PioSports

Swimming

The Pioneers had another strong showing at the Northwest Conference swim championships. Lindsay Nixon CAS ‘09 defended her title in the 400-meter individual medley, winning the event for the second straight year. The men and women combined for top-three performances in addition to Nixon’s title. The women’s team finished fourth at the conference championships.

Basketball

The Pioneer women’s basketball team finished the season tied for third in the Northwest Conference, missing out on a postseason berth only because of the conference’s tie-break rules. Guard Crystal Castle CAS ‘08 was named First Team All-Northwest Conference, the first time a Pioneer has won that honor since 1994. In conference play, Castle was ranked among the top players in 10 different statistical categories, including third in scoring (13.4 ppg) and second in free throw percentage (.845). Guard Sarah Moon CAS ‘07 earned second team honors and forward Allison Farr CAS ‘08 received an honorable mention.

The Pioneer men’s basketball team enjoyed unparalleled success this season. They finished with an 18-6 overall mark and a 13-3 record in the Northwest Conference. Lewis & Clark tied Whitworth for the top spot in conference rankings, making the two teams the 2006-07 co-Northwest Conference champions.

This is the fifth Northwest Conference championship for Coach Bob Gaillard and his third as a cochampion. It marks the 13th time the Lewis & Clark men’s basketball team has won the conference championship since 1949. The Pioneers’ last title was in the 2001-02 season with an identical 13-3 conference mark.

Over the course of the season, the Pioneers won 10 straight games, including two victories over the 23rd-ranked team in the country, the Puget Sound Loggers, to advance to the Northwest Conference tournament championship game for a possible NCAA III National Championship berth. The Pios fell 69-62 to Whitworth in the championship game and did not advance to nationals.

Point guard Thomas Tillery CAS ‘08 was named First Team All-Northwest Conference. The Pioneers, under Tillery’s guidance, were ranked second in the nation in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 9.6 turnovers per game. Joey Toboni CAS ‘08 and David Berggren CAS ‘09 were named to the second team. Gene Rivera CAS ‘08 received an honorable mention.

The Pioneers had no seniors on this year’s team, so they should be the team to beat in the 2007-08 season.

Scholar-Athlete Awards

Lewis & Clark’s women’s soccer team received the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2005-06 school year. The award, presented by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, was given to 235 collegiate women’s soccer teams with a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher. The 19 members of the Pioneers had a combined GPA of 3.60, the fifth-highest among the honorees, and the top among their Division III peers.

The Pioneer men’s and women’s cross country teams earned Division III Academic All-Team Honors from the USTFCC, the cross country coaches association, for having strong team GPAs. Runner Tamma Carleton CAS ‘09 (see page 13) was also honored with the individual All-Academic honor for her combination of athletic and academic merit.

Football player Eric Gerwick CAS ‘07 was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VIII first team as a defensive end. Women’s basketball player Sarah Moon CAS ‘07 was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VIII second team for her sport. Both awards are based on a combination of athletic and academic success.