Pixler dominates at collegiate level

The awards keep piling up for Seattle Pacific University distance runner and Eastlake alum, Jessica Pixler. The junior was recently named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year for the second time in her career. She was also named the SPU Athlete of the Year for the third straight year — becoming the second athlete at the school to achieve such an honor. Pixler won the Division II cross country crown for the second straight time last fall, added her third straight NCAA indoor track mile title and her first indoor 5,000-meter title during the winter, then capped it off with the NCAA outdoor track championship in the 1,500 meters on May 23. “I’m very honored,” Pixler said. “The GNAC is a very strong conference in sports, and I think you can definitely tell that from the finishes that teams and individuals had at the track nationals. And it’s getting stronger every year. I can think of several people who would be real good candidates for this award.” For Pixler, the just-concluded athletic year capped a comeback from injuries that forced her to miss the 2008 outdoor track season. With the four NCAA championships she won this year, she now has eight national crowns for her career: two cross country, four indoor track and two outdoor track. In addition to her dominance as a runner, she also is among the leaders academically, sporting a 3.92 grade-point average as an English major. She was named the Division II cross country Scholar of the Year for the second straight year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, as well as being named that organization’s cross country Athlete of the Year once again.

Contact Issaquah Reporter Assistant editor Kevin Endejan at kendejan@issaquah-reporter.com or 425-391-0363, ext. 5054.

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