Messages from the Athletic Director and the UAA Chancellor Dear Friends, Fans, Supporters & Sponsors,
Dear Seawolf fans and supporters,
It is our pleasure to provide you with the 2017-18 Seawolf Athletics Annual Report. In a year that brought many challenges for all of us on campus and throughout the state, our UAA student-athletes and teams continued to achieve at a very high level.
Intercollegiate athletics are a critical part of our university. UAA’s program plays a key role in the lives of many students and enhances our connections with the Alaska community.
Seawolf Athletics had many successes at the conference, regional and national level and hosted several major multi-team competitions at the Alaska Airlines Center. Volleyball, Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Basketball, Women’s Track & Field and Men’s and Women’s Skiing all recorded NCAA finishes, including top-10 national placings in four of those sports. We also accomplished many significant successes in the classroom and in our roles as community servants. We are honored to be able to represent our University, city and state in such a positive way. We are grateful to our loyal fans, supporters, friends and sponsors, who have certainly been instrumental in our success. Your investment of resources in our program has been key to our ability to maintain a level of excellence that we all expect. With the budget crisis that exists in Alaska we are going to have to do “more with less” and seek ways to increase external giving and support. As we officially close the book on the 2017-18 academic year, we ask you to consider increasing your annual gift to Seawolf Athletics by making a contribution to the program you feel most passionate about supporting. Together, we will continue the work of producing graduates and honorable citizens – and winning championships along the way. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do.
Student-athletes learn, through their sport, the importance of making healthy choices in their everyday lives. They learn resilience: how to adapt when facing adversity and how to cope with losses they’ll encounter in their lives. Twenty-nine Seawolf student-athletes have graduated during this past academic year. The overall GPA for our student-athletes reached a new record high for the department — rising from 3.24 in 2015 to 3.26 in 2016 to 3.33 in 2017. Intercollegiate athletics trains individuals to strive for excellence, function as part of a team, treat other people with respect, to value diversity, and persist in spite of pain, rain, or tedium. Our student-athletes make sacrifices while practicing their sport, year after year, developing a maturity that helps them excel in academics and afterward as they move into careers and service to their communities. Thank you for your continued support of UAA’s athletic programs. We are very proud of our Seawolf student-athletes. Sincerely, Sam Gingerich UAA Interim Chancellor
Go Seawolves! Sincerely, Tim McDiffett, Interim Athletic Director
Athletics Mission Statement • We support the educational mission of the University of Alaska Anchorage. • Our mission is to protect and promote the safety, health and well-being of our Student-Athletes. • We guide and support our Student-Athletes in their pursuit of academic and athletic excellence. • We produce graduates and honorable citizens. • We are actively engaged in our University Community.
2
UAA ATHLETICS • 2018
BY THE NUMBERS UAA earned its 10th straight Top 50 finish in the prestigious Learfield Directors’ Cup competition, which measures success on a national level. The Seawolves placed 42nd this year of the 305 programs in NCAA Div. II. UAA Student-Athletes’ combined GPA was a 3.33 in calendar year 2017, topping the record 3.26 from 2016.
11 All-Americans
& 3 Academic All-Americans
Back-to-Back GNAC All-Sports Champs UAA Volleyball’s 1,075 fans per match led all of NCAA Div. II in attendance for the third year in a row. UAA Student-Athletes set a new standard with a combined
2,709 community service hours to their credit in 2017-18.
More than 130,000 fans attended 2017-18 UAA Athletics events. 3
Brian Pearson
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4
29 graduates (13 with honors) & 3.33 combined GPA for all studentathletes UAA wins Back-to-Back GNAC All-Sports Championships Caroline Kurgat wins 3 NCAA TITLES, cross country, 5,000 & 10,000 (outdoors) Soldotna’s Danielle McCormick becomes the first Seawolf to win national tile in indoor T&F, capturing 800-meter crown WXC finishes 5th at NCAA Championships WBB earns 4th straight GNAC title, advances to NCAA ‘Sweet 16’ Nordic All-American Hailey Swirbul produces two podium finishes to lead SKI team to 9th at NCAA Championships MBB earns 13th straight winning record
Hailey Swirbul
UAA ATHLETICS • 2018
9 10 11 12 Danielle McCormick
13 14 15 16 17 18
Kurgat & McCormick combine to lead UAA to 8th at NCAA WOT&F Championships VB advances to 5th straight NCAA Tournament Gymnast Isabelle Fox tabbed MPSF Freshman of the Year WXC wins 3rd straight GNAC title and 8th in 9 years WBB wins tourney and MBB knocks off Santa Clara in 40th and final GCI Great Alaska Shootout Matt Curley named 6th head coach in Seawolf Hockey history HKY star Olivier Mantha named WCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year Chris Brake named Men’s Field Athlete of the Meet at GNAC Indoors UAA hosts West Region VB Showcase and GNAC MBB & WBB Championships at Alaska Airlines Center Greg Myford hired as athletic director
Olivier Mantha
5
Private Support
