BELLINGHAM, Wash. –Western Washington University Director of Athletics Steve Card announced the Athletic Award Winners for the 2016-17 season Tuesday evening at the annual Dub-Dub-Blue Awards Ceremony held on the WWU campus.
Seven student-athletes were presented with awards recognizing their outstanding athletic and academic achievements from the 2016-17 seasons. The large gathering of student-athletes at WWU’s Performing Arts Center helped celebrate a banner athletic and academic season that featured 13 of 15 teams competing at the national-tournament level, national championships won by women’s soccer and women’s rowing, 73 All-GNAC Academic awards and 11 All-Americans.
“We are extremely proud of all of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff for what has been one of the best years in WWU Athletics history,” said Card. “This group of student-athletes not only excelled in competition, but also in the classroom, and did an amazing job representing our university at the national championship level.”
Here are the 2016-17 WWU Athletics award winners:
| 2016-17 WWU ATHLETICS AWARDS | |
| Male Athlete of the Year | Taylor Stafford (Basketball) |
| Female Athletes of the Year | Sierra Shugarts (Soccer), Bethany Drake (Track & Field), Taylor Peacocke (Basketball) |
| Female Scholar Athletes of the Year | Karisa Stapp (Rowing), Bethany Drake (Track & Field) |
| Male Scholar Athletes of the Year | Gordie Kordas (Track & Field), Garrett Strawn (Soccer) |
The Male and Female Athletes of the Year will have their names added to the G Robert Ross Memorial Trophy honoring the top athletes that have participated for WWU.
TAYLOR STAFFORD Male Athlete of the Year
Stafford (Chicago, IL/Eastern Arizona/Evansville) recorded one of the best seasons in the illustrious history of WWU Men’s Basketball. The senior was named the GNAC Player and Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-GNAC, GNAC Tournament MVP and was a First Team Division II All-America selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). In 31 games for the GNAC champion Vikings, Stafford averaged 22.8 points per game, setting the program record for points in a season with 706. He scored 20 or more points in 20 of 31 games, with eight 30-point contests.
TAYLOR PEACOCKE Female Athlete of the Year
Peacocke (Kenmore, WA/Inglemoor) etched her name in the WWU and GNAC record books with a historical senior season. She won the NCAA Division II scoring title averaging 23.3 points per game and was named the GNAC Player of the Year. She became the fourth player in program history to earn First Team All-America honors from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association of America (WBCA) and was also a first-team All-America pick by Division II Bulletin. Peacocke ended her career ranked second in both WWU and GNAC history with 1,940 points, including a record 745 points in 2016-17.
BETHANY DRAKE Female Athlete of the Year
Drake (Sandy, OR) became a three-time winner of the WWU Female Athlete of the Year award, also taking home honors in 2014 and 2016. The graduate senior won the NCAA Division II national championship in the javelin competition, bringing home the second title during her collegiate career. She also won her first GNAC title in the javelin. She ends her career as a three-time USTFCCCA First Team All-American.
SIERRA SHUGARTS Female Athlete of the Year
Shugarts (Federal Way, WA/Decatur) was the captain and team leader of WWU’s national championship team that finished 24-0-1 and beat three-time defending champion Grand Valley State 3-2. Shugarts anchored one of the top defenses in the nation that netted 17 shutouts and a 0.40 goals against average. The center back was named the GNAC Player of the Year and was a First Team All-American on both the coaches and media voted teams. She was also named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II Player of the Year, becoming the second defender to win the award in the 21-year history of the award. Additional accolades included being a finalist for the Seattle Sports Female Star of the Year award and the Division II Honda Athlete of the Year.
KARISA STAPP Female Scholar Athlete of the Year
Stapp (Bellingham, WA/Mount Baker) was a repeat winner as one of WWU’s Scholar Athletes of the Year, maintaining a 3.85 GPA as an accounting major. The junior rower was named to the District 8 CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large team and is a two-time Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Scholar Athlete selection. Stapp helped lead the Vikings to the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championship as a key member of the Eights in the No. 7 seat. In addition to countless early-morning rowing practices on Lake Samish and balancing the normal workload of a student-athlete, she has also served as an intern at the Bellingham Police Department.
BETHANY DRAKE Female Scholar Athlete of the Year
Drake added the Female Scholar Athlete award in her final season in the college ranks. The graduate student has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing her Master in Teaching with an emphasis in art education. Her collegiate career included three GNAC Academic All-Star awards and she will be a four-time USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete selection.
GARRETT STRAWN Male Scholar Athlete of the Year
Strawn (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) was named the co-Scholar Athlete of the Year while carrying a 3.88 GPA as a biochemistry major. In his sophomore season for the Vikings, Strawn played in 16 of WWU’s 19 games as a defender, playing a key role in WWU’s first trip to the NCAA Division II Championships. He was a GNAC All-Academic selection in his first year of eligibility.
GORDIE KORDAS Male Scholar Athlete of the Year
Kordas (Blaine, WA) shared the WWU Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award with a 3.76 cumulative GPA as a chemistry major. Kordas was a three-time GNAC All-Academic selection and was a member of the 2017 CoSIDA District 8 All-Academic team. The pole vaulter holds the 6th-best marks in WWU history in both the indoor and outdoor record books.
— @WWUAthletics —
