May 7, 2008

Pacific Lutheran Names 2007-08 Athletic Award Winners

The Pacific Lutheran volleyball team, which was the only Lute athletic program to win a Northwest Conference title during the 2007-08 school year, was represented in three major award categories at the PLU All-Sports Dessert held Sunday night, May 4, in Olson Auditorium.

The Lute volleyball team earned Team of the Year recognition, senior setter Gina Di Maggio received Woman of the Year in Sports, and freshman outside hitter Beth Hanna garnered Athlete of the Year.

Following are the awards, the winners, and the nominees in each category.

Team of the Year: Volleyball
The Lutes finished the season with a 23-4 record, setting new program standards for most victories and best winning percentage in a season. They also established a school-record with 19 straight victories. PLU won the Northwest Conference title with a 16-0 record, becoming the first team to go undefeated in conference play since 2000. The Lutes were ranked as high as No. 13 in the country this year.

Woman of the Year in Sports: Gina Di Maggio, Volleyball 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. She earned first team all-conference recognition for the second year and all-region honors for the third time. Gina broke her own school record by averaging 11.93 assists per game this season, and she finished her career averaging 11.17 assists per game. Gina is a nursing major and has a 3.17 grade point average. Also nominated: Kyle Haag, basketball.

Man of the Year in Sports: Andrew Eisentrout, Football 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. Andrew has a 3.19 grade point average as a biology major. He has been involved in the Lister-MacIlvaigh Mentoring program and has volunteered at St. Clare Hospital. Also nominated: Justin Larimore, tennis; Brian Lubeck, soccer.

Athlete of the Year: Michael Ferguson, Men’s Soccer Michael scored 14 goals during his senior season and finished his career with 49 goals, tying 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 also received all-region honors for the second straight season. Also nominated: Brett Brunner, baseball; Craig Chiado, football; Scott McDaniels, men’s basketball; Isaac Moog, men’s track & field; Jordan Post, baseball; Brandon Sales, baseball.

Athlete of the Year: Beth Hanna, Volleyball Beth became the first PLU volleyball player ever to earn first team All-America honors, and also earned national Division III Freshman of the Year recognition. 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. Also nominated: Faven Araya, women’s track & field; Taylor Hacker, women’s track & field.

Frosty Westering Lute Inspirational: Lisa Gilbert, Soccer and Softball Lisa, a four-year letter winner in softball and a one-year letter winner in soccer, has been a key player and leader throughout her PLU athletic career. Lisa had her best year in softball as a senior, hitting .315 with eight doubles and 15 runs batted in. During the fall, Lisa played her one and only season for the Lutes women’s soccer team and ended up starting in eight games as a defender. Her leadership in both the softball and soccer programs, and in the PLU community as a whole, is evident. In addition, she has been a resident assistant all four of her years at Pacific Lutheran. Lisa maintains a 3.58 grade point average while majoring in Spanish and minoring in global studies. Also nominated: Erika Feltus, women’s tennis; Landon Heidenreich, men’s basketball; Matt Keller, baseball; Jared Vidano, men’s tennis.

Scholar-Athlete: Lauren McDonald, Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field A three-year captain for the PLU women’s cross country team, Lauren helped the Lutes to a fifth-place finish at conference and to a berth in the regional meet. During the track & field season, Lauren finished seventh in the 10,000-meter run at the conference championships. She is an exercise science major and maintains a 3.78 grade point average. Lauren has been awarded an assistantship and a graduate resident scholar award at Boise State University where she will pursue a master’s in exercise and sport studies.

Scholar-Athlete: Tory Silvestrin, Men’s Tennis A three-year letter winner for the PLU men’s tennis team, Tory is a pre-med major and maintains a 3.97 grade point average. He will attend the University of Washington dental school this coming fall. Tory had his best year on the tennis court as a senior, finishing with a 9-7 singles record, including an 8-1 record in conference matches. Also nominated: Jeff Ebel, football; Andy Holden, football.

Student Athlete Advisory Council Leadership: Amy Spieker, Women’s Basketball Amy is involved in the following activities at PLU: Resident Assistant, Red Carpet Club host, ASPLU Lower Campus Senator, 2008-09 ASPLU Vice President (started April 1, 2008), Arete Society (Liberal Arts honor society) member, Omicron Delta Epsilon (Economics Society) member, Wang Center Global Health Symposium presenter. Also nominated: Charlotte Pfieffer, women’s crew; Jacob Schonau-Taylor, football.

Team GPA: Women’s Cross Country
The women’s cross country team, which had a combined cumulative 3.40 grade point average, finished fifth in the conference meet and also became the first PLU women’s team in the last seven years to participate at the regional championships.

Alumnus of the Year in Sports: Gary Wusterbarth, Steilacoom High School Coach
Gary Wusterbarth played tennis and basketball at Pacific Lutheran before graduating in 1977. As a tennis player, he represented PLU at three national tournaments. He has enjoyed a successful boys basketball coaching career at nearby Steilacoom High School where he recently notched his 400th career victory. He has taken 16 of his 23 Steilacoom High teams to the state tournament, and he ranks fourth among the state’s active coaches in winning percentage. Gary’s teams are known for their competitiveness and sportsmanship. Last year, Gary was inducted into the Washington State Coaches Hall of Fame.

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