Eleven athletes, a slew of them holding All-America credentials, are candidates to seize UAA's annual Bill MacKay Athlete of the Year Award.
The winner of the 31st annual award will be revealed Friday, April 24, at a banquet at the Lucy Cuddy Hall on campus.
Micah Chelimo, a track and cross-country runner, won the award in 2014 and 2013, joining nordic skier and cross-country runner Tobias Schwoerer (2002, 2003), and gymnast Teri Frankie (1990, 1986) as the only multiple winners of the honor.
The winner is chosen by a committee of UAA athletic staff, media and school supporters.
Here are the nominees – seven juniors, two seniors and two freshmen -- in alphabetical order:
Sean Alexander (men's alpine skiing): The junior from Calgary, Alberta, racked an All-America honor with his eighth-place slalom finish at the NCAA Championships.
Karolin Anders (women's track and field): The junior from Berlin bagged All-America honors in the heptathlon at the 2014 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships and the 2015 indoor championships, where she finished runner-up.
Henry Cheseto (men's cross-country running): The freshman from Kenya was an All-America at the NCAA championships, swept the titles at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference meet and West Region meet, and was voted GNAC Freshman of the Year.
Amy Johnston (women's cross-country running): The senior from California, a transfer, made the most of her lone season at UAA, winning GNAC Newcomer of the Year honors and earning All-America honors at the national meet.
Mackenzie Kanady (women's alpine skiing): The junior from Anchorage won more points than any teammate, and placed 14th in the freestyle race at the NCAA Championships.
Olivier Mantha (hockey): The freshman from Quebec proved a revelation for the Seawolves in an otherwise disappointing season, furnishing the program its best save percentage (.914) in a decade and winning Most Valuable Player and Most Inspirational Player awards on the team.
M'rcy Matsunami (gymnastics): Matsunami set the school record for highest all-around score (39.200), delivered five of the top seven all-arounds in program history, won the uneven bars at the conference meet and became just the second Seawolves gymnast in history to qualify multiple times for the NCAA West Regional.
Megan Mullings (women's basketball): The junior from Arizona shot a school-record 60.4 percent from the field, averaged 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, was All-GNAC first team and Newcomer of the Year, and was an honorable mention All-America.
Cody Thomas (men's track and field): The junior from New Zealand was the runner-up in the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, finished seventh at the 2014 NCAA outdoor nationals and was named Outstanding Male Performer at the 2014 GNAC Outdoor meet.
Travis Thompson (men's basketball): The senior from Anchorage, the No. 2 scorer in team history, and the school and GNAC all-time leader in 3-pointers (302), was first-team All-GNAC and second-team all-Region after leading the Seawolves with 17.2 points per game.
Katelynn Zanders (volleyball): The junior from Anchorage was an honorable mention All-America and repeat All-GNAC pick after helping the Seawolves to an NCAA berth with a team-leading 3.44 kills per set.