Linfield University

The Northwest Conference has named the 2023-24 All-Northwest Conference Sportsmanship team. Nineteen student-athletes from Linfield University were selected for displaying good sportsmanship throughout the season. All nine member institutions elected one member from each sports team to be a member of the All-NWC Sportsmanship team. The Linfield Wildcat student-athletes included: Brett Joner (baseball), JT Estes (men's basketball), Miki Vermeulen (women's basketball), Bradley Kiltow (men's cross country), Jennifer Torres-Bermudez (women's cross country), Justin Pfau (football), Trevor Price (men's golf), Caitlin Hillman (women's golf), Maizri Chandler (women's lacrosse), Owen Schoner (men's soccer), Sidra Griffin (women's soccer), Jacey Leyvas (softball), Rocco Velie (men's swimming), Caley Haydu (women's swimming), Seth Lee (men's tennis), Sarah Forester (women's tennis), Jevon Cloy (men's track and field), Siera Crawford (women's track and field) and Marina Erosa (women's volleyball). See the complete All-NWC Sportsmanship team at https://golinfieldwildcats.com/documents/2024/7/15/2024_All_Sportsmanship_PDF.pdf.

Recent Linfield University graduate Colton Smith has received distinction as the Male Vern Marshall Award, becoming the 13th member of the Wildcats football program to earn the honor. Presented annually, the award is named in honor of former Linfield student-athlete and longtime college and professional sports referee Vern Marshall Sr. It recognizes the top male and female athletes who compete with the greatest tenacity. A total of 20 honorees representing six programs have earned the men's accolade dating back to 2002. Read the full announcement at: https://golinfieldwildcats.com/news/2024/6/5/general-interest-colton-smith-presented-male-vern-marshall-award.aspx

Leading Linfield University to an historic softball season, Brynn Nelson has been named the female recipient of the Vern Marshall Award. Presented annually, the award was created in memory of former Linfield student-athlete and longtime college and professional sports referee Vern Marshall Sr. of the Class of 1957. Established in 2002, the Vern Marshall Award salutes the top male and female athletes who compete with the greatest tenacity.

Recent Linfield University graduate Sarah Forester has been appointed to the prestigious College Sports Communicators Academic All-America team for a second straight year. She received CSC Academic All-America second team honors after being named to the third team a year ago. Forester becomes just the second Linfield Wildcat student-athlete to earn Academic All-America acclaim in consecutive seasons, joining baseball's Nick Fisher, who achieved the feat a decade ago in 2013 and 2024.

Linfield University tied the second most All-Northwest Conference selections in program history with five in an announcement released by the conference in May. First-year student Madison De La Trinidad led the group with the first team selection while Gabby Crist and Mackenzie Kulick were named second team. Star Pfleiger and Grayce Miller rounded out the selections after being named honorable mention All-NWC. Linfield doubled its win total in 2024 improving to 6-9 overall and 4-8 in Northwest Conference play. Read the full announcement at https://golinfieldwildcats.com/news/2024/5/7/lacrosse-five-cats-land-on-all-northwest-conference-list.aspx.

Linfield University's Kira Hawaaboo is headed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this week to compete in the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The sophomore from Enumclaw, Washington, is among the leading challengers for a national championship in the women's long jump. She'll compete in that event Thursday at 11:30 a.m. PDT inside Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium. Hawaaboo enters the NCAA Championships ranked fourth in the long jump among a field of 22 entrants. Her best mark of the season came at the NWC Championships when she sailed 19 feet, 6 inches.

Linfield University's Kirsti Keppo earned Co-Swimmer of the Year with Whitman's Shaye Agnew and is one of five Linfield women's swimmers named first-team All-NWC in a conference release announced on Wednesday. Sarah Arpag earned first-team honors in the 200 butterfly. Avery Campbell earned first-team selections in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Keppo earned honors in the 500 freestyle, 1650 freestyle and 400 individual medley. Two Linfield relays earned first-team awards. The team of Arpag, Whitney Averall, Kalea Mullins and Campbell comprised the 200-medley relay. Arpag, Campbell, Keppo and Mullins made up the 800-freestyle relay. Arpag, Averill, Campbell, Keppo and Mullins also made second-team in one or more events. Joining them with second-team honors in multiple events are Kaylee Elsom and Caley Haydu. Elsom earned honors in the 500 freestyle and 200 freestyle. Haydu made second-team honors in the 50 freestyle and was a part of three Linfield relays that made second-team All-NWC honors. At the NWC championships, Campbell bested her school record in the 50 backstroke and Keppo broke record marks in the 1650 freestyle and 1000 freestyle. The Wildcats finished the season with a 5-2 record in NWC dual meets and finished second overall in the team standings at the conference championships in early February with 460 points. Read the full Northwest Conference press release at https://nwcsports.com/news/2024/2/20/2024all-nwc-womens-swimming-team-announced-linfields-keppo-whitmans-agnew-whitworths-parrish-and-pacific-lutherans-lum-earn-top-honors.aspx.

