SEATTLE – Very little about the pandemic-centric past 15 months has been normal. But at Seattle Pacific, one particular sense of 'normal' has kept going strong:
 
That would be the continued success of Falcon student-athletes, not only in competition, but in the classroom, as well.
 
Each spring at the year-ending Athletic Awards Banquet, the final presentation of the evening is the Falcon Award for Excellence. It is regarded as the Athletics Department's highest honor, given for career achievement in academics and athletics.
 
It was 33 years ago when SPU coaches and administrators developed the high standards and criteria for the award, taking into account not only the student's athletic and academic accomplishments, but their character, as well.
 
This year's list of nominees submitted by coaches totaled six. All of them lettered at least two years and are on schedule to graduate with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
 
The final selections, of which we have three, were judged to have excelled in athletics, made a positive impact on those around them, fulfilled a leadership role on their teams, and, during their careers, proved themselves to be consummate student-athletes for Seattle Pacific.
 
Since an in-person banquet is not taking place this year (one of those things halted by the virus), those award winners will be introduced, one each day, in alphabetical order, throughout this week.

Today's winner is …
 
 

SCOUT CAI
  Women's track & field
Pole vaulting was her favorite event, but throughout her career, Cai could be found in many different events for the Falcons.
 
An exercise science major with a 3.71 grade-point average, she won back-to-back GNAC outdoor championships in the pole, first in 2019 and again this spring. Both of those years, she was selected for the NCAA Division II