Sports

All-American sharp-shooter Mullings is UAA's Athlete of the Year

In an enchanted season in which UAA's women's basketball team elevated an elite program to new heights, All-American Megan Mullings didn't just stand out among her teammates.

She towered over all the school's athletes too, even if only slightly in a Seawolves' athletic year that delivered a slew of All-Americans awards for individuals and high national rankings for teams.

Mullings' commanding performance as a senior on Sunday merited her yet another honor, this time as the school's Bill McKay Athlete of the Year.

Mullings, 23, became the fourth women's basketball player to seize the award in its 32-year history and was honored at a banquet on campus Sunday night.

In becoming the first women's basketball player to earn the school's top individual honor in nearly a decade – center Rebecca Kielpinski won in 2007 – Mullings topped a 12-athlete field that included nine All-Americans. A committee of UAA staff, media and representatives of the Benton Bay Athletic Lions Club voted on the honor.

Mullings helped spark the 38-3 Seawolves to an NCAA Division II record for single-season victories, spearheaded them to a national runner-up finish and wrapped a captivating two-year career at UAA after transferring from an Arizona community college.

The 6-footer is acquainted with collecting an all-encompassing honor – Mullings was South Mountain Community College's Female Athlete of the Year in 2013 in her native Arizona.

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Mullings led the Seawolves in scoring (15.9 points per game), rebounding (6.3) and blocked shots (1.6) while shooting a school-record .617 from the field. That last number eclipsed her 2014-15 record of .604 shooting as a junior.

And she did all that while playing a modest average of about 22 minutes per 40-minute game on a club that was all about playing as a team. Mullings and her teammates fit perfectly, and selflessly, into coach Ryan McCarthy's system of high-tempo defense and offense complemented by frequent substitutions to keep fresh legs on the floor and tire opponents.

Mullings, a first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference pick for the second straight season and the league's Player of the Year, was also an All-West Region selection and third-team All-American.

The Seawolves won the GNAC regular-season and tournament titles for the second straight season, stormed through the West Region tournament and advanced to the national final before falling to undefeated Lubbock Christian of Texas (35-0). Mullings in the national championship game led the Seawolves with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

In Mullings' two seasons in green and gold, the Seawolves went 67-5.

The other 11 were All-American alpine skier Sean Alexander; multi All-American track and field athlete Karolin Anders; All-American track and cross-country runner Joyce Chelimo; cross-country standout Henry Cheseto; alpine skier Maria Gudmundsdottir; hockey goaltender Olivier Mantha; record-setting gymnast M'rcy Matsunami; distance runner Dominik Notz; decathlete and 2015 Athlete of the Year Cody Thomas; men's basketball leading scorer Suki Wiggs; and All-American volleyball hitter Katelynn Zanders.

UAA ATHLETE OF THE YEAR WINNERS

Year Athlete Sport

2016 Megan Mullings Women's basketball

2015 Cody Thomas Men's track and field

2014 Micah Chelimo Men's track, cross-country running

2013 Micah Chelimo Men's track, cross-country running

2012 Taylor Rohde Men's basketball

2011 Ruth Keino Women's track, cross-country

2010 Calli Scott Volleyball

2009 David Registe Men's track and field

2008 Luke Cooper Men's basketball

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2007 Rebecca Kielpinski Women's basketball

2006 Kemmy Burgess Men's basketball

2005 Mandy Kaempf Women's nordic skiing, cross-country running

2004 Peter Bullock Men's basketball

2003 Tobias Schwoerer Men's nordic skiing, cross-country running

2002 Tobias Schwoerer Men's nordic skiing, cross-country running

2001 Ed Kirk Men's basketball

2000 Edda Mutter Women's alpine skiing

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1999 Jim Hajdukovich Men's basketball

1998 Zuzana Razusova Women's alpine skiing

1997 Frode Lillefjell Men's nordic skiing, cross-country running

1996 Allegra Stoetzel Women's basketball

1995* Jason Kaiser Men's basketball

1995* Karen Hoey Gymnastics

1994 Kerry Robitaille Gymnastics

1993 Jennie Szczerbinski Volleyball

1992 Jon Pauole Men's swimming

1991 Paul Krake Hockey

1990 Teri Frankie Gymnastics

1989 Michael Johnson Men's basketball

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1988 Robin Graul Women's basketball

1987 Hansi Gnad Men's basketball

1986 Teri Frankie Gymnastics

1985 Tiina Kantola Women's nordic skiing, cross-country running

* -- Co-winners

Doyle Woody

Doyle Woody covered hockey and other sports for the Anchorage Daily News for 34 years.

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