Pride of Alaska Awards go to runner Norris, volleyball player Hooe

A runner who put one of Alaska's most cherished records back in the hands of an Alaskan and a volleyball player who guided the Seawolves to second place in the nation have claimed the annual Pride of Alaska Awards from the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.

David Norris of Fairbanks and Morgan Hooe of Anchorage will receive their awards April 27 when the Hall of Fame inducts its newest class of honorees at the Anchorage Museum.

Two others will also be honored with Directors' Awards. Damen Bell-Holter of Hydaburg will receive the Trajan Langdon Award for leadership, sportsmanship and inspiration, and Mao Tosi of Anchorage will receive the Joe Floyd Award for significant and lasting contribution to Alaska through sports.

The Pride of Alaska Awards are akin to athlete-of-the-year awards.

Norris truly was the pride of Alaska last July in Seward, where he won the famous Mount Marathon in a record time of 41 minutes, 26 seconds.

He shaved 22 seconds off the record set in 2015 by professional mountain runner Kilian Jornet of Spain. Jornet was the first non-Alaskan to hold the record in a race that's more than 100 years old.

In the finish chute after his sensational victory, Norris was celebrated by fellow competitors thrilled to see an Alaskan regain the Mount Marathon record. "It really needs to be an Alaskan record," said one.

Hooe, a South High graduate, capped a stellar college volleyball career at UAA by helping the Seawolves to a 61-6 record in her final two seasons.

A two-time All-America setter, she was the on-court quarterback who ran the offense while also contributing to her team's strong blocking game. She was a warrior who brought intensity and grit to every match.

In the West Region championship match in front of nearly 3,000 fans at the Alaska Airlines Center, Hooe went down with a knee injury early in the first set and had to leave the court.

UAA lost the set and was trailing in the second set when Hooe returned, her knee in a brace. She provided an instant spark that helped the Seawolves win in four sets, a victory that sent them to the Elite Eight tournament, where they made it all the way to the NCAA Division II championship match before losing.

Bell-Holter, who plays pro basketball in Italy, played Division I hoops at Oral Roberts after starring in high school at Hydaburg and Ketchikan. He spends summers mentoring youngsters in his Blessed 2 Bless basketball camps.

The four Directors' Awards are presented annually at the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This year's inductees are mushers Jeff King and Martin Buser, Native sports star Nicole Johnston, the Fur Rendezvous Sled Dog Race and the first solo winter ascent of Denali by Vern Tejas.