Seven Linfield University men's swimmers were selected for All-Northwest Conference teams in a release announced by the conference on Wednesday. Senior Edan Donaldson earned first-team honors in the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. Sophomore Rocco Velie earned first-team honors in the 400 individual medley and junior Gavin Smith made first-team in the 1650 freestyle. Three Linfield relays earned their way onto the All-NWC second team. The foursome of Donaldson, Velie, Cam Wheeler and Carson Washburn led the way for the 800-freestyle relay. Washburn, Donaldson, Velie and Daniel Olson comprised the 400-freestyle relay while Donaldson, Velie, Washburn and Ivan Tontchev made up the 400 medley relay. In total seven 'Cats earned All-NWC honors. The Wildcats finished with a 5-2 record in NWC dual meets and finished fourth overall in the team standings at the NWC championships in early February. See the full Northwest Conference release at: https://nwcsports.com/news/2024/2/20/all-nwc-mens-swimming-team-announced-whitworths-washburn-hayashida-and-schadt-earn-top-honors.aspx

Linfield University's Kira Hawaaboo scored 4,495 points on her way to capturing the Northwest Conference women's heptathlon championship Tuesday afternoon at Willamette University's McCulloch Stadium. Competing in only her second heptathlon, the sophomore from Enumclaw, Washington, topped a field of eight competitors to become Linfield's first NWC heptathlon champion since Olivia Bannerot claimed the title in 2016. Her victory followed a memorable Saturday in which she broke a 26-year-old Linfield record in the long jump at the Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational. Read the full story at https://golinfieldwildcats.com/news/2024/4/9/track-field-kira-hawaaboo-crowned-nwc-heptathlon-champion.aspx.

The Linfield University cheer team advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 UCA College Cheerleading Nationals in Orlando, Florida, which took place Jan. 13-15. The Wildcats finished 19th out of 36 teams in the Open All Girl Game Day category. While the squad improved their score from 85.233 to 85.5 between the preliminary and semifinal rounds, it was not enough to advance to the final round of competition. The Open All Girl Game Day competition included colleges from all levels, including NCAA Division I, II and III, as well as two-year colleges and NAIA schools. Linfield was the only team from Oregon competing in the category. Ultimately, West Chester University, a NCAA Division II school from Pennsylvania, won the national title. Teams were evaluated on their ability to lead a crowd, motion techniques and execution of skills, among others. "We perform the fight song, a situational sideline cheer and then a band dance timeout!" former head coach Madesyn Samples said. "The routine is three-minutes long, and we never stop moving start to finish." Linfield received zero deductions to their score from the judges in either round of competition. This marks the second time in program history that the team has participated in the national competition. The team made its inaugural appearance in 2022. That year, the Wildcats placed ninth in the Small Coed Game Day division. More about the Linfield cheerleading squad is online at https://golinfieldwildcats.com/sports/cheerleading. See the full competition results at https://tv.varsity.com/events/11267291/results.

Linfield University had four players earn post-season Northwest Conference honors following the end of the 2023 soccer season. Anna Dazey earned second-team All-NWC and teammates Jenna Stanley, Janae Lewis and Riley Omonaka all were tabbed honorable mention selections. Lewis is the only repeat selection from the 2022 season. The Wildcats finished the season 6-8-6 and 4-7-5 in NWC play. Linfield finished with 17 total points to finish fifth in the conference, one point ahead of George Fox and Lewis & Clark and 12 points back of fourth place Whitman. The full list and announcement of the 2023 All-NWC Women's Soccer team is online at https://nwcsports.com/news/2023/11/14/023-all-nwc-womens-soccer-team-announced-lutes-cecil-merte-spidahl-and-blues-glorioso-earn-top-honors.aspx.

