2016-17 Seawolf Athletics Annual Report

2017

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Messages from the Athletic Director and the UAA Chancellor Dear Friends, Fans, Supporters & Sponsors,

Dear Seawolf fans and supporters,

It is my pleasure to provide you with the 2016-17 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 two NCAA Regional competitions. Women’s Volleyball recorded its best season ever, finishing as NCAA II national runnerup. Women’s Basketball and our outstanding Track & Field and Cross Country programs also maintained the elite national standard we have come to know them by. 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 2016-17 academic year, I 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.

Have a terrific summer and please let me know if I can ever be of service to you! Go Seawolves!

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. Thirty 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.

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,

Tom Case Chancellor

Sincerely, Keith Hackett Director of Athletics

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.

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UAA ATHLETICS • 2017

BY THE NUMBERS UAA earned its second straight Top 20 finish in the prestigious Learfield Directors’ Cup competition, which measures success on a national level. The Seawolves placed 18th this year of the 306 programs in NCAA Div. II. UAA Student-Athletes’ combined GPA was 3.26 in calendar year 2016.

25 All-Americans 7 Conference Team Titles UAA Volleyball’s 1,387 fans per match led all of NCAA Div. II in attendance for the second year in a row.The Seawolves hosted five of the nation’s top 10 highest-attended matches in 2016, including a UAA- and GNAC-record 2,710 to watch the West Region Championships finals victory against Western Washington on Dec. 3.

Academic All-American Jamie Ashcroft

UAA Student-Athletes set a new standard with a combined 2,340 community service hours to their credit in 2016-17.

More than 125,000 fans attended 2016-17 UAA Athletics events.

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32 graduates (seven with honors) & 3.26 combined GPA for all student-athletes GNAC All-Sports Champions No. 18 finish (of 306 schools) in Learfield Directors’ Cup, placing in top 20 for second straight year VB reaches NCAA DII National Title Match XC teams both place top 10 at NCAAs T&F teams sweep GNAC Outdoor Championships WBB earns GNAC regular-season & GNAC Tournament ‘three-peats’ MXC wins seventh straight GNAC team title & Edwin Kangogo earns UAA’s ninth straight individual crown WXC wins seventh GNAC title in eight years & Caroline Kurgat earns UAA’s fifth individual title in six seasons

Morgan Hooe

Matt Anholt 4

UAA ATHLETICS • 2017

Dominik Notz

Kiki Robertson

10 MBB wins 21 games for second straight year & places GNAC runner-up 11 GYM breaks program team and individual balance beam records – twice 12 T&F senior Jamie Ashcroft earns First Team Academic All-America honors 13 SKI places 11th at NCAA Championships 14 HKY produces 15 WCHA All-Academic performers & nine WCHA Scholar-Athletes 15 Local VB product Morgan Hooe earns GNAC & West Region Player of the Year, First Team All-American & UAA’s Bill MacKay Athlete of the Year 16 WBB senior Kiki Robertson sets GNAC records for assists, steals & victories, finishes No. 18 on all-time DII assists list with 700 17 XC/T&F senior Dominik Notz earns eighth career All-America award with podium finish in 10,000 meters at NCAA Outdoor T&F meet.

RMISA runner-up Charley Field 5

Private Support

Building Futures Seawolf Athletics has seen unprecedented success this year. That is due, in part, to the investments that have been made on behalf of our Student-Athletes. Investment in facilities, scholarships, and in operating support of the 13 teams that represent the University of Alaska Anchorage. Private support has helped to create the margin of excellence for these Student-Athletes. As we close the books on FY17, we also bring to a close the comprehensive fundraising initiative branded as Building Futures.

The Building Futures Initiative allowed for major investment in facilities that enabled us to provide exceptional training and competition venues for our Student-Athletes and to enhance the game day experience for all Seawolf fans. Through the generosity of many, this fundraising effort surpassed $11M to directly benefit Seawolf Athletics. This investment in Seawolf Athletics provided the necessary resources to create the Brush Christiansen Hockey Center, establish the Alaska Airlines Scholar Athletes Scholarship Endowment, and to provide additional funding to establish the Seawolf Academic Excellence Fund dedicated to the academic support of our Student-Athletes. Additional enhancements to the Alaska Airlines Center were made possible through private support, including state of the art equipment in the AlterG Treadmill and the digital ribbon boards. Thank you for making these enhancements possible.

