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Historic 2010-11 Seawolf sport seasons

ATHLETICS UAA Media Relations

Historic 2010-11 Seawolf sport seasons

The 2010-11 campaign will go down as one of the most overall successful years in Seawolf Athletics history as 10 of 11 UAA teams advanced in postseason competition, including the second-ever WCHA Final Five appearance for hockey. Both basketball, cross country and track & field squads, plus volleyball and skiing, made NCAA appearances this year. In addition, the Seawolves from all sports combined for a stellar 3.15 overall grade-point average for the season, marking the 14th time in the last 17 years that the 3.0 barrier has been broken.

Track & Field
UAA wrapped up the season with five All-Americans at the 2011 NCAA Div. II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Turlock, Calif., on May 26-28. Leading the Seawolf pack at the NCAAs was the West Region Male Track Athlete of the Year, Alfred Kangogo, who collected the lone podium finish with a third-place showing in the 1,500 meters. At the GNAC Championships, senior David Registe was named the Most Outstanding Male Performer after posting a meet record with 30 individual points and became the first athlete to win five events (including relays) in a single conference meet. Meanwhile, three other individual came away with a GNAC title, while both the men's 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay teams brought home the gold. Throughout the season, the Seawolves combined for 17 school records (9 women, 8 men), while naming 13 to the inaugural USTFCCCA Track & Field Div. II All-Region Team.

Women's Basketball
The Seawolves continued their amazing five-year run with a 27-7 overall record, a 2nd Round NCAA Tournament berth, and the title of the inaugural GNAC Tournament. At season's end, UAA garnered a No. 15 national ranking and now own the longest top-25 streak — 65 weeks — in all of NCAA Division II. The Seawolves won the title of the season-opening Disney's Tip-Off Classic in California and defeated Div. I program San Jose State in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout before a narrow defeat to Kent State in the title game. UAA posted a runner-up finish in the GNAC regular-season race with a 14-4 record, but avenged a pair of losses to Western Washington by snapping the Vikings' 26-game home win streak in the GNAC Tournament title game and beating WWU again in the NCAA 1st Round. Junior forward Hanna Johansson was an all-region and All-GNAC First Team selection, while senior point guard Kaitlin McBride and sophomore forward Alysa Horn were both All-GNAC Second Teamers.
 
Men's Basketball
Led by a trio of senior starters, the Seawolves returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 and equaled the second-most victories in program history with a 24-10 record. UAA finished runner-up in both the GNAC regular season and the postseason tournament, leading to a first-round upset of 6th-ranked Humboldt State in the NCAAs; the Seawolves were knocked out by BYU-Hawaii, which went on to play in the national title game. The men produced victories over Division I clubs Ball State and Houston Baptist in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, and also had a road win over nationally ranked Central Washington to their credit. Junior center Taylor Rohde was an All-GNAC First Team and All-Region Second Team selection, while senior wing Brandon Walker was a All-GNAC Second Team honoree.
 
Men's & Women's Cross Country Running
The cross country teams wrapped up their third straight appearances at the NCAAs with a 6th-place finish on the women's side and a program-best 8th-place result on the men's side, while landing a program-best four runners on the All-America teams. Throughout the season, the teams combined for 10 team victories, including a first-ever sweep of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships and the NCAA Div. II West Region Championships. Both teams claimed program-best national ranks, as the women's team spent three weeks at No. 3 and the men's team landed a No. 6 ranking at the end of the season. Senior Marko Cheseto completed his senior year with six individual titles — including a third straight conference title —  and his second West Region title, earning him both GNAC and West Region Male Runner of the Year honors, while junior Ruth Keino became the highest-placing Seawolf at the NCAAs when she finished seventh in December. For the first time head coach Michael Friess swept the GNAC Coach of the Year honors, as well as the West Region Coach of the Year awards.
 
