Linfield Wins Second Straight All-Sports Trophy

SPOKANE, Wash. — For the third time in four years Linfield College used a strong finish with its spring sports to vault to the top of the final Northwest Conference McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy standings, winning the award for the 2003-04 school year.

The Wildcats, who won the trophy last year and in 2001, earned Northwest Conference championships in baseball, softball and women’s tennis. Linfield also benefitted from three third-place finishes in men’s tennis and men’s and women’s track & field and finished with 245 total points. The ‘Cats scored nearly half (119) of their points in the spring season.

The University of Puget Sound, the standings leader after the winter season, finished second in the final list with 237 points. The Loggers’ top score in the spring came from a second place finish in women’s tennis.

Willamette University matched Linfield’s output with three conference titles this spring and held on to third place in the standings with 222 points. The Bearcats earned titles in men’s golf and men’s and women’s track & field.

Whitworth College, in second place after the winter, dropped to fourth in the final standings with 221 points. The Pirates earned runner-up finishes in women’s track and men’s golf.

Pacific Lutheran University, a 15-time winner of the trophy, finished fifth with 202 points. The Lutes were followed by Whitman College (118), Lewis & Clark College (114), Pacific University (109) and George Fox University (108).

The other spring championships were won by Whitman in men’s tennis, by Pacific in women’s golf and by George Fox in baseball (co-championship with Linfield).

The Northwest Conference All-Sports Trophy recognizes athletic excellence among Northwest Conference institutions across all fields of competition. It is named in honor of John Lewis, the baseball coach (1947-72), basketball coach (1947-67) and athletics director (1952-72) at Willamette University; and Jane McIlroy, Linfield College’s women’s athletics director and physical education professor from 1950-82 who also coached field hockey (1952-81), basketball, volleyball, softball and tennis.

key: wxc = women's cross country; mxc = men's cross-country; wsoc = women's soccer; msoc = men's soccer; vb = volleyball; fb = football; wsw = women's swimming; msw = men's swimming; wbb = women's basketball; mbb = men's basketball; bb = baseball; sb = softball; wtn = women's tennis; mtn = men's tennis; wg = women's golf; mg = men's golf; wtf = women's track & field; mtf = men's track & field.

2003-04 NWC Sport Winners: Linfield, 6 (Football, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, baseball-tie, softball, women’s tennis); Willamette, 5 (Men's Cross-Country, Women's Cross-Country, men’s golf, men’s track & field, women’s track & field); Puget Sound, 4 (Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming, Women's Basketball-tie, Men's Basketball); Whitman, 2 (Women's Basketball-tie, men’s tennis); Whitworth, 1 (Men's Swimming); Pacific, 1 (Women’s golf); George Fox, 1 (baseball-tie).