Linfield University volleyball player Claire Johnson earned her first career postseason award after being named All-Northwest Conference honorable mention on Wednesday afternoon. The senior setter ranked fourth in the NWC in assists per set with eight, totaling 656 over 82 sets in the 2023 season. The senior from Snohomish, Washington, racked up a career-high 53 assists in Linfield's five-set victory over Western New England on Sept. 2. She tallied over 40 assists on two separate occasions against Eastern Nazarene and Puget Sound. Johnson finished her Linfield career with 77 kills, 668 assists, and 29 serving aces. George Fox's Kassandra Mendenhall won NWC Player of the Year while her teammate Emily Blagg won Rookie of the Year. Halle Hetzler won her third straight Libero of the Year from Pacific Lutheran. Lutes head coach Kevin Aoki also grabbed Coach of the Year. Pacific Lutheran won the NWC inaugural tournament and earned the automatic birth to the NCAA Division III Championships. The Wildcats finished their season 8-15 and 4-12 in conference play. Linfield slotted in at eighth in the final NWC standings, finishing ahead of Lewis & Clark and just behind Pacific.

Linfield University had four men's soccer players earn Northwest Conference postseason awards following the conclusion of the fall season. The tally is the highest amount of men's soccer players Linfield has had since the end of the 2015 season. Angel Hernandez, Sid Kosaris and Seamus Miller all were selected NWC second-team, while freshman Ross Vargo was tabbed as honorable mention. Hernandez and Kosaris are repeat selections from last season, and Miller picked up his second award with his first coming in the 2021 season. Linfield finished the season with 5-12-3 record and a 5-9-2 mark in conference play. The Wildcats finished with 17 points to end the season seventh in the NWC standings. Pacific slotted in at sixth with 18 points while Linfield finished one point clear eighth place George Fox. For the full announcement and list of the 2023 All-Northwest Conference Men's Soccer team, visit https://nwcsports.com/news/2023/11/14/2023-all-nwc-womens-soccer-team-announced-lutes-dobson-kamau-yorke-and-pirates-friesen-earn-top-honors.aspx.

Six student-athletes from the Northwest Conference were selected to the 2023 NCAA Division III Academic All-District Men's At-Large Team, released Tuesday by the College Sports Communicators. Representing Linfield University were Chris Cayford and Jakob Jarvis. The Wildcats' two selections matched Willamette's for the most in the NWC on the men's side. Puget Sound and Whitworth rounded out the conference with one honoree apiece. Cayford was part of a Linfield squad that placed fourth at the NWC Spring Classic and third at the NWC Championship this spring. The junior's top performance of the season came at the Logger Invitational on March 25-26, where he tied for fifth place with a two-round score of 146 (+4) on the par-71 course. His second-round score of 72 was his low of the season and led Linfield to second place of nine teams on the team leaderboard, marking the best finish of the year for the Wildcats. Jarvis went 10-16 at 141 pounds for the Linfield men's wrestling team in its inaugural NCAA season. Five of those victories came by decision while four others came via pin. The junior went 3-1 at January 15's Boxer Open to capture third place. The CSC Academic All-District Men's At-Large Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined success in both athletics and academics. Academic All-District selections will advance for consideration for the Academic All-America Teams, which will be announced June 21. See the full announcement from the CSC: https://academicallamerica.com/documents/2023/5/23//Acad_AtLargeM_2223.pdf

Four members of the Linfield baseball team were honored for their performances both on the diamond and in the classroom, earning their way on the 2023 NCAA Division III Academic All-District Team, announced Tuesday by the College Sports Communicators. The Northwest Conference saw 19 student-athletes earn CSC Academic All-District honors. Representing the Wildcats were senior Braden Thorn (exercise science), juniors John Over (biology) and Bodey Smith (management) and sophomore Nick Alder (applied physics). Thorn appeared in eight games in his final campaign on the mound, starting in three. He finished the season with a 3.95 ERA and held opposing lineups to a .180 batting average. Over started in eight of his 10 appearances. The lefty threw 38 2/3 innings, striking out 21 batters. Alder finished tied for the team lead with 16 pitching appearances. Smith played in 32 games and started in 30. The outfielder recorded 24 hits, 18 runs and eight RBI. He led the Wildcats with 21 walks. The CSC Academic All-District Baseball Teams recognize student-athletes for their combined success in athletics and academics.