Gymnastics
After a slow start, the Seawolf gymnasts finished strong by topping the 190-point mark in their final five meets. UAA earned a home victory over Centenary on Mar. 11, then two days later posted 192.575 points to mark the 6th-best score in program history and the 2nd-best ever in a home meet. At the MPSF Championships, team captain Kelsey Fullerton became just the third Seawolf to earn multiple titles in her career as she scored a winning 9.825 on floor exercise. Senior Maria Puricelli, meanwhile, finished with the No. 2 season bars average (9.650) all-time at UAA and was among six Seawolves to earn a place on the MPSF All-Academic Team.
 
Hockey
The 2010-11 Seawolf hockey team completed the season with a 16-18-3 overall record, marking its most victories since becoming a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Seawolves also posted the second-best conference record to date at 12-14-2. UAA completed the conference season tied for 8th with St. Cloud State with 28 points and received the 8th-place seed in the WCHA First Round. The Seawolves went on to sweep Minnesota on the road in the First Round, earning themselves UAA's second-ever berth to the WCHA Final Five. Throughout the season, the Seawolves posted upsets over nationally ranked Wisconsin, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha and Minnesota.
 
Men's & Women's Skiing
The 2011 edition of the  men's and women's ski team qualified 11 individuals to the NCAA Championships in Stowe, Vt., on March 9-12, where they finished 7th in the team standings. Individually, the Seawolves captured five All-America placings, as juniors Jaime Bronga and Alex Parker and freshman Erik Bjornsen posted podium finishes. At the NCAA West Region Championships, the Seawolves finished 5th overall and landed five individuals on the All-RMISA Second Team. Academically, UAA registered 13 student-athletes to the 2011 National Ski Coaches Association All-Academic Team. During the season, the Seawolves posted a season-high 3rd-place team finish at the New Mexico Invitational on Feb. 4-5.

Volleyball
The volleyball team posted its third straight winning season and made its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010 with a 18-9 overall record and a 3rd-place finish (13-5) in the GNAC. The Seawolves, who reached as high as No. 23 in the AVCA national rankings, posted three victories over ranked teams, including a 3-0 upset of 2nd-ranked and eventual West Region champion Cal State-San Bernardino on Sept. 4.  Individually, senior middle blocker Cortney Lundberg earned AVCA honorable mention All-America, All-West Region and 1st Team All-GNAC honors, while junior outside hitter Jackie Matthisen and freshman middle blocker Robyn Burton were both 2nd Team All-GNAC choices.
 

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Players Mentioned

David Registe

David Registe

JMP/SPR
5' 11"
Sophomore
Alfred Kangogo

Alfred Kangogo

MDIS
Freshman
Ruth Keino

Ruth Keino

DIS
Freshman
Cortney Lundberg

#13 Cortney Lundberg

MB
6' 1"
Sophomore
Jackie Matthisen

#RS Jackie Matthisen

MB/OH
5' 11"
Sophomore
Robyn Burton

#4 Robyn Burton

MB
5' 11"
Freshman
Kelsey Fullerton

Kelsey Fullerton

5' 3"
Freshman
Maria Puricelli

Maria Puricelli

5' 3"
Freshman
Jaime Bronga

Jaime Bronga

NOR
Freshman
Alex Parker

Alex Parker

ALP
Freshman
Erik Bjornsen

Erik Bjornsen

NOR
Freshman
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

G
6' 3"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

David Registe

David Registe

5' 11"
Sophomore
JMP/SPR
Alfred Kangogo

Alfred Kangogo

Freshman
MDIS
Ruth Keino

Ruth Keino

Freshman
DIS
Cortney Lundberg

#13 Cortney Lundberg

6' 1"
Sophomore
MB
Jackie Matthisen

#RS Jackie Matthisen

5' 11"
Sophomore
MB/OH
Robyn Burton

#4 Robyn Burton

5' 11"
Freshman
MB
Kelsey Fullerton

Kelsey Fullerton

5' 3"
Freshman
Maria Puricelli

Maria Puricelli

5' 3"
Freshman
Jaime Bronga

Jaime Bronga

Freshman
NOR
Alex Parker

Alex Parker

Freshman
ALP
Erik Bjornsen

Erik Bjornsen

Freshman
NOR
Brandon Walker

#22 Brandon Walker

6' 3"
Sophomore
G