SEATTLE (May 28) ­ For only the second time in 44 years, Seattle Pacific University's athlete of the year title is being shared three ways. Track & field multiple event All-America Stephanie Huffman, all-conference basketball player Nick Johnson and national championship rower Trisha Sawatzky were honored during the annual banquet Tuesday night at Gwinn Commons.

The highest honor for career achievement in athletics, academics and leadership-­the Falcon Award for Excellence-­was given to five graduating seniors, including Huffman and Johnson. Joining them were rower Mike Lucero, soccer standout Erik Skipper and record-setting basketball star Brannon Stone.

Huffman (Sr., Brush Prairie, Wa./Prairie) joins Bente Moe (1987-89) as the only other three-time athlete of the year winner. She finished second in the javelin and third in the heptathlon at the NCAA Division II Championships last week. Earlier she won three events and was voted the outstanding athlete of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships.

Johnson (Sr., Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison) averaged about 13.9 points and 4.7 rebounds a game and shot 89 percent from the foul line in helping to lead SPU to a 24-5 record, a share of the GNAC title and a final national ranking of No. 9.

Sawatzky (Sr., Federal Way, Wa./Decatur) the first female SPU rower to be selected for the award, earned all-conference and all-region honors en route to claiming a national championship in the varsity pairs category. She and Kimberly Tschetter combined to finish the season unbeaten at 7-0.

Each of the award for excellence winners lettered four years, including Huffman, who did so in both volleyball and track. She is an art major with a 3.60 grade point average. She started four years in volleyball and was a five-time All-America in track. Johnson, a business administration and accounting major with a 3.45, was twice voted a team co-MVP as well as most inspirational. Both Johnson and Huffman were named academic all-region as seniors.

Lucero (Sr., Moses Lake, Wa.) stroked varsity boats for his final three years. A philosophy major with a 3.71 GPA, he helped the Falcons take a silver medal at nationals in 2000, win lightweight four titles at the conference and regional level as a junior and he was team captain as a senior.

Skipper (Sr., Hillsboro, Or./Glencoe) anchored the SPU soccer midfield each of his four seasons, making the all-region team once and all-conference twice. He is an education major with a 3.38 GPA and was team captain last fall. Three of his teams won the conference and reached the NCAA playoffs, including the 1998 team, which went to the Final Four.

Stone (Sr., Oak Harbor, Wa.), a business administration major with a 3.55 GPA, was a four-year starter who led Seattle Pacific to four consecutive NCAA tournament berths. He led the team in assists, rebounds and blocked shots each of his seasons and was team co-captain his final three years.

Huffman and cross country runner Nick Glancy (Sr., Redmond, Wa./Redmond) were recipients of the inaugural Clifford McCrath 101 Scholar Athlete Award, presented by the Washington Athletic Club's 101 Club. Huffman and Glancy, a mathematics major with a 3.96 GPA, owned the highest GPAs among the graduating four-year letterwinners.