PORTLAND, Ore.  –   Seattle Pacific University basketball standout Riley Stockton has been voted the 2014-15 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.

It is the third year in a row a SPU basketball player has won the award which is voted on by the conference’s  athletic directors.

Stockton graduates Saturday with a degree in business administration and has been hired by Seattle Gourmet Foods as an inventory analyst.

In the classroom, Stockton earned a 3.82 grade point average and was a three-time GNAC academic all-conference selection. He also earned CoSIDA all-academic honors.

His accomplishments on the basketball court were equally impressive.

Twice Stockton (2013, 2015) was selected the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and three times he earned all-conference honors including first team accolades in his senior season.

He finished his playing career as the eighth leading rebounder in GNAC history (737), quite an accomplishment since he stands only 6-4. 

In 2013, he led the conference in rebounding (7.5) becoming the shortest player in GNAC history to accomplish that feat.

He also finished his career with 904 points, 444 assists, 155 steals and 50 blocks  His assist total ranks eighth in GNAC history and his steal total ranks 15th.

This past season, he averaged 10.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists and led the Falcons to their third consecutive post-season conference championship.

“It’s quite an honor to win this award,” Stockton said.  “I’m lucky to be part of a great school and have great coaches who were very supportive of academics.

“They go out of their way to recruit good basketball players who will also be successful in class.

“This has a lot to go with coach (Ryan) Looney.  He brings in guys that care about school just as much as they do about basketball.

“A lot of the credit also goes to my parents, who always emphasized academics,” Stockton said.  “They are really grounded like that and made sure that my studies always came first, ahead of basketball.”

Stockton joins David Downs (2012-13 and 2013-14) and Tony Binetti (2005-06) as previous SPU basketball winners of the award.

By virtue of earning the GNAC Scholar-Athlete award Stockton will now be a candidate for the NCAA Division II  Conference Commissioner’s West Region Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. That award will be selected this summer.

Binetti is one of four GNAC male athletes that have won the regional award.

GNAC Male Scholar Athletes of the Year

Years
2001-02 - Erik Totten, Western Washington (Football)                                     
2002-03 - Tobias Schwoerer, Alaska Anchorage (Cross Country)                   
2003-04 - Rob White, Western Washington (Football)                                      
2004-05 - Nathan Carlson, Saint Martin’s (Cross County & Track)                   
2005-06 - *Tony Binetti, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)                                       
2006-07 - *Adam Jensen, Seattle (Soccer)                                                   
2007-08 - *Keith Lemay, WWU(Cross Country & Track and Field)
2007-08 - Jarred Rensvold, MSUB (Cross Country & Track and Field)
2008-09 - Sam Charles, Montana State Billings (Soccer)                                
2009-10 - *Sam Charles, Montana State Billings (Soccer)                               
2010-11 - Adam Bighill, Central Washington (Football)                                    
2011-12 - Alex Harrison, Western Washington (Track and Field)
2012-13 - David Downs, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)
2013-14 - David Downs, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)
2014-15 - Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)

   *Conference Commissioners Regional winner.