The Pacific Lutheran volleyball team had a record-setting season, winning its second consecutive Northwest Conference title. That success was reflected in the 2007-08 all-sports awards, with two volleyball players receiving top awards and head coach Kevin Aoki’s squad earning the second annual Team of the Year recognition. The Lutes finished the season with a 23-4 overall record, including a school-record 19 consecutive victories. PLU won the Northwest Conference title with a 16-0 record, becoming the first team to go undefeated in conference play since 2000.
Gina Di Maggio, the volleyball team’s senior setter, is the Woman of the Year in Sports. Gina received All-America second team recognition after leading the Lutes to an undefeated conference season and a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament.
Di Maggio earned first team all-conference and all-region honors broke her own school record by averaging 11.93 assists per game this season. She finished her career averaging 11.17 assists per game during her career. Gina is a nursing major out of Tumwater (Wash.) High School.
Andrew Eisentrout, football, is Man of the Year in Sports for 2007-08. Andrew earned Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the conference with 11.5 quarterback sacks for this season. His 14.5 tackles for loss were second only to teammate Robert Thomsen in the conference. Eisentrout earned d3football.com 2007 Third Team All-America honors and was a first team All-West Region selection for the second consecutive season. He graduated in December 2007 with a degree in biology.
Volleyball player
Beth Hanna received Athlete of the Year. In her first year at Pacific Lutheran, Beth made a huge impact on the Pacific Lutheran program. She became the first PLU volleyball player ever to earn first team All-America honors. On top of that, she was named the national Division III Freshman of the Year. In addition to the national awards, Beth earned Northwest Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-Northwest Conference, Region Freshman of the Year and all-region first team honors. She ranked fourth nationally with an average of 5.34 kills per game, easily surpassing the school record 5.01 kills per game. She also tied the school record with 486 total kills. Beth has been accepted into PLU’s nursing program.
Men’s soccer player
Michael Ferguson was also named Athlete of the Year. Michael scored 14 goals during his senior season and finished his career with 49 goals to tie the school record. Named the 2007 Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Michael led the conference in goals scored and in points with 33. He earned all-conference first team honors for the third time, making him only the fourth player in PLU history to make the first team three different seasons. He is majoring in business with a minor in marketing.
Other award winners were announced at the annual All-Sports Dessert held May 4 in Olson Auditorium and are as follows:
George Fisher Scholar-Athlete -
Tory Silvestrin, men’s tennis, and
Lauren McDonald, women’s cross country and track & field.
Frosty Westering Inspirational –
Lisa Gilbert, women’s soccer and softball.
Student Athlete Advisory Committee Award –
Amy Spieker, women’s basketball.
Distinguished Alumnus in Sports – Gary Wusterbarth.
