June 1, 2004
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
Western Washington University volleyball setter Liz Bishop was named the school's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third straight time, and football strong safety Rob White earned Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades for 2003-04.
The scholar-athlete award recognizes Viking student-athletes who best demonstrate excellence both on the playing field and in the classroom.
Bishop, a senior from Seattle (Mount Rainier High graduate), is a secondary education major with a 3.89 grade point average (4.0 scale). She was a second-team College Sports Information Directors of America All-American last fall, earning District VIII and Great Northwest Athletic Conference academic all-star honors for the third straight year.
Bishop, who ranked fifth nationally in assists with a school-record 13.59 per match average, was a second-team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American, and a first-team AVCA and Daktronics Pacific Region all-star for the second straight year. The four-year letter winner earned first-team AVCA All-America honors in 2002.
The GNAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, Bishop helped Western to a 24-2 record, the best in school history; the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Pacific Regional and the GNAC championship with a perfect 18-0 record for the third straight year. The Vikings have now won 54 straight league matches, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA II history.
White, a junior from Woodinville, is a biology/anthropology major with a 3.78 GPA. He was a CoSIDA District VIII and league academic all-star, both for the second straight year.
White led the team in tackles for the second consecutive season with 90. The first-team GNAC all-star ranked No.14 nationally in solo stops (6.1) and No.69 in total tackles (9.0).
A three-year letter winner, White helped Western win the GNAC championship with a perfect 3-0 record.
WWU 2003-04 SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
MALE
Cross Country
Steve DeKoker, Graduate, No.3, Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma, 3.45, Business Administration
Named Cross Country Coaches Association/NCAA II National Academic all-star. GNAC Academic all-star. Placed 64th at nationals, helping Western finish 13th. Finished 16th at regionals and fifth at GNAC Championships on league title-winning team. Four-year letter winner.
Soccer
Joel Saulter, Senior, Defender, Edmonds, WA/Blanchet, 3.62, Biology/Anthropology
GNAC academic all-star for second straight year. First-team GNAC all-star in 2003. Scored one goal, a game winner in 2-1 win over defending national champion Sonoma State, and had two assists. All three of his career goals were game winners. Two-year letter winner.
Football
Rob White, Junior, Strong Safety, Woodinville, WA, 3.78, Biology/Anthropology
CoSIDA All-America District VIII College Division and GNAC academic all-star, both for second straight year. First-team GNAC all-star. Led team in tackles for second straight year with 90. Ranked No.14 nationally in solo stops (6.1) and No.69 in total tackles (9.0). Three-year letter winner.
Basketball
Grant Dykstra, Sophomore, Forward, Everson/Lynden Christian, 3.09, Finance
National finalist for Comeback Award sponsored by V Foundation. Second-team GNAC all-star. Led team in points and rebounds, averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds, respectively. Has started every game over last two seasons. Two-year letter winner.
Crew
Jonathan Fox, Junior, Varsity 4 No.2 seat, Shoreline, WA/Shorewood, 3.35, Economics/Mathematics
Seated in varsity four shell that won grand final at Pacific Coast Rowing Championships and placed second in grand final at Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships. Three-year letter winner.
Golf
Chris Anderson, Junior, No.2, Oak Harbor, WA (Papillion-LaVista, Neb.), 3.11, Computer Science
Third-team PING All-American as selected by Golf Coaches Association of America ... West Region all-star. Tied for 27th at nationals and placed sixth at regionals. Three-year letter winner.
Track
David Rogiers, Sophomore, Thrower, Tacoma, WA/Washington, 3.51, Accounting
Placed fifth in shot put at GNAC Championships. Two-year letter winner.
FEMALE
Cross Country
Beth Rosapepe, Junior, No.2, Port Orchard, WA/South Kitsap, 3.56, Linguistics
Cross Country Coaches Association Academic all-star. GNAC academic all-star for second straight year. Placed 39th at NCAA II West Regional and 17th at GNAC Championship. Among Vikings' top two runners in every meet competed in. Helped Western place seventh regionally and fourth in conference. Three-year letter winner.
Volleyball
Liz Bishop, Setter, Senior, Seattle, WA/Mount Rainier, 3.89, Secondary Education/Science & Technology
Named second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, and first-team District VIII College Division (third time) and GNAC academic (third time) all-star. Western's Female Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Named second-team AVCA All-American. First-team AVCA and Daktronics Pacific Region all-star and GNAC Player of the Year for second straight year. Ranked No.9 nationally in assists, helping Vikings to 24-2 record, best in school history, semifinals of NCAA Division II Pacific Regional and third straight league title with 18-0 record, running league winning streak to 54, fourth-longest string in NCAA II history. Finished No.2 among school career leaders in assists (4,176) and No.9 in digs (850). Four-year letter winner.
Soccer
Lizzy Page, Sophomore, Midfielder, Sammamish, WA/Eastlake, 3.40, Business/Economics
GNAC academic all-star. Second-team GNAC all-star. Second on team in scoring with six points with two goals and two assists. Two-year letter winner.
Basketball
Tessa DeBoer, Senior, Forward, Lynden, WA/Lynden Christian, 3.81, Speech Pathology/Communication Disorders
First-team CoSIDA All-America District VIII College Division and three-time GNAC academic all-star. First-team GNAC all-star and second-team Daktronics West Region all-star. Member of NCAA West Regional All-Tournament team. Led team in points (15.5 avg.), rebounds (7.1) and field goal percentage (54.9). Made 135 free throws, one short of school record. Finished 13th among Western career leaders in scoring with 1,134 points. Led Vikings to 21-8 record and semifinals of West Regional. Four-year letter winner.
Softball
Dani Deyette, Senior, Shortstop/Catcher, Olympia, WA, 3.37, Biology/Secondary Education
GNAC academic all-star for second straight year. Hit .322 (46-for-143) with 19 runs batted in and 17 runs scored. Tied school record with four hits in one game. First-team GNAC all-star. Four-year letter winner.
Golf
Katja Trygg, Sophomore, No.2, Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge, 3.18, Undeclared
Tied for 16th at NCAA Division II National championships, helping Western to fifth-place finish. Tied for 14th at West Regional. Posted 80.5 scoring average. Medalist at WWU Invitational. Two-year letter winner.
Crew
Laurel Kaminski, Senior, bow V8, Bellevue, WA/Newport, 3.94, Mathematics
Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete and CoSIDA All-America District VIII Academic all-star, both for second straight year. Helped varsity eight place fourth in grand final at NCAA Division II National Championships and finish first at NCAA II West Regional. The Vikings, ranked No.1 in the CRCA/NCAA II National Poll all season long, also won the petite final at Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships. Two-year letter winner.
Track
Jessica Telleria, Sophomore, Throws, Boise, ID/Capital, 3.69, Biochemistry
GNAC academic all-star. Placed first in discus at GNAC Championships for second straight year. National provisional qualifier in discus. Set school record in hammer. Two-year letter winner.
WWU SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
MALE
1999 Erik Meyer, track
2000 Marty Juergens, football
2001 Erik Totten, football
2002 Erik Totten, football
2003 Greg Dykstra, football
2004 Rob White, football
FEMALE
1999 Sarah Hiss, track
2000 Sarah Hiss, track
2001 Kelsi Giswald, crew
2002 Liz Bishop, volleyball
2003 Liz Bishop, volleyball
2004 Liz Bishop, volleyball
