General

WCC Closes Banner Year

June 15, 2005

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SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference closes the book on a 2004-05 year in which it experienced unparalleled success in the history of the conference.

Established in 1952, the WCC has long been known for its academic and athletic success. But during the 2004-05 season, the little conference comprised of small private institutions on the West Coast made a major impact on the national scene. In 2004-05, the WCC was a national force in the sports of men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, and men's basketball as the conference ranked in the top seven among the nation's 31 Division I conferences in those sports, while ranking in the top 13 in its other round robin sports, baseball and women's basketball.

The WCC's banner year boasted some credentials that any conference in the country would be proud of. Thirty-five WCC teams advanced to the postseason last year, with five of those teams reaching at least the Sweet Sixteen of their respective sports. Year in and year out one of the most balanced conferences in the country, each WCC member institution sent at least one men's and one women's team into the postseason in 2004-05. Of the WCC's 13 sponsored sports, the conference was represented in the top 25 by at least one team in 10 of those sports.

WCC student-athletes once again proved that they are not only some of the brightest individuals competing in college athletics today, but some of the finest athletically as well. Twenty-six WCC athletes earned All-American status this past year, while two individuals earned national runner-up honors in their respective sports. WCC athletes were also honored with some of the most prestigious national individual honors. Portland's Christine Sinclair and Santa Clara's Leslie Osborne were named the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and Honda Award winners, giving the WCC a sweep of the top honors in the sport of women's soccer. Osborne's teammate Megan Kakadelas was honored with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's (NSCAA) Scholar Athlete of the Year award, while Pepperdine men's golfer Michael Putnam was named the winner of the prestigious Byron Nelson Award.

Originally established as a basketball conference, the WCC has long been known as a conference with some of the finest coaches and most underrated players in the country. In 2004-05, the WCC established itself as one of the premier men's basketball conference's in the country, earning a No. 7 national ranking on January 17th and maintaining the ranking for the final 12 weeks of the season. The only conference's listed ahead of the WCC were the six "BCS" conferences. The WCC finished the season ranked ahead of other highly regarded conferences such as Conference USA, the Missouri Valley Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Atlantic 10 Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference. The league was rewarded with two teams in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons and three teams in the postseason overall.

2004-05 WCC Highlights

  • 4 of the 6 WCC round robin sports ranked in the RPI national top 10, including an all-time high No. 7 RPI ranking in men's basketball (All six round robin sports ranked in the RPI national top 13).
  • 35 WCC teams advanced to the postseason, with 5 of those teams advancing to at least the Sweet Sixteen of their respective sports.
  • Each member institution had at least one men's and one women's team advance to the postseason this past year.
  • Individually, 26 WCC players garnered All-American honors, while two individuals earned national runner-up in their respective sports (Ysern, USD - MT; Putnam, PEP - MG).
  • WCC athletes were honored with some of the most prestigious national individual honors: Portland's Christine Sinclair was named the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Award winner; Santa Clara's Leslie Osborne was named the Honda Award Winner, while teammate Megan Kakadelas was named the NSCAA Scholar Athlete of the Year and Pepperdine's Michael Putnam was named the winner of the Byron Nelson Award.
  • 19 WCC baseball players were selected in the 2005 MLB First Year Player Draft, tying last year's draft for the most WCC players selected in a single draft.