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Rare occurrence. 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 as the 2001-02 winners during the annual athletic awards banquet, held May 28 at Gwinn Commons.

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 (long jump, javelin and heptathlon) and was voted the outstanding athlete of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships. Huffman previously was SPU co-Athlete of the Year in 1999 and 2001.

Johnson (Sr., Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison) averaged 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. He was a first team all-conference selection and was the team's co-MVP, co-captain and most inspirational.

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. Besides winning conference and regional titles in the pair, she also rowed in the varsity four which won the conference championship and was the team's oarsman of the year.

Take five. The highest honor for career achievement in athletics, academics and leadership­the Falcon Award for Excellence­was 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.

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 science 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 and three-time all-conference and academic all-conference selection 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. Stone finished his career ranked No. 1 in blocks, No. 2 in steals, No. 4 in rebounds, No. 5 in scoring and No. 6 in assists.

Top of the class. Huffman made it a clean sweep of the night's major awards as she 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. He was also the team captain last fall.

Our Dean's List. A total of 37 scholar athletes were recognized for maintaining a GPA of .350 or higher over the past three quarters, dating back to spring of 2001. The complete list: Rachael Anderson, gymnastics; Joel Braman, crew; Elyse Cansler, crew; Dana Cantrell, cross country; Nathanael Castle, track/cross country; Chris Cohen, basketball; Carri Colvin, volleyball; Erin Cox, Crew; Nick Glancy, cross country; Adam Harris, basketball; Ruth Hawkinson, track /cross country; Jennifer Helseth, crew; Katy Higgins, volleyball; Joanna Hodgkiss, crew; Stephanie Huffman, track & field; Nick Johnson, basketball; Lauren Kooy, track & field; Sarah Kraybill, track & field; Jordan Lee, basketball; Mike Lucero, crew; Stacie Lukkes, basketball; Paul Mach, cross country/track & field; Tim Marston, cross country; Leah Paddock, cross country; Morgan Ranta, track & field; Daniel Sandrin, basketball; Trisha Sawatzky, crew; Michael Schefter, soccer; Alison Siegel-McAfee, gymnastics; Lindsey Stewart, track & field; Brannon Stone, basketball; Scott Van Hess, Cross country/track; Tyler Van Stright, crew; Julie Vieselmeyer, crew; Trisha Weber, crew; Laura Widman, track & field; Leah Wiiest, volleyball/track; Jamie Witt, cross country/track .

Blanketed with awards. Receiving embroidered personalized blankets for being four-year letterwinners were 18 seniors: Monica Abrahamson, volleyball; Nathanael Castle, track & field; Neal Fryett, track & field; Nick Glancy, cross country; Jawea Harder, track & field; Stephanie Huffman, track & field (also lettered four years in volleyball from 1998-01); Nick Johnson, basketball; Leilani Kamahoahoa, volleyball; Lesley Kamphouse, volleyball; Mike Lucero, crew; Missy McLaughlin, gymnastics; Morgan Ranta, track & field; Rachel Ross, track & field; Alison Siegel-McAfee, gymnastics; Erik Skipper, soccer; Brannon Stone, basketball; Courtney Stump, gymnastics; Kimberly Tschetter, crew.

Tale of the tape. Featured speakers at the banquet were outgoing seniors Erik Skipper (soccer) and Kimberly Tschetter (crew) and, with closing remarks, President Philip Eaton...The Falcons finished with four teams (gymnastics, men's basketball and women's track) which were among the nation's top 20 with the latter two programs accounting for the two GNAC championships...Individually, to date there are nine All-America athletes, three all-region and 36 all-conference. There was one Academic All-America, nine academic all-region and 48 academic all-conference...The anomaly of the banquet was the men's crew award for most inspirational. It went to Jennifer Helseth, coxswain for the varsity four and lightweight four.