Sports - Local Colleges

POSTED: Tuesday, Jun. 03, 2008

WWU: Coon, Lemay take honor

BELLINGHAM — For the second straight year, Audrey Coon, who rowed in the varsity eight on a team that won a fourth straight national championship, and Keith Lemay, a

standout in cross country and track and field, are the Western Washington University Female and Male Scholar- Athletes of the Year, respectively, for 2007-08.

The awards recognize Viking student-athletes who best demonstrate excellence both on the playing field and in the classroom.

Coon, a junior from Kenai, Alaska, is a Spanish/elementary education major with a 3.95 (4.0 scale) grade point average. A 2005 graduate of Kenai Central High School, she was a Collegiate Rowing Coaches of America National Scholar-Athlete as well as a first-team ESPN The Magazine/ CoSIDA District 8 and Great Northwest Athletic Conference academic allstar.

Coon was the No. 2 seat in the varsity eight that ranked No. 1 in the CRCA/NCAA Division II National Poll all season and was a national champion for the second consecutive time during the school’s string of four titles.

Lemay, a senior from Lynden, is a physical education (pre-physical therapy) major with a 3.69 GPA. He was a U.S. Cross Country and Track & Field Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete in both cross country and track for the third straight season.

A GNAC academic all-star in both sports, also for the third consecutive time, Lemay competed at nationals in both cross country and outdoor track.

Lemay ran in the 800 meters at the NCAA II National Outdoor Championships, placing sixth to earn USTFCCCA All-America honors. He had personal-best times of 1:51.33 in the 800 and 3:52.35 in the 1,500, which rank third and fifth, respectively, among WWU career leaders. Lemay set a school indoor record (1:54.84) in the 800, placing first at the GNAC Indoor Track Championships (1:57.86).

A 2004 graduate of Lynden Christian High School in 2004, Lemay placed 20th at the GNAC Cross Country Championships to earn allstar honors on a league titlewinning team. He finished 32nd at the NCAA II West Regional as the Vikings placed second and was 158th at nationals on a Western squad that was 11th.