June 11, 2008
SPOKANE, Wash. - Courtney Schneider who led Western Washington University to a national runner-up finish in volleyball last fall and David Registe of the University of Alaska Anchorage who won the NCAA Division II national long jump title this spring have been voted the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female and Male Athletes of the Year, respectively, for the 2007-08 season.
The awards are voted upon by the athletic directors at the GNAC's 10 member institutions.
Schneider, a senior from Snohomish, is the second Viking volleyball player to win the award joining setter Liz Bishop who was the 2003-04 winner. Registe is the first athlete from Alaska Anchorage to win the men's award.
Schneider led Western Washington to an historic volleyball campaign leading the Vikings to a 26-5 record, a NCAA Division II Pacific Regional title and a berth in the NCAA national championship match. No GNAC team had ever previously advanced beyond the regional semifinals.
She completed her career as one of the top defensive players in NCAA Division II history setting NCAA single season (7.74) and career (7.00) records for most digs per game and finishing third in NCAA history in career digs with 2,695. She broke the former national single-season record by nearly one dig per game.
In addition she also set school and GNAC records for digs in a season (851), career (2,695) and single match (50) and established a NCAA Division II Elite Eight match record with 44 digs against Washburn, Kans., in the national semifinals.
Schneider also earned GNAC Player-of-the-Year honors and was a first team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American selection and a second team Daktronics All-American. She earned GNAC, Daktronics Pacific Region and AVCA Pacific Region all-star honors each of her final three seasons and Elite Eight and Pacific Region all-tournament honors in her senior season.
In all, she won a total of six All-American awards in her career, including three by the AVCA (first team in 2007, third team in 2006 and honorable mention in 2005) and three by Daktronics (first team in 2006, second team in 2007 and third team in 2005). The Daktronics team is chosen by the nation's sports information directors.
"Her stats and records speak to one side of her contribution, but the things that don't show up on the stat sheet speak volumes in other areas and that was what made our team so successful," said WWU volleyball coach Diane Flick.
Schneider also is a standout in the classroom, being a second-team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA College Division District 8 all-academic choice for the second straight year as well as a GNAC academic all-star for the third consecutive season. A community health major, she is maintaining a 3.63 (4.0 scale) grade point average.
"It's a well-deserved honor for someone who has worked so hard to become a master of her position," Flick said. "I'm really proud of her accomplishments. She typifies what it means to be a student-athlete both on the court and in the classroom. She excels in both."
Registe, who earlier was voted the GNAC Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year, won the NCAA national title in the long jump with a leap of 24-8 ½. He is just the third male track-and-field athlete in GNAC history to win a national title.
The sophomore from Palmer, Alaska, also won the long jump (24-8 ¼) and finished second in the 100 meters (10.91) and 200 meters (21.94) in the GNAC championship meet. He is among the GNAC all-time leaders in all three events, ranking second in the long jump and 100 and third in the 200. Registe also led UAA to a win in the 4x100 relay in the GNAC championships.
The conference long jump championship was the second in two seasons for Registe. He also has a pair of second place finishes in both sprint events (100, 200) during his collegiate careers. He is the school record holder in the long jump, 100, 200 and also is part of the foursome that set a school record of 41.55 in the 4x100 relay this spring in the Azusa Pacific Invitational.
Registe also has excelled in the classroom during his two years at UAA. The physical education major has a cumulative GPA of 3.08.
GNAC Athletes-of-the-Year
Years, Male, Female
2001-02, Mike Hinshaw, Western Oregon (Football and Track & Field), Stephanie Huffman, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field)
2002-03, Fred Hooks, Humboldt State (Basketball), Kerie Hughes, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)
2003-04, Austin Nichols, Humboldt State (Basketball), Liz Bishop, Western Washington (Volleyball)
2004-05, Chris Randolph, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field), Danielle Ayers-Stamper, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field), Bobby McAlister, Seattle (Soccer)
2005-06, Chris Randolph, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field), LeAnne McGahuey, Central Washington (Volleyball), Grant Dykstra, Western Washington (Basketball)
2006-07, Dustin Bremerman, Seattle Pacific (Basketball), Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field and Cross Country
2007-08, David Registe, Alaska Anchorage (Track and Field) Courtney Schneider, Western Washington (Volleyball