Seventeen women across six Linfield programs received the Vern Marshall Award since its inception in 2002. Kate Walkup made history in 2022-23, becoming the first female swimmer to earn the award. The Vern Marshall Award is named after a former Linfield student-athlete and longtime college and professional sports referee. The honor recognizes the top male and female athletes who compete with the greatest tenacity. The Northwest Conference champion in the 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard backstroke, Walkup was also a member of four winning relay teams at the NWC Championships in February. A First Team All-NWC selection, the senior from Eugene led the 'Cats to their first team title in 30 years. She went on to earn an Academic All-District nod from the College Sports Communicators (CSC). Walkup defended her title in the 400 IM, winning with a time of 4:31.61 on Day 3 of the big championship meet. She returned on the final day of action to break the Linfield record in the 200 backstroke, cruising to a 2:04.11 finish. A constant Dean's List recipient and NWC scholar-athlete, Walkup recently graduated with a degree in journalism and media studies. In the spring semester, she served as the sports editor of the Linfield Review and helped manage the women's swim team's social media accounts. Walkup is a member of Linfield's chapter of Alpha Phi sorority.

Nineteen Linfield University student-athletes have been named to the 2022-23 All-Sportsmanship Team as announced by the Northwest Conference office. Each honoree was singled out by their teammates or coach for displaying excellent sportsmanship throughout the competitive season. The following Linfield Wildcats were honored with All-Sportsmanship Awards: Brett Joner, baseball Jack Stallard, men's basketball Peyton Bergevin, women's basketball Bradley Kiltow, men's cross country Anna Frazier, women's cross country Julien Sears, football Trevor Price, men's golf Tori Schuller, women's golf Grayce Miller, women's lacrosse Logan Clizer, men's soccer McCall Bennion, women's soccer Brynn Nelson, softball Casey Wong, men's swimming Kaylee Elsom, women's swimming Alexander Rosenquist, men's tennis Taryn Fujimori, women's tennis Ronan Krutzikowsky, men's track and field Siera Crawford, women's track and field Ellie Mead, volleyball

Travis Swanson is the 2022-23 recipient of the male Vern Marshall Award, recognizing student-athletes with the most tenacity on the playing surface

Linfield University's softball team (41-4) continued its dominance on the diamond, by winning the Northwest Conference title April 23 and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. On April 27, the Northwest Conference announced its 2023 All-NWC Softball team with nine Wildcat student-athletes making the list. Star players Katie Phillips and Tayah Kelley repeated as the NWC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, becoming the first duo in conference history to accomplish the feat. Linfield had an all-conference selection at every position on the field, including five players who earned First Team All-NWC honors. Joining Phillips and Kelley were sophomore first baseman Kaili Saathoff, graduate student right fielder Baily Paul and sophomore center fielder Claire Seats. Earning Second Team All-NWC nods were sophomore catcher Ashley Sutton, sophomore second baseman Brynn Nelson, freshman third baseman Cydney Hess and graduate student shortstop Katrina Johns. In addition to the student-athlete honors, head coach Jackson Vaughan was named the NWC Coach of the Year for the 13th time in his illustrious 22-year head coaching career. Vaughan was selected by his peers as the Coach of the Year after leading Linfield to its fifth 40-win season and first since 2012, the year the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Division III championship game. The 'Cats claimed the program's 18th NWC regular-season title with a near-perfect 27-1 record, matching the best conference mark in school history. The Wildcat softball team is currently ranked No. 4 in nation in the latest NFCA Top 25. Regionals for the NCAA Division III Championships take place May 18-20. The 'Cats await the NCAA Selection Show on May 15 to find out who and where they will be playing.

