2002-03 McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy Standings

Strong Spring Leads Linfield to All-Sports Trophy

SPOKANE, WA - Winning three Northwest Conference titles during the spring sports season, Linfield College jumped from fourth place to the top of the NWC McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports trophy standings.

The Wildcats won titles, and picked up the maximum 18 possible points, in men's and women's tennis and women's golf. The softball team added a runner-up finish. Linfield won its second-ever all-sports trophy by scoring 122 points in the spring, doubling the school's score from the winter standings to a total of 244.

Whitworth College, the leader through the winter season, finished a close second with 237 points. The Pirates did not win a spring season title, but finished as runners-up in three sports. However, Whitworth did not get any points in golf because the school does not sponsor the sport.

The University of Puget Sound finished third with 222 points.

Willamette University, which placed fourth in the standings with 221 points, also won three events in the spring. The Bearcats won titles in men's and women's track & field and men's golf.

Pacific Lutheran University, the defending All-Sports trophy winner, finished in fifth place with 201 points. The Lutes won the conference softball title.

Lewis & Clark College moved up to finish sixth in the standings (118 points), followed by Whitman College (114). Whitman does not sponsor softball or men's and women's track & field. Pacific University (112 points) finished eighth while George Fox University (99) took ninth place despite winning the final NWC spring title in baseball. The Bruins do not sponsor golf.

Linfield last won the trophy in 2001. Pacific Lutheran has won 14 of the 17 All-Sports trophies since it began to be awarded in 1986. The only other winner was Willamette in 1994.

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.

2002-03 NWC Sport Winners: Willamette, 6(Men's Cross-Country, Women's Cross-Country, Women's Soccer-tie, Men's T&F, Women's T&F, Men's Golf); Linfield, 4 (Football, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, Women's Golf); Whitworth, 4 (Volleyball, Men's Swimming, Women's Basketball, Men's Basketball); Puget Sound, 3 (Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer-tie, Women's Swimming); George Fox 1 (Baseball); Pacific Lutheran 1 (Softball).