Whitworth Wins First All-Sports Trophy

SPOKANE, Wash. — Leading the standings from wire-to-wire, Whitworth College won the 2004-05 Northwest Conference McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy for the first time in school history.

Whitworth held off Willamette University, which had shared the lead after the fall sports season, with 246 points to the Bearcats' 232. The Pirates clinched the trophy after the golf team won the Northwest Conference title. Whitworth also picked up a runner-up finish in women's track and field.

Whitworth becomes only the fourth Northwest Conference school to win the trophy in its 20 years of existence. Linfield College was the two-time defending champion and also won in 2001. Willamette won in 1994. Pacific Lutheran has won 15 titles, including the first eight in a row.

Willamette moved from third after the winter standings to second in the final standings by winning NWC titles in men's and women's track and field and also earning runner-up finishes in softball and men's golf.

Puget Sound finished third with 230 points. The Loggers' best spring finish was second place in women's tennis.

Defending champion Linfield scored the most points of any school during the spring season, but could only climb from fifth to fourth in the final standings. The Wildcats won NWC titles in baseball (shared), softball and women's tennis. Linfield also was runner up in men's track and field. Linfield scored 120 of its 220 total points in the spring.

Pacific Lutheran University won the men's tennis championship and finished fifth with 210 points.

George Fox University shared the baseball title with Linfield and finished sixth with 135 points. Pacific University was the champion in women's golf.

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.

2004-05 NWC Sport Winners:
Willamette, 4 (Men's Cross-Country, Women's Cross-Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field)
Linfield, 4 (Football, Baseball, Softball, Women's Tennis)
Puget Sound, 3 (Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming, Men's Basketball)
Whitworth, 3 (Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming, Men's Golf)
Pacific Lutheran, 2 (Volleyball, Men's Tennis)
George Fox, 2 (Women's Basketball, Baseball)
Pacific, 1 (Women's Golf)