Dec. 30, 2009
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A fifth straight NCAA Division II national championship in women's rowing, outstanding efforts in cross country and track & field and regional appearances in basketball and golf highlighted the Western Washington University athletics program in 2009.
Despite half the rowers in the varsity shells being freshmen, the Vikings pushed their national title streak to five last spring at Cherry Hill, N.J., something no other school has achieved in any division since the NCAA began a rowing championship in 1997.
Western's eight completed a perfect season with 10 wins in 10 races, taking the national grand final by over a boat length. The four was second in its grand final.
Two members of the eight, No.7 seat Audrey Coon (Sr., Kenai, AK/Kenai Central) and coxswain Kristy Theodorson (Sr., Bothell/Inglemoor), were named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Pocock All-America team.
In cross country, Western enjoyed the finest day in school history as the men placed fourth at nationals and the Viking women were eighth in late November at Evansville, Ind. Both finishes were the best since WWU became a NCAA II member in 1998.
Sarah Porter (Jr., Hockinson) placed second for Western in the women's division, the best national finish by any cross country runner in school history, and earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-America honors. She ran the 6-kilometer course in 20:30.1, less than seven seconds behind the national champion.
Pacing the Viking men was Jordan Welling (Jr., Burlington/Burlington-Edison), who finished 13th, completing the 10-kilometer distance in 31:44.6. Welling also received All-America recognition.
Porter also was an All-American in both indoor and outdoor track. She placed sixth in the 5,000 (17:00.14) at the indoor nationals and finished fifth in the 10,000 (36:02.72) and seventh in the 5,000 (17:02.19) at the outdoor nationals.
But Western's best national track finish was a first-place effort in the indoor women's triple jump of 39-3 by Emily Warman (Fr., Sedro-Woolley), who became the school's first indoor national champion.
Western's Pee Wee Halsell (23rd year) was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for both women's outdoor track and men's cross country.
Both the Viking men's and women's basketball teams reached the first round of their respective NCAA II West Regionals last winter. The men, led by GNAC Player of the Year Ira Graham, who averaged 19.1 points, and directed by GNAC Coach of the Year Brad Jackson, won the school's first outright GNAC title and finished 21-6. The women had a 19-9 record as Western became just the 10th school in any division to reach 800 all-time victories.
The Viking hoop squads are off to fast starts this season, the men currently at 12-1 and the women at 9-2.
Western also reached its respective super regionals in both men's and women's golf, and played host to the 2009 NCAA II Men's Golf National Championship. The Vikings' Jake Koppenberg (Sr., Everett) tied for 12th individually in that event and was named to the All-Nicklaus Team and to the first-team GCAA PING All-America squad.
The Vikings narrowly lost out on national tournament bids in volleyball (17-10) and women's soccer (11-4-4).
Western placed 10th among 300 DII schools in the 2008-09 Sports Directors' Cup All-Sports standings, the best finish in school history, and took the combined GNAC sports team championship.
