU finished second in the overall standings, they won the most team titles claiming five championships including four in the women's division.

The Falcons, under the direction of athletic director Erin O'Connell, earned titles in women's soccer, basketball, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field and in men's basketball.

WWU won three titles – all in men's sports (cross country, outdoor track and field and golf). Western Oregon (indoor track and field, baseball), Central Washington (football, softball) and Alaska Anchorage (volleyball, women's cross country) each won two.

Saint Martin's won its first-ever GNAC championship this past season in men's soccer.