Athletics The Scholar-Athlete
Falcons Take Conference Academic Title
Spring Sports Highlights
By Mark Moschetti
Recent graduate and runner Chad Meis (left) used his NCAA post-graduate scholarship to begin studies toward a master’s degree in engineering at Cornell University.
Paced by the record-setting classroom performance of the women’s cross country program, the Seattle Pacific University Falcons won the overall Great Northwest Athletic Conference Academic All-Sports title for the 2010–11 school year.
The Falcons, with four of their teams posting the top grade-point average for their respective sports, captured the classroom crown for the fourth time in the 10-year history of the GNAC, edging Northwest Nazarene by one point, 142–141.
The women’s cross country team of coaches Erika Daligcon and Letiwe Patton racked up a 3.74 GPA, the highest mark of any sport in GNAC history.
Indoor and Outdoor Track
The SPU women sent seven athletes to the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships this past spring. Senior Brittany Aanstad saved her best throw of the day for last, flinging the javelin 151 feet, 1 inch, and senior Carly Andrews threw a careerbest 144 feet 9 inches to finish second and third, respectively, and earning All-American honors. Ali Worthen finished sixth in the heptathlon, also earning All-American honors.
The SPU women also won their eighth consecutive GNAC indoor track and field championship on February 19, 2011, in Nampa, Idaho, and their second straight outdoor GNAC title on May 14, 2011, in Monmouth, Oregon. The men’s team won two indoor individual titles and two outdoor titles.
Individual runners captured some top awards: The multitalented senior Ali Worthen’s No. 6 national finish helped Seattle Pacific decide to honor her with the Ron Grady Athlete of the Year Award.
And Chad Meis ’11 closed out his SPU career as a distance runner and an engineering and physics major by winning an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.
Gymnastics
Anissa Madrid captured the silver medal on the balance beam for the second straight season and Seattle Pacific teammate Corrine Wise collected the bronze on April 10, 2011, at the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate Championships at the Air Force Academy. Just one day earlier, the Falcons took fourth place in the team finals.
Rowing
In their third straight NCAA Regatta appearance, the Falcon women made a strong showing at nationals, winning the varsity eight Petite title.
The men’s varsity four came from behind to claim a photo-finish victory at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, California.