April 8, 2013

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - For the first time in school history, Western Washington University had each of its men's and women's basketball teams reach the NCAA Division II final four before losing to the eventual national champion.

The Vikings posted a combined record of 60-7, a winning percentage of 89.6. They were both ranked among the top five nationally in their respective Division II polls, the women third and the men fourth, and each won a regional title and took the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season championship with a 17-1 record.

The defending NCAA II national champion WWU men ended 31-3, the win total tying the school record set last year. Their 24-0 start and 30-game winning streak over two seasons, each ending Feb. 2, broke school records that had stood for 41 years.

The Viking women finished 29-4, winning 22 of 23 games during one stretch. Besides the regular-season league crown, they also won the GNAC tournament title and notched the 900th victory in the program's 42-year history on Feb. 28 (current total 907), an average of 21.6 wins per year.

The WWU men were 17-0 at home this season and will take a school and conference record 26-game unbeaten streak at Carver Gym into the 2013-14 campaign. The Viking women were 16-0 at home and have won 20 in a row at Carver Gym over the past two years.