Be a Game Changer Thank you for helping to make Seawolf student-athletes’ dreams come true. For one student-athlete, it could be winning an NCAA Division title while completing a doctorate in Nursing. For another, it might be earning a degree as a first-generation graduate. These accomplishments will change the course of their lives and that of their families. When you donate to Seawolf Athletics, you support the academic and athletic experiences of more than 180 student-athletes in 13 men’s and women’s sports. Your donation supports the necessary funding to recruit the most sought-after student-athletes, hire the best coaches, develop championship teams and provide maintenance of our facilities to ensure that the fan experience — Your Experience — is second to none. You are the most valuable member of our team. You are a Game Changer. We invite you to stay in the game. By making a contribution to the Athletic Excellence Fund, you help our student-athletes excel. Your gift provides our Seawolves with resources necessary to help them realize their athletic and academic goals. This past year, UAA Athletics produced a repeat GNAC All-Sports title, 11 All-American Honors and NCAA Championships appearances in nine of 13 sports. Most impressive is the record-setting combined 3.33 GPA of our Seawolf athletes, along with more than 2,700 community service hours donated by our student-athletes, coaches and staff. These accomplishments would not have been possible without your continued support of Seawolf Athletics. Thank you. Go Seawolves! Tim McDiffett Interim Athletic Director Seawolf Athletics
Alaska Proud -- Seawolf Strong Athletic competition and success are important to UAA Athletics. The Student-Athletes who represent our University, our city and our state depend on achievements outside of competition by our team of donors who share our desire for success. Financial stability in athletics breeds success, and success breeds pride among the University’s many alumni and friends. Investing in the future of Student-Athletes symbolizes your commitment to ensuring that UAA Athletics continues to be one of the premier academic and athletic institutions in the nation. Your support helps provide these fine Student-Athletes with the best possible opportunities to compete while receiving a quality education. In addition to being a donor, you will be making their dream of excellence in sports and academics a reality. We invite you to show your pride by becoming a member of the Seawolf Athletic Association (SAA). Seawolf Athletic Association Mission To support the prioritized needs of the University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Athletics and its Student-Athletes, coaches and staff by securing annual financial contributions from external sources. • Provide critical funding to bridge the gap between University funding and departmental priorities • Enhance the Student-Athlete experience both academically and athletically • Attract and retain the best coaches and staff • Re-connect alumni to their athletic and undergraduate experience. * All philanthropic contributions to the University of Alaska Foundation in support of Seawolf Athletics entitle you to be a member of the Seawolf Athletic Association.
6
UAA ATHLETICS • 2018
The Director’s Club recognizes supporters of Seawolf Athletics who have made lifetime charitable donations of $5,000 or more. DIRECTOR’S CLUB | GOLD $25,000+ Anonymous Joe Alston Paul & Leigh Bates Clyde Bullion & June George Paul Cunningham & Judy Coleman Judith A. Dresser Terry & Chuck Homan Alan Kajikawa Robert L. & Margaret ‘Petey’ Lathrop James Olson & Bobbi Ramos Olson Tom & Vicki Packer Leroy ‘Doc’ & Idamarie Piccard Charles & Sandra Schumann Wes & Sue Tonkins Sydney Callahan Woll 3-Point Booster Club Alaska Airlines Anchorage Fracture & Orthopedic Clinic ASRC Energy Services AT&T Benton Bay Athletic Lions Club Blueliner Booster Club CARRS/Safeway ConocoPhillips Alaska Cornerstone General Contractors First National Bank Alaska GCI Kendall Auto Group KeyBank Foundation Pepsi-Cola Rebounder Booster Club See Forever, LLC Sheraton Anchorage Hotel Skinny Raven Sports Spectra UAA Hockey Alumni Association Wells Fargo Bank Alaska DIRECTOR’S CLUB | SILVER $15,000 - $24,999 Anonymous Leo & Jeanne Bustad
Rick Calcote & Anne Reed Bruce & Becky Erickson Judy & Mark Madden Carline & Phillip Miller Mitzi & Clark Mishler Tlisa & Scott Northcutt Deb & Dennis Stauffer
David Springgate Stephen & Paula Strom Matt & Andrea Thomas Thomas and Patricia Tierney Camden & Michelle Toohey Frances A. Ulmer Bob & LaVonne Vogt
Anchorage Neurosurgical Associates Odom Corporation Signco
Alaska Mountaineering & Hiking Alaskan Memories Anchorage Running Club iHeart Media Odom Corporation PIP Marketing Signs Print Ravn Alaska Skiwolf Booster Club Subway of Alaska USKH Wilder Construction
DIRECTOR’S CLUB $5,000 - $14,999 Anonymous Dede M. Allen Jeanette Anderson Moores & William Moores Tonya & Frank Carney Tom & Susan Case Steve R. Cobb Don Hopwood & Leslie Dean John & Tina DeLapp Phil & Amy Fogle Michael & Stephanie Friess Chris Green & Mark Meinen Keith & Pat Hackett Larry & Judy Helgeson P.J. Hill & Mimi Hogan Anthony & Galina Houston Rick Jarvis David Kolesky & Barbara DeMarco Brian & Serena Kraft Family Tim & Mary McDiffett Carol & Bill Miernyk Elaine M. Mills Jane M. Pallister Brett & Barbara Pearson Jim & Anne Picard Alan Piccard & Kristine Ashley Edward & Cathryn Rasmuson David & Marjorie Rehfeldt Kevin & Teresa Silver Steven Sinofsky William & Cindy Spindle Doug & Tally Spooner
Accuracy of Donor Listings: Great care was taken to ensure the accuracy of this Honor Roll. If we have inadvertently omitted or misstated your name, please accept our sincere apologies and let us know by contacting the development office at 907.786.1211.
7
o c . s e v l o w a e GoS
m
SEAWOLF ATHLETICS IN LAST 10 YEARS: 2 NCAA National Title Games 11 NCAA individual champions 11 NCAA West Region team titles 38 NCAA Top-10 team finishes 41 GNAC team titles 188 individual conference champions 200 All-Americans
u d e . a k s a l a www.uaa.