Nov. 9, 2004

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Forward Ryan Hopp (Sr., Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck/Edmonds CC) was a unanimous first-team pick, heading eight Western Washington University players named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Soccer All-Star Team announced today.

Hopp was the GNAC's second-leading scorer with 16 goals. He led the Vikings with 36 points and seven game-winning goals. A second-team league all-star in 2003, Hopp scored 23 goals during his two-year career to rank third among the school's leaders.

Receiving first-team recognition, besides Hopp, were defender Jeremy Milsten (Sr., Puyallup/Rogers) and midfielder Nick Webb (Fr., Bellingham/Squalicum). Milsten, a four-year letter winner, also earned first-team honors in 2002 and was a second-team choice last season.

Webb was Western's second-leading scorer with five goals and four assists.

Three Vikings earned second-team honors, led by goalkeeper Ben Dragavon (Jr., Monroe), who has a school-record 17 career shutouts. He recorded six whitewashes this season and had a 0.90 goals against average, second-best in the GNAC. Dragavon was a first-team league all-star the last two seasons.

Completing Western's second-team all-stars were midfielder Jeff Lane (Sr., Yakima/West Valley/Gonzaga) and defender Kenny Mueller (So., Snohomish/Bothell/Washington), who was named GNAC co-Newcomer-of-the-Year. He tied in the balloting for that honor with Cam Weaver of Seattle U.

Lane, who had 10 career assists, tied for team-high honors with five. He was a first-team league all-star last season.

Two Vikings, David Schlesinger (Sr., Missoula, MT/Big Sky) and defender Kory Pope (Jr., Everett/Jackson), received GNAC all-star honorable mention.

Schlesinger, a four-year letter winner, had five assists to finish second among school career leaders with 14. Pope had four assists, upping his career total to 11.

Western finished 13-7-0 and placed third in the GNAC at 2-4-0. The Vikings' 13 victories were their second-highest total for a season since 1991. Six of the seven losses were by one goal, including five by 1-0 scores.

Seattle U. forward Bobby McAlister and Redhawk coach Peter Fewing were the GNAC Player-of-the-Year and Coach-of-the-Year, respectively.

McAlister led the conference in scoring with 40 points, on 18 goals and four assists. He set conference single-season records in goals, points and game-winning goals with eight.

Fewing, who also won league Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2001 and 2003, led the Redhawks to an 18-0-1 record and a No.1 national ranking. Seattle U. posted a perfect 6-0-0 conference record, winning its third GNAC title in four years.

Humboldt State midfielder Jonathan Eseman and Seattle U. defender Eric Forner finished tied in the GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year balloting.

GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Contact: Bob Guptill (509-535-5291/Fax 535-5293/e-mail - bguptill@gnacsports.com)

Men's Soccer: SU's McAlister, Fewing Win Player, Coach Awards

SPOKANE - Seattle University forward Bobby McAlister and Redhawk head coach Peter Fewing have been voted the 2004 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Player-of-the-Year and Coach-of-the-Year, respectively.

McAlister and Fewing, who recorded his 200th career win earlier this season, led the Redhawks to a 18-0-1 record and a No. 1 national ranking. The Redhawks, who posted a perfect 6-0-0 conference record in winning their third GNAC title in the past four seasons, will host the NCAA Far West Regionals this weekend at Championship Field.

McAlister leads the GNAC in scoring with 40 points on 18 goals and four assists and also recorded eight game-winning goals. His goal, point and game-winning goal totals are all GNAC single-season records.

Fewing, who is a 1984 graduate of the University of Washington, is in his 17th season at Seattle and now has a career record with the Redhawks of 203-119-26. He also won GNAC Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2001 and 2003.

Also winning special awards were forward Cam Weaver of Seattle University, midfielder Jonathan Eseman of Humboldt State and defenders Kenny Mueller of Western Washington and Eric Forner (Carmichael, Calif.) of Seattle.

Weaver, who ranks seventh in the conference in scoring with 17 points (8 goals, 1 assist), and Mueller tied in the balloting for GNAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, while Eseman, who ranks eighth in scoring with 16 points (5 goals, 6 assist) and Forner finished tied in the GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year balloting.

Seattle University, which posted its first unbeaten regular-season in its 38-year soccer history, placed six players on the 11-man GNAC first-team all-conference team. Western Washington earned three spots and Seattle Pacific had two on the squad.

Seven players - McAlister, forwards Alex Chursky of Seattle and Ryan Hopp of Western Washington, midfielders Ross Vaillancourt of Seattle Pacific and Pat Doran of Seattle, Seattle defender Jacob Besagno and Redhawk goalkeeper Jeremiah Doyle - were unanimous choices.

Three players - Chursky, Vaillancourt and Doran - were named to the first team for the third straight year. Two other players - forward Brent Egbert of Seattle Pacific and defender Jeremy Milsten of Western Washington - were repeaters from the 2002 first team.

2004 GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN'S SOCCER ALL-STAR TEAM

First Team*Bobby McAlister, SU, F, 5-9, Jr., Federal Way, WA*++Alex Chursky, SU, F, 6-0, Jr., Federal Way, WA*Ryan Hopp, WWU, F, 5-10, Sr., Marysville, WA+Brent Egbert, SPU, F, 5-9, Sr., Bellingham, WA*++Ross Vaillancourt, SPU, M, 5-10, Jr., Bedford, NH*++Pat Doran, SU, M, 5-11, Jr., Bellingham, WANick Webb, WWU   M, 5-7, Fr., Bellingham, WA*Jacob Besagno, SU, D, 6-2, Sr., Maple Valley, WA+Jeremy Milsten, WWU, D, 6-3, Sr., Puyallup, WASanta Maria Rivera, SU, D, 5-10, Jr., Yakima, WA*Jeremiah Doyle, SU, GK, 6-5, Sr., Vancouver, WA
Second TeamCameron Weaver, SU, F, 6-4, Jr., Kent, WANick Letts, SPU F, 6-2, Jr., Dublin, CAAndy Willis, SPU, F, 6-0, So., Gig Harbor, WAJonathan Eseman, HSU, M, 5-11, Fr., Seattle, WAEric Webster, HSU, M, 5-11, Fr., Redding, CAJeff Lane, WWU   M, 5-8, Sr., Yakima, WADavid Smith, SPU , D, 6-3, Sr., Corvallis, ORKenny Mueller, WWU, D, 6-0, So., Snohomish, WAJulian Fulwiler, HSU, D, 5-10, Jr., Half Moon Bay, CAJames Ward, SPU, GK, 6-0, Sr., Salem, ORBen Dragavon, WWU, GK, 6-1, Jr., Monroe, WA
Honorable MentionNick McCluskey, SU, M, 5-10, Jr., Federal Way, WADavid Schlesinger, WWU, M, 5-11, Sr., Missoula, MTKeith Lovell, HSU, M, 6-0, So., Hawthorne, CAMatt Kemper, SPU, M, 6-1, Fr., Colorado Springs, COTomoya Fujita, HSU, M, 5-10, Jr., Tokyo, JapanLuke Scott, HSU, M, 5-8, Sr., Arcata, CADrew Macha, SPU, D, 6-1, Fr., Eugene, ORDane Valadao, HSU, D, 5-9, So., Arcata, CAKory Pope, WWU, D, 5-6, Jr., Everett, WAAndrew Byers, HSU, GK, 5-11, So., Pasadena, CA
 *Unanimous   +Repeater from 2002    ++ Repeater from 2002 and 2003