Western Oregon Wins Its First All-Sports Title

Jon Carey

Western Oregon, which won five GNAC sports titles including four this spring, is the 2007-08 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Sports Team Champion. It is the first all-sports title for the Wolves.

WOU, which outpointed Western Washington 158-152, is the third different GNAC team to win the all-sports title. WWU won the first four championships (2001-02 to 2004-05), while Seattle Pacific finished first each of the past two seasons.

Western Oregon, under the direction of athletic director Jom Carey, won titles in men's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, baseball, softball and women's outdoor track and field. The Wolves shared the softball title with Seattle University.

WOU also won the GNAC Men's All-Sport championship edging Western Washington, which won five consecutive titles between 2001-02 and 2005-06, by two points. Defending champion Central Washington finished third. (All-Time All-Sports Standings) (Year-by-Year Conference Champions)

Northwest Nazarene Sweeps GNAC All-Sports Academic Titles

Sanders

Northwest Nazarene University posted the best team grade point averages in four different sports in sweeping the 2007-08 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Academic All-Sports titles.

The Crusaders, under athletic director Rich Sanders, piled up a total of 145 points in winning their first GNAC Academic all-sports title. Seattle Pacific, which won titles in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, edged defending champion Seattle University 132-130 for second place, while Montana State Billings nipped Saint Martin's 111-110 for fourth place.

The Crusaders also won their first-ever men's title, finishing first in both basketball and golf, and scoring a total of 65 points. Seattle Pacific (with 54 points) nipped Seattle University (52 points) and Saint Martin's (50 points) for second-place.

WWU Finishes 20th in National All-Sports

Three GNAC teams, led by Western Washington, had their best-ever finishes in the 2007-08 U.S Sports Academy Directors' Cup standings. The Directors Cup awards points based on a team's finish in regional and national competion.

The Vikings finished 20th, the best finish by a GNAC team, and the second highest finish by a West Region team. WWU scored 319 3/4 of its 466 3/4 points in the spring, including 100 by its national champion women's rowing team.

Alaska Anchorage, which ended up 51st, and Northwest Nazarene, which placed 127th, also had their best-ever finishes as NCAA members.

U.S. Sports Academy Directors Cup Division II Standings - 20. Western Washington 466 3/4; 27. Seattle Pacific 421 1/4; 51. Alaska Anchorage 305; 85. Seattle University 206; 112. Alaska Fairbanks 154; 132. Western Oregon 136 1/2; 137. Northwest Nazarene 132; 139. Central Washington 125 1/2; 197. Saint Martin's 46 1/2 (Year-by-Year National All-Sports Standings)