Linfield University led all Northwest Conference (NWC) institutions with a combined eight selections to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2022-23 Academic All-District Swimming Teams. The Wildcats are the only program in the NWC with four honorees on both the men's and women's teams. Pacific Lutheran boasted seven Academic All-District student-athletes, including four women and three men. Willamette saw six players earn honors while Whitworth had four to round out the NWC's 25 total selections. Representing the Linfield women both in the pool and in the classroom are seniors Alexis Matthiesen-Johnson (exercise science) and Kate Walkup (journalism and media studies), junior Emma Campbell (political science/mathematics) and sophomore Avery Campbell (undecided). Walkup won individual titles in the 400-yard IM and 200-yard backstroke at the NWC Championships, leading the Wildcat women to their first league championship in 30 years. Avery Campbell placed first in the 100 backstroke. Both Walkup and Campbell were named members of the All-NWC First Team. The men's side features seniors Nathan Herde (exercise science) and Casey Wong (computer science), junior Alex Landry (physics) and sophomore Gavin Smith (applied physics). Smith won the 1,650-yard freestyle at the NWC Championships on his way to earning a First Team nod on the All-NWC Team. The 2022-23 CSC Academic All-District Team recognizes student-athletes for their combined efforts in both athletics and academics. The honorees will advance to the Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-Americans will be announced by the CSC in late March.

Three members of the Linfield University baseball team (13-24, 8-16 NWC) were named honorable mentions on the 2023 All-Northwest Conference Baseball Team, released Friday. Junior shortstop Jake Hoskins, sophomore catcher Tyler Marr and first-year pitcher Casey Struckmeier all made their debuts on the All-Conference Team. Hoskins transferred to Linfield after two standout seasons at Linn-Benton Community College. Marr spent time at the junior varsity level as a freshman last year while Struckmeier was still enrolled at Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Washington. Hoskins is one of just two players who appeared in every game for Linfield, starting in 36 of the Wildcats' 37 games. The Hillsboro native batted .301 with 46 hits, a team-leading 28 runs and 22 RBI. He finished tied for the team lead with six home runs. Catcher was the deepest position for Linfield heading into the season, but Marr separated himself from the rest to become the team's No. 1 option behind the plate. The Great Falls, Montana, product batted .343 with a .411 on-base percentage and a .455 slugging percentage. He led the 'Cats with 11 doubles and posted a .986 fielding percentage. Struckmeier appeared in 10 games and started in eight in his breakout first season in purple and cardinal. He won two games on the mound to go with 25 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA. Struckmeier threw five or more innings five times, ending the season with a scoreless outing in 6 1/3 innings against Willamette on April 15 at Roy Helser Field. Read the full NWC release. More information on the Linfield baseball team is at: https://golinfieldwildcats.com/sports/baseball

Trey Bryant, a sophomore guard on the Linfield University men's basketball team, was recognized as a First Team selection to the 2022-23 All-Northwest Conference Team, released Tuesday. During the season, the Springfield product knocked down 45.5 percent of his shots, ranking fourth in the NWC in scoring with 15.2 points per game while also ranking second with 6.8 rebounds per game. His 4.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game also finished in the top three of the conference rankings. Bryant scored in double figures 21 times in 25 games and put up 20 or more points on seven occasions. He registered six double-doubles, including his second career triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists against Willamette on Jan. 3. Although the 'Cats couldn't secure a spot in the NWC Tournament, Bryant finished the season strong with a career-high 30 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists on the road against top-seeded Whitman on Feb. 18. He reached another milestone in a 15-rebound performance at Willamette on Jan. 31. Bryant's full bio is available at https://golinfieldwildcats.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/trey-bryant/16846.

Junior Sarah Forester has been a force so far for the Linfield University Wildcats in both No. 3 singles and doubles. On Monday, she was named the Northwest Conference Women's Tennis Student-Athlete of the Week. Forester led Linfield to a 2-0 week in California. The 'Cats opened the road trip with a convincing 8-1 win at Whittier on Wednesday. Their match at Redlands on Saturday was canceled due to rain, but the 'Cats came back on Sunday to edge out Occidental by a score of 5-4. The Corvallis native went 2-0 in singles and won both of her doubles matches with teammate Alexis Garner. Against Whittier, Forester won No. 3 singles with a 7-6 tiebreaker, beating the Poets' Maci Davis by scores of 6-0 and 7-6. She and Garner took down Jasmine Saunders and Emily List, 8-6, in No. 3 doubles. It was a similar story for Forester against Occidental. She beat the Tigers' Alexis Matabuena, 6-1, 6-4, in No. 3 singles before she and Garner won No. 3 doubles over Emma Silber and Lillian Lin with a score of 8-5. Forester is 3-1 on the season in both singles and doubles. Her only losses came to Division I Portland State. The 'Cats (3-1) open the NWC portion of their schedule this weekend, hosting Willamette on Saturday before playing at George Fox on Sunday. Both matches will start at 10 a.m.

