Gustafson Voted GNAC Women's Basketball Player of Year, Leads SPU Award Parade
March 8, 2004

Valerie Gustafson has been voted player of the year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Kristin Poe is a First Team All-GNAC honoree.

Amy Taylor named as the GNAC newcomer of the year and to the second team,

Brittney Kroon has received honorable mention honors in GNAC women's basketball.

SEATTLE (Mar. 8) – Valerie Gustafson, the top scorer for Seattle Pacific University’s top-ranked and undefeated women’s basketball team, has been voted player of the year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Gustafson (Sr., 6-0, Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) was joined on the all-conference first team by the Falcons’ Kristin Poe (Sr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.). Amy Taylor (Jr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood), the GNAC newcomer of the year, was a second-team selection. Center Brittney Kroon (So., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) received honorable mention.

Gordy Presnell was a unanimous choice as the GNAC women's basketball coach of the year.

For the second year in a row, Gordy Presnell was a unanimous choice as coach of the year. He has been a conference coach of the year six times since 1995. Also on Monday, Presnell was voted the WBCA (women’s Basketball Coaches Association) west region Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. He was the 2003 national coach of the year.

Presnell’s Falcons put their 27-0 record on the line Friday night when they host UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Division II West Regional at Brougham Pavilion.

Gustafson ranks seventh in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game and also averages 6.1 rebounds per game. She is the conference leader in field goal percentage, converting on 57.3 percent of her shots, and also is among the GNAC leaders in steals (1.85).

Poe’s all-around game was rewarded with her first all-GNAC honor since making the second team in 2002. She averaged 9.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.74 steals. Joining Poe and Gustafson on the first team were Heidi Buehler of Northwest Nazarene, Kamie Jo Massey of Alaska Anchorage, Adrienne Taalakof Alaska Fairbanks and Tessa DeBoer of Western Washington.

Taylor, who transferred after two years at Oregon, averaged 10.9 point and 4.0 assists. She is the GNAC leader in free throw accuracy, connecting on 90.7 percent.

Kroon leads the NCAA in shot-blocking (4.4) and averages 8.2 points and 6.4 boards.

Honorable Mention – Amber Nasby, Alaska Anchorage (Forward, 6-0, Jr., Kelowna, BC); Mindy Mendenhall, Alaska Anchorage (Center, 6-0, Sr., Springville, UT); Laura Wright, Central Washington (Center, 6-3, Fr., Longview, WA); Lindsay Weiss, Central Washington (Forward, 5-10, Sr., Goldendale, WA); Peni Vaefaga, Humboldt State (Forward, 5-7, Sr., Sacramento, CA); Nicole Lynch, Humboldt State (Center, 6-2, Jr., Danville, CA); Julia Eisentrout, Saint Martin’s (Forward, 5-9, Jr., Olympia, WA); Beth Layton, Saint Martin’s (Guard, 5-6, So., Toledo, WA); Brittney Kroon, Seattle Pacific (Center, 6-4, So., Wasilla, AK); Thresia Busch, Seattle (F, 5-10, Jr., Milan, KS); Shannon Talbott, Western Oregon (Forward, 5-10, Jr., Enterprise, OR); Jodi Gerald, Western Washington (Guard, 5-10, Jr., Puyallup, WA).