SPU's Pixler, MSUB's Charles GNAC Scholar-Athlete Award Winners

Pixler	Charles

Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler, who won four national titles in three sports while earning a 3.93 GPA in English, has been selected the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

All-American soccer player Sam Charles of Montana State Billings have been selected the GNAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year , respectively. Charles won the award for the second year in a row. He is the first male athlete to win the academic award twice.

The two athletes will now be candidates for the 2010 Conference Commissioners Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which will be selected later this summer.

Pixler, who also was voted the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year, joined volleyball player Liz Bishop of Western Washington as the only athlete to sweep the two major season-ending conference awards. Bishop won both during the 2003-04 season.

Last fall Pixler won her fourth straight GNAC cross country title, her fourth straight regional title and her third straight national title becoming the first female in Division II history to win three individual titles and only the third in any division to accomplish that feat.

She won the conference title in a time of 21:03, then added regional and national titles in times of 20:08.9 and 20:22.6. Both her conference and regional times established course records.

Last winter, she won her fourth straight NCAA Indoor national title in the mile in a time of 4:46.42 and also led the Falcons to a national title in the distance medley relay. She ran the anchor leg as the Falcons posted a winning time of 11:29.88.

In the indoor conference meet, she won the 800 meters and mile in meet-record times of 2:08.28 and 4:40.39, respectively, and also led SPU to a conference title in the distance medley relay in a time of 11:36.32.

This spring she won the 1500 meters at the NCAA national meet – her 12 th career national title - with a time of 4:15.43 after earlier sweeping the 800 and 1500 meters at the conference meet with meet-record times of 2:06.38 and 4:24.01 and anchoring SPU to a win the 4x400 relay in a time of 3:53.78.

In addition to winning 12 national titles including three in cross country, six in indoor track and three in outdoor track, she won 10 career GNAC Athlete-of-the-Year awards, including four in cross country (2006-09), four in Indoor Track and Field (2007-10) and two in Outdoor Track and Field (2007, 2010).

Pixler, who is an English major, had a cumulative GPA of 3.93 and three different times was selected the USTFCCCA Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year and twice earned the award for Indoor Track and Field.

Charles ( Chiswell, England - Budmouth Tech) had a brilliant career on the field and in the classroom. He led the GNAC in scoring each of the past three seasons, capping his career by scoring a GNAC single-season record 24 goals and 55 points last season. He led the nation in goals scored and was selected the Ron Lenz Daktronics Division II National Player of the Year.

Charles, who was the runner-up to Spevak in the Athlete-of-the-Year balloting, finished his career with 69 goals, 18 assists and 156 points, including 62 goals, 16 assists and 140 points over the past three seasons. Twice (2007 and 2009) he was voted the GNAC Player of the Year.