SEATTLE – Putting in long hours comes with the athletic territory for Suzanne Stafford and Travis Swallow.
 
In Stafford's case, those hours are spent on the water or on the ergometer. For Swallow, they're spent on the soccer field.
 
They also spend plenty of long hours in the books, classroom, or lab.
 
 

Their academic efforts have netted the two Seattle Pacific seniors a prestigious honor. Stafford and Swallow have won the 2021 C. Clifford McCrath 101 Club Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
The award is sponsored by the Washington Athletic Club and is named for Cliff McCrath, the long-time SPU men's soccer coach and member of the Falcon Hall of Fame.
 
Now in its 19th year, it recognizes the outstanding academic achievement of two student-athletes: one man and one woman who are graduating seniors, four-year letterwinners, and possess the highest cumulative grade-point averages in their class.
 
Stafford, a biochemistry major, has a 3.93 GPA. She earned a place on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic team for the second year in a row. Her average was the third-highest in the conference.
 
This spring, Stafford was in the bow seat of Seattle Pacific's highly regarded varsity eight boat. That group won the Viking Regatta in Bellingham, the open eight at the Windermere Cup in Seattle, and was second at the GNAC Championships. The Falcons went a season-best 6 minutes, 50.57 seconds for 2,000 meters at GNAC on Vancouver Lake.
 
Swallow is a business administration major with a 3.94 GPA. He is a three-time honoree for both the CoSIDA Academic All-District and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic teams. In addition, he earned CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades in 2018 (third team) and 2019 (second team), and is up for consideration for this year's squad.
 
For the abbreviated 2020-21 season, Swallow moved from the back line to the midfield and produced two goals on just six shots. Those two scores ranked second on the team. Swallow also distributed an assist, helping the Falcons complete their unique spring season with a 3-2-1 record. For his career, Swallow has five goals and four assists.

ALL 10 FALCON TEAMS TOP 3.0; FIVE ABOVE 3.5
Whether it's on the court, the pitch, the water, or the trails and track, being successful at the end of the day is often a team effort.
 
Ditto in the classroom.
 
All 10 Seattle Pacific teams put together cumulative grade-point averages above 3.0, and five of those topped 3.5 through the 2021 winter quarter. (Spring quarter grades have not yet been compiled.)       
 
 

Leading the way is the women's cross country squad with an eye-popping mark of 3.92. That will have the Falcons in contention for a fourth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference academic title in that sport (and 10th overall) when those honors are announced in July. Of its seven runners, six are at 3.90 or higher. A trio of Falcons made the GNAC All-Academic team.
 
The volleyball team also was well up the scale with a 3.734. That is well ahead of the team-record 3.5887 that the Falcons posted just last year. During this year's abbreviated spring season, SPU, which won 11 of its 18 matches, had seven players of sophomore status or higher, making them eligible to be nominated for GNAC All-Academic – and all seven made the final list.
 
Also topping the 3.5 mark were women's basketball, women's soccer, and women's track.
 
Women's basketball posted a 3.608. A total of four Falcons were named to the GNAC All-Academic team, with two players in the 3.90 range. SPU split its 14 games this winter. Among the seven victories was a 66-61 decision at home against conference power Northwest Nazarene.
 
Women's track and field sports a 3.586 GPA. While maintaining that lofty mark in class and earning 12 spots on the GNAC All-Academic team, Seattle Pacific student-athletes also shined in competition, winning their third straight conference crown and 11 of the 21 events.
 
 

The nationally ranked women's soccer team carries a 3.553 GPA. The Falcons went undefeated during their shortened season this spring, posting an 8-0-1 record. They had 14 players make the GNAC All-Academic team, and three of them earned additional honors: CoSIDA Academic All-District for Mariah Alexander and Sophia Chilczuk, and United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America for Chilczuk and Claire Neder.
 
55 EARN SCHOLAR-ATHLETE HONORS
Most of their classes weren't even in the classroom. But even a vastly different learning environment didn't keep Seattle Pacific student-athletes from achieving a high rate of academic success during the 2020-21 school year.

SPU presents Scholar-Athlete awards to those who have achieved a 3.50 or higher grade-point averages for each of the past three quarters. This year's awards are based on spring 2020, fall 2020, and winter 2021.
 
A total of 55 recipients are on the list. That's two more than received the award last year. They are listed below, with their major in parentheses:
 
Men's basketball: Harry Cavell (Business Administration / Master's Data Analytics), Mehdi El Mardi (Master's Data Analytics), Filip Fullerton (Exercise Science), Sharif Khan (Business Administration / Master's Data Analytics), Chris Penner (Biochemistry).
 
Women's basketball: Hunter Beirne (Global Development Studies), Rachel Berg (Business Administration), Ashlynn Burgess (Electrical Engineering), Natalie Hoff (Visual Communication), Abril Rexach Roure (Exercise Science).
 
Men's cross country / track: Brad Bowman (Computer Science).
 
Women's cross country / track: Dania Holmberg (Psychology), Madison Licari (Mathematics), Kellie May (Nursing), Libby Michael (Biology), Emily Northey (Psychology), Julia Stepper (History), Elizabeth Thompson (History), Kelsey Washenberger (Applied Human Biology).
 
Women's rowing: LeeAnn Arrington (English), Megan Chalfant (Nursing), Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate (Applied Human Biology), Kaitlin Dickinson (Nursing), Danielle Johnson (General Engineering), Samantha Kimmel (Cellular and Molecular Biology), Macie Leach (Nursing), Roxy Ruther (Applied Human Biology), Suzanne Stafford (Biochemistry), Haley Thompson (Integrated Studies).
 
Men's soccer: Jacob Ferry (Exercise Science), Jordan Greenshield (Nursing), Sam Malloch (Nursing), Nick Reierson (Exercise Science), Tyler Speer (Biochemistry), Travis Swallow (Business Administration).
 
Women's soccer: Mariah Alexander (Business Administration), Abbie Anderson (Physiology), Sophia Chilczuk (Applied Human Biology), Ava Giovanola (Economics), Madison Ibale (Visual Communication), Taylor Menkens (Business Administration), Toni Miranda (Psychology), Claire Neder (Interior Design), Kaylie Nelson (Applied Human Biology), Makena Rietz (Sociology),  Riley Travis (Criminal Justice), Ally Veenhuizen (Nursing), Kate Veenhuizen (Nursing).
 
Women's volleyball: Ashley Antoniak (Business Administration), Erin Gould (Political Science), Maya Holmen (Exercise Science), Austin Ibale (Psychology), Maddie Pruden (Psychology), Lindsay Rosenthal (Business Administration), Gabi Stegemoller (Nursing)