Friday, January 13, 2017
by Western Washington Athletic Communications

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University women’s soccer player Sierra Shugarts has been selected as one of five nominees for the Female Sports Star of the Year for the 82nd Annual MTRWestern Sports Star of the Year, the Northwest’s premier celebration of Washington sports.

Shugarts is nominated along with Julianne Alvarez (UW Women’s Golf), Kelsey Plum (UW Women’s Basketball), Courtney Schwan (UW Volleyball) and Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm).

Fans can vote for their favorite male, female and sports story of the year online at ssy.seattlesports.org up through Friday, January 27 at 5 pm.

Shugarts was a key factor in the Vikings undefeated 24-0-1 season to win the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship. Western Washington opened the season with a tie, and then recorded 24 consecutive wins, capped by a 3-2 win over three-time defending national champion Grand Valley State to win the first national championship in program history.

The junior was named National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II Player of the Year, the first defender to win that award in 20 years. Shugarts also earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors, was named a first-team All-American by the NSCAA and recognized as the Defensive MVP of the NCAA II Championships. And adding to that, she was an All-GNAC Academic selection with a 3.35 GPA as a multidisciplinary studies major.

In addition to serving as team captain, Shugarts directed the Vikings defense to a school-record 17 shutouts and ranked 5th in the nation with a 0.396 goals against average. WWU allowed only 10 goals all season (25 games) and held opponents to just 57 shots on goal. Not once in the 25 games did an opposing team manage to record more than 5 shots on goal, with 14 games featuring 2-or-fewer shots on goal. In the national semifinal vs. Kutztown the Vikings did not allow a shot, let alone a shot on goal.

The Vikings national championship season will also be recognized during the evening’s festivities.

This year’s event is hosted at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 with a reception starting at 5:30 pm and the awards shot at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased online through www.sportsstaroftheyear.org.

Now in its 82nd year, the event has honored Seattle’s most inspiring and iconic sports individuals, legends, media and philanthropists. Once an individual has been named a Sports Star, he or she becomes a member of an elite group that forever etches their name in Seattle’s sports history. Honorees are selected by the Sports Star Committee, compiled of local sports historians, media and other members of the sports industry. Acknowledging the tremendous accomplishments of the honorees and nominees is an essential component of showcasing the triumphs of Washington sports over the years.

More details about the upcoming event can be found on our website www.sportsstaroftheyear.org. To stay up-to-date with information as the event approaches follow the SSC Twitter account, @SeattleSC, or the event hashtag, #82SSY.