Vikings Win GNAC All-Sports Title With Record Point Total

Goodrich

Western Washington scored a record 181 points in winning its third consecutive GNAC All-Sports title, according to final official figures released by the conference office Monday.

Points are awarded (on a two-point increment) based on the final finishes in each of the conference's 16 sports – 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 and women's golf, baseball and softball.

The Vikings, who have won seven all-sports titles in the 10-year history of the conference under athletic director Lynda Goodrich, broke their own record of 167 points they registered in winning the 2009-10 title.

WWU, which outpointed runner-up Western Oregon 181-141, also won both the men's and women's all-sports titles. The Vikings edged the Wolves 76-74 for their eighth men's title in 10 years.

In the women's competition, WWU, taking advantage of the addition of women's golf as an official conference sport, became the first school to tally 100 or more points in a single year as they outpointed Seattle Pacific 105-91. The women's title was the Vikings fourth.

Western Washington won three team titles and had seven second-place finishes in winning the overall title. It swept the men's and women's golf titles and also shared the volleyball championship with Seattle Pacific.

The Vikings also had seven second-place finishes. Those came in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's indoor track and field, women's basketball and softball.

Seattle Pacific won the most team titles claiming four – all on the women's side (volleyball, soccer, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field).

Western Oregon (men's outdoor track and field, men's indoor track and field and baseball), Central Washington (football, men's basketball and softball) and Alaska Anchorage (men's cross country, women's cross country and women's basketball) joined WWU as three-sport champions. Simon Fraser won its inaugural GNAC championship in men's soccer.

National All-Sports: Seawolves, Vikings in Top 20

Alaska Anchorage is ranked 13th and Western Washington is 20th in the Division II Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings at the end of the winter sports season (as of Mar.30).

The Directors Cup awards points in each sport based on a school's regional and national placings during the NCAA Division II post-season.

UAA has 332 points. They earned 169 points in the winter, including 69 for a seventh-place finish in skiing and 50 points each for their advancement to the second-round of the regional men's and women's basketball regionals.

Western Washington, which placed sixth last season, has 293 1/2 points. In the winter they scored 53 points in men's indoor track and field, 42 1/2 in indoor women's track and field and 25 in women's basketball.

Its men and women's indoor track teams placed 21st and 31st, respectively, in the national meet, while its women's basketball team lost in the opening round of the regionals.

WWU should have a strong spring. Currently four of its teams - women's rowing (1st), men's golf (2nd), women's golf (5th) and softball (6th) - are all nationally ranked in the top six.

Learfield Sports Directors Cup (Through Winter) - 13. Alaska Anchorage 332; 20. Western Washington 293 1/2; 41. Seattle Pacific 203; 72. Alaska Fairbanks 153; 111. Western Oregon 93; 141. Central Washington 58; 147. MSU Billings 50.