Linfield University seniors Paige LaFountain (exercise science), Kaylee Schow (mathematics) and Jordan Worthington (marketing/journalism and media studies) and junior Peyton Bergevin (elementary education) all earned selection to the 2022-23 College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division III Academic All-District Team, released Tuesday. A total of 15 women's basketball players representing four NWC institutions were honored. Linfield matched Whitworth and Willamette with its four selections. Pacific Lutheran rounded out the group with three honorees. The 2022-23 CSC Academic All-District Team recognizes student-athletes for their combined efforts in both athletics and academics. The honorees will advance to the Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-Americans will be announced by the CSC in March. Learn more at golinfieldwildcats.com.

Emily Sullenger became the first women's wrestler in Linfield University history to qualify for the national championship tournament on Sunday, finishing as runner-up in the nine-team National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship Region V tournament hosted by Colorado Mesa University. Shortly thereafter, Ayana Medina became the second Wildcat to make nationals, coming from behind in a dramatic winner-take-all "true fourth place" match to claim her spot. The two Wildcats will represent Linfield at the NCWWC National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, March 3-4.

The 18th annual D3football.com All-Region Teams have been announced, and seven players from the nationally-ranked Linfield Wildcats made the list. Highlighting the Wildcats with First Team All-Region 6 honors are graduate student center Matt Metcalf, senior offensive tackle Taylor Adams, sophomore returner Maclain Stoneking and junior linebacker Blake Rybar. Senior guard Julien Sears landed on the All-Region 6 Second Team while sophomore quarterback Blake Eaton and senior defensive tackle Chase Lydig were picked as third-teamers.

Linfield University earned a seat at the table in 2022 as juniors Angel Hernandez and Sid Kosaris were named to the All-Northwest Conference Men's Soccer Team, released Wednesday. Both players received the first all-conference honor of their careers. Hernandez spearheaded the Linfield backline on his way to being selected to the All-NWC Second Team. The Wildcats' leader on the attack, Kosaris was picked as an honorable mention. Linfield went 5-13-1 overall with a 4-9-1 record in NWC play to place sixth in the standings with 13 points, four points back of Whitworth for fifth place. The team's season was highlighted by three consecutive 1-0 shutouts against George Fox, Pacific and Whitman.

Three student-athletes from Linfield University earned recognition on the All-Northwest Conference Women's Soccer Team, announced last week. Senior Laney Green leads the Linfield trio with a Second Team All-NWC nod while freshmen Janae Lewis and Bella Hanna were named honorable mentions. Green was selected as an honorable mention as a junior in 2021. Linfield went 5-8-7 overall with a 3-7-6 mark in NWC play. The Wildcats finished in sixth place with 15 points, four points back of the No. 5 spot in the NWC standings.

One of the biggest names in Linfield volleyball in the last decade, Raelynn Hammock finished her senior campaign as a Second Team All-Northwest Conference selection, released Monday. An honorable mention last season, Hammock is the first player in program history to earn second-team honors since libero Kayla Magbaleta in 2017. The outside hitter from Oakridge, Oregon, finished the season ranked No. 2 in the NWC with 325 kills and 3.69 kills per set. Her kills per set just cracked the Division III top 50. Hammock was also second in the conference with 383 points and 4.35 points per set while leading the league with 44 service aces, a mark that's tied for sixth in Linfield's single-season record book.

Linfield completed its second straight undefeated regular season in 2022. A perennial powerhouse in Division III football, the nationally-ranked Wildcats earned two major awards and 21 selections to the All-Northwest Conference Football Team, released Monday. After being named an honorable mention a year ago, junior linebacker Blake Rybar was named the NWC Defensive Player of the Year, marking the 17th time that a Linfield player has earned the award. Head coach Joseph Smith was voted on by his peers as the NWC Coach of the Year for the third straight season and the 12th time in his 16 years at the helm. Smith led Linfield to a 9-0 overall record and a 7-0 mark against conference opponents. It was the program's 21st unbeaten regular season. The Wildcats claimed their third straight NWC championship and will head to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons. The 'Cats now have 38 NWC titles, including 31 won outright. Linfield's 21 all-conference selections are just one shy of the program's record of 22, set in 2021. Nine players repeated as first-teamers.