Now more than ever, private support will help to provide the margin of excellence required to excel both in the classroom and in competition. As we look forward to the 2016-17 season, I encourage you to consider becoming a member of the Seawolf Athletic Association by making a charitable gift to the University of Alaska Foundation in support of Seawolf Athletics. All gifts to Seawolf Athletics, regardless of size, make a difference. Your annual support helps meet the immediate needs of Seawolf Athletics and makes it possible for our Student-Athletes to compete at the highest level possible.

Gifts to the Athletic Excellence Fund provide the most flexibility to have immediate impact for our Student-Athletes. Donors may direct their contributions to a particular sport(s) by giving to that sport(s) Excellence Fund.

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The Role o

iate g e l l o c r e t In UAA t a s c i t e l Ath

As Teachers We have a complementary, yet unique role within the educational setting at the University. We teach an array of lessons and skill sets in a manner unique from how they are taught elsewhere on campus.

Perhaps most important, we’re honored to be a part of the process of guiding and supporting our Student-Athletes to use their talents and gifts to excel – academically, athletically and socially. We are teaching and preparing Student-Athletes in some very special ways.

We Gather & Engage an Entire Community • In this process, we fill another unique role. As we provide these lessons and skill sets for our Student-Athletes, we gather and engage the University and local Community to be a part of our competition and success. Our goal is to enrich the lives of those we touch.

• We instill pride and provide visibility into the broader University setting.

• During the 2016-17 Academic year Seawolf Athletics had over 125,000 students, fans and supporters attend events at the Alaska Airlines Center.

• In the past 12 months, Seawolf Athletics had more than 300 stories in the Alaska Dispatch News.

• Seawolf Athletics has logged nearly 5,000 hours of community service in the greater Anchorage Community over the past two academic years.

• We finished ranked No. 18 in Division II of the NCAA in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Competition, putting UAA among the top 6% of all D-II institutions for the second year in a row.

• Above all else, we produce graduates, champions and friends of the University.

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UAA ATHLETICS • 2017

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+ Joe Alston Clyde Bullion and June George Paul Cunningham and Judy Coleman Judith A. Dresser James Olson and Bobbi Ramos Olson Tom and Vicki Packer Wes and Sue Tonkins Alaska Airlines Anchorage Fracture & Orthopedic Clinic Benton Bay Athletic Lions Club CARRS/Safeway ConocoPhillips Alaska Cornerstone General Contractors First National Bank Alaska GCI Global Spectrum Kendall Auto Group NMS Pepsi-Cola Skinny Raven Sports Wells Fargo Bank Alaska DIRECTOR’S CLUB | SILVER $15,000 - $24,999 Charles Schumann and Sandra Blinstrubas Paul and Leigh Bates Rick Calcote and Anne Reed Bruce and Becky Erickson Alan Kajikawa Anonymous Anchorage Neurosurgical Associates ASRC Energy Services Signco

DIRECTOR’S CLUB $5,000 - $14,999 Anonymous Dede Allen Jeanette Anderson Moores and William Moores Leo and Jeanne Bustad Tonya Carney Tom and Susan Case Don Hopwood and Leslie Dean John and Tina DeLapp Mike and Becky Driscoll Phil and Amy Fogle Michael and Stephanie Friess Christopher Green Keith and Pat Hackett Larry and Judy Helgeson P.J. Hill and Mimi Hogan Anthony and Galina Houston Rick Jarvis Anonymous Dave Kolesky and Barbara DeMarco Brian Kraft Judy and Mark Madden Tim and Mary McDiffett Carol and Bill Miernyk Carline and Phillip Miller Elaine Mills Tlisa and Scott Northcutt Jane M. Pallister Brett and Barbara Pearson Jim and Anne Piccard Leroy and Idamarie Piccard Alan Piccard and Kristine Ashley Cheryl and Bryan Quinn Edward and Cathryn Rasmuson David and Marjorie Rehfeldt

Kevin and Teresa Silver William H. Spindle David Springgate Deb and Dennis Stauffer Stephen and Paula Strom Matt and Andrea Thomas Cam and Michelle Toohey Cheryl Stewart and Chris Turletes Frances A. Ulmer Stan and Donna Vaughn Bob and LaVonne Vogt Alaska Mountaineering & Hiking Ravn Alaska KeyBank of Alaska Odom Corporation Subway of Alaska 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.

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A DECADE OF DOMINANCE...

SEAWOLF ATHLETICS IN LAST 10 YEARS: 2 NCAA National Title Games 8 NCAA individual champions 13 NCAA West Region team titles 35 NCAA Top-10 team finishes 41 GNAC team titles 194 individual conference champions 199 All-Americans u d e . a k s a l a www.uaa.