GNAC Sports

SPU Ninth In Director's Cup Early Standings

Seattle Pacific currently ranks ninth in the 2007-08 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup NCAA Division II all-sports standings (Standings through Dec. 3).

The Directors' Cup is a join effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. The United States Sports Academy is the sponsor of the program, which awards points based on each institution's national finishes.

SPU has a total of 173 points, earning 90 for its second-place finish in women's cross country and 83 for its third-place finish in women's soccer. Grand Valley State is the leader with 321 points.

The standings do not currently include football. Once football is included Grand Valley, which is in the NCAA Final Four, will earn at least 83 more points.

SPU is one of five GNAC teams ranked in the Top 100. Western Washington is 16th with 147 points, while Seattle University is 46th with 75 points. Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon are 88th with 25.

Central Washington will climb into the Top 100 once football is included as they will earn 73 points for their national quarterfinal appearance.

The competition continues through winter and spring sports. SPU's best ever finish in the competition was a GNAC-best 14th in 2005-06. Last year the Falcons finished 26th.

Gutierrez Finalist For NCAA Woman-of-the-Year

Seattle University graduate Ana Gutierrez (Las Cruces, N.M.), a four-year standout on the women's soccer team, was one of the nine finalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year award for 2006-07.

Now in its 17th year, the Woman of the Year award honors exceptional female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility.

Gutierrez attended the ceremonies for the award in late September in Indianapolis. While in Indianapolis, Woman of the Year honorees participated in a community-service project for Habitat for Humanity.

Capping a four-year span in which she helped the soccer team to a 58-17-8 record, Gutierrez anchored the defense as the Redhawks finished the 2006 season with a 15-3-2 record, including an 8-1-1 record in conference games that led to Seattle University's first GNAC title since 2001.

She became the third women's soccer player in conference history to be voted first team All-GNAC four consecutive years, and she moved on to play 11 matches for the San Diego Sunwaves of the USL W-League over the summer.

Previously named Seattle University, GNAC, and West Region Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Gutierrez graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and Spanish, finishing her undergraduate studies with a 3.905 cumulative GPA.

She became the first Seattle University student-athlete since 1985 to earn CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America honors, plus she was a three-time Academic All-GNAC selection as well as a two-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honoree.

Gutierrez, Kaempf Woman Of the Year Candidates


Gutierrez	Kaempf

Seattle University's Ana Gutierrez, a four-year soccer standout, and Alaska Anchorage multi-sport star Mandy Kaempf are among the final 30 candidates for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Now in its 17th year, the award honors exceptional female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility. A committee comprised of representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences selected the top 30 out of 128 conference and independent nominees.

From the top 30 contenders – 10 from each NCAA division – nine will be named as finalists for the award. Whether chosen as a finalist or not, Gutierrez and Kaempf will be invited to the NCAA Woman of the Year awards banquet, Oct. 27 at the Murat Centre in Indianapolis.

Capping a four-year span in which she helped the Seattle University women's soccer team to a 58-17-8 record, Gutierrez, from Las Cruces, N.M., anchored the defense as the Redhawks finished the 2006 season with a 15-3-2 record, including an 8-1-1 record in conference games that led to Seattle University's first GNAC title since 2001.

She became the third women's soccer player in conference history to be voted to the first team GNAC all-star team four consecutive years, and she moved on to play 11 matches for the San Diego Sunwaves of the USL W-League over the summer.

Previously named both Seattle University and GNAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Gutierrez graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and Spanish, finishing her undergraduate studies with a 3.905 cumulative GPA.

She became the first Seattle University student-athlete since 1985 to earn first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, plus she was a three-time GNAC Academic selection as well as a two-time first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.

Kaempf finished second in the 2006 GNAC cross country championships, just three seconds behind winner Jessica Pixler of Seattle Pacific, to become only the second GNAC female athlete to earn four straight all-conference honors with Top 10 finishes in the conference meet.

During her collegiate career, she also competed in skiing and outdoor track & field for the Seawolves, earning a combined six All-American certificates in both sports.

In skiing, she was the 2005 NCAA champion in both Nordic disciplines, and on the track she finished seventh in the 5,000 meters at the 2006 national meet after winning the GNAC title in the same event.

In cross country, she twice represented UAA in the national meet, finishing 48th in 2004 and 46th in 2005, leading UAA to 21st- and 12th-place team finishes.

Academically, she was named to the National All-Academic ski team three times (2003-05) and earned GNAC Academic all-conference honors four times (three times in cross country and once in track and field).

The native of Steinbach-Hallenberg, Germany, twice earned CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, plus USTFCCA Academic All-American honors twice. In addition, she was named to UAA's Dean's List five times and to its Chancellor's List four times.

Kaempf now serves as the Seawolves' assistant coach for Nordic skiing.