Pacific Lutheran Wins All-Sports Trophy

SPOKANE, WA — Defending champion Pacific Lutheran University again used a strong spring season to overtake Willamette University and continue its dominance of the annual McIlroy-Lewis Northwest Conference All-Sports Trophy.

The Lutes won four conference titles and added a pair of runner-up finishes in the eight spring sports to move to the lead. The Lutes had been in fourth place after the winter sports season. PLU won NWC titles in Softball, Men’s Track & Field, Women’s Tennis, and Men’s Golf to finish with 250 points to the Bearcats’ 227.

Willamette, which had led the standings through the fall and winter sports, tied for second place in softball for the Bearcats’ highest spring finish.

Linfield College also had a strong spring to move from fifth place to third in the standings. The Wildcats won the Women’s Golf title.

Other spring championships went to George Fox University (Baseball and Women’s Track & Field) and Whitman College (Men’s Tennis).

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.

Pacific Lutheran has won the trophy every year but once since its inception in 1986. Willamette won the award in 1994.

School wxc mxc wsoc msoc vb fb wsw msw wbb mbb bb sb wtn mtn wg mg wtf mtf total
Pac. Lutheran 12 14 10 6 18 16 10 10 17 9 12 18 18 16 16 18 12 18 250
Willamette 15 12 18 10 15 18 8 12 10 12 14 15 6 14 14 14 10 10 227
Linfield -- 6 4 16 6 14 14 14 13 14 16 12 16 10 18 16 16 14 219
Puget Sound 8 18 16 18 8 10 18 18 3 6 10 15 10 12 12 8 6 8 204
Whitworth 15 8 14 14 10 12 16 16 13 9 3 6 8 6 -- -- 14 16 180
George Fox 10 16 12 10 15 -- -- -- 17 4 18 4 2 8 -- -- 18 12 146
Whitman 18 6 6 4 12 -- 12 8 7 2 3 -- 14 18 8 10 4 3 135
Lewis & Clark 6 10 -- -- 2 8 6 6 3 18 7 10 12 4 10 6 8 6 122
Pacific 4 4 8 12 4 -- -- -- 7 16 7 8 4 2 -- 12 2 3 93

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.