BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Seattle Mariners will honor Western Washington University’s 2016 Division II Women’s Soccer National Champions at Safeco Field on Tuesday, April 18, prior to the Mariners 7:10 pm Interleague game vs. Ichiro and the Miami Marlins.

The 2016 team will be congratulated in a special pregame tribute, which will include senior defender Erin Russell throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, with head coach Travis Connell and the rest of the players and coaching staff from the national championship team on the field for pregame festivities scheduled to start approximately 20 minutes prior to first pitch.

The Vikings were crowned the national champions after beating three-time defending national champion Grand Valley State 3-2 on December 3 at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to winning the first national championship in program history and the 10th team title in WWU history, the Vikings completed an undefeated 24-0-1 season that included winning a record fifth consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title and a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA II Tournament. Over the last five seasons the program has combined to go 100-9-7 (.892), the second-best winning percentage in Division II.

“This is a great honor for our program and our school, and such a neat experience for our student-athletes,” said head coach Travis Connell, the 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year. “The Mariners are a fantastic organization and to be honored like this before a game is so special. We are looking forward to representing WWU at Safeco Field on April 18.”

The soccer program continues a strong tradition of WWU teams that have been honored prior to a Mariners game, joining the 2013 men’s and women’s basketball teams, the 2012 men’s basketball national championship team, the 2007 women’s volleyball team that reached the national championship game and the women’s rowing program that was honored several times during the string of seven consecutive national championships from 2005-2011.

“It’s been quite the parade for this program after winning the national championship in December and every bit of it is deserved,” said Director of Athletics Steve Card. “They were a group that set out with one goal in mind – to win the national championship – and they accomplished that in the finest manner. This team is another reflection of all the amazing accomplishments that our student-athletes in all of our programs have achieved.”

(WWU Vikings)