Monday, May 22, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – For the first time in conference history, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s All-Sports Trophy will head north to Alaska.

Thanks to an impressive seven GNAC championships in its nine conference sports, Alaska Anchorage captured the conference’s all-sports championship. The Seawolves finished with an average score of 9.78 in the league’s new all-sports scoring system to end Western Washington’s string of eight consecutive all-sports championships. The Vikings finished second in the ranking with a score of 8.56.

Alaska Anchorage also won both the men’s and women’s all-sports championships. The Seawolves’ men finished with a score of 9.77. Western Washington finished second with a score of 8.17 and Western Oregon finished third with a score of 7.58. The UAA women won with a score of 9.68. Western Washington finished second with a score of 8.04 and Central Washington placed third with a score of 6.62.

“Winning the GNAC all-sports championship is a tribute to our student-athletes and coaches and their drive to achieve excellence,” said UAA athletic director Keith Hackett. “This honor belongs to them, but is also a result of the efforts made by our athletic administration, faculty and adminstration – especially Chancellor Tom Case – and the thousands of fans and supporters of Seawolf athletics. It is truly a ‘Great Day to be a Seawolf,’ and I could not be prouder or more pleased for the young women, men and coaches who helped earn this award.”

For the second straight year, Alaska Anchorage won seven of the GNAC’s 16 championships. The Seawolves earned titles in volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s basketball, men’s indoor track and field and both men’s and women’s outdoor track and field. Of the UAA’s nine GNAC programs, the Seawolves finished no worse than third.

Western Washington picked up three GNAC titles in women’s soccer, men’s basketball and men’s golf. The Vikings’ women’s soccer program went on to win the Division II national championship and the men’s golf program advanced to the Division II national championships being played this week.

The GNAC’s six other championships were divided among five other institutions: Azusa Pacific (football), Central Washington (softball), Seattle Pacific (women’s indoor track and field), Simon Fraser (men’s soccer and women’s golf) and Western Oregon (baseball). In addition, Western Washington (women’s soccer, men’s basketball and softball), Alaska Anchorage (women’s basketball) and Western Oregon (baseball) won postseason tournament championships.

The success of GNAC programs carried over to NCAA competition, led by the Western Washington women’s soccer team’s run to the NCAA Division II national championship. The Alaska Anchorage volleyball team advanced to the Division II national championship match while Western Oregon tied for sixth place at the Division II Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships, the best ever finish for a GNAC school.

For the first time, the GNAC all-sports championship was determined using the Dormeyer System, which gives each school an average score based on its finish in each conference sport and the number of GNAC sports sponsored by each school. The averages are based on regular season finishes in football, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball and conference meet finishes in men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field and men’s and women’s golf. The system treats each conference title equally, with 10 points awarded to first place with values dropping incrementally based on the number of schools sponsoring that sport.

In past years, the all-sports championship was based on points awarded in two-point increments based on a team’s regular season or conference meet finish.