KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Seattle Pacific head coach Arby Busey and his five women's soccer assistants were honored as the NCAA Division II West Region Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches organization.
 
In his seventh season, Busey led the Falcons to their fourth NCAA Division II Tournament appearance under his direction and they were the No. 1 seed in the West Region. He was assisted by Derek Faulkner, Megan Moore, Amanda Axelson, Kary Whitney and Brooke Reece.
 
That coaching staff guided SPU to a 19-2-1 record, including a 15-game unbeaten streak. That represented the most wins since the 2008 Falcons compiled 22 victories en route to the national championship. Busey was an assistant coach with that team.
 
Seattle Pacific captured the 2021 GNAC regular-season championship with a 12-1-1 league ledger and then claimed the conference tournament title with an impressive 4-0 triumph at 13th-ranked Western Washington.
 
The Falcons won the West Region championship with a 2-1 victory over that same WWU squad, on Dec. 2 in Dallas, Texas. Their season ended on Dec. 4 with a 1-0 loss at Dallas Baptist in the NCAA quarterfinals.
 
Along with the team success, the coaching staff helped several individuals reap individual honors and Busey received the 2021 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award.
 
SPU nearly swept the league awards as Makena Rietz was named the GNAC Player of the Year, Madison Ibale the Defensive Player of the Year and Lauren Forster shared Freshman of the Year honors. Eight Falcons earned all-conference acclaim, including five first-team selections.
 
Nationally, Sophia Chilczuk, Ibale and Rietz each garnered All-America accolades.
 
The Falcons also thrived in the classroom, combining for a 3.58 grade point average during the fall quarter.
 
SPU put 17 women's soccer student-athletes on the GNAC All-Academic Team. Chilczuk, Ibale and Rietz received academic All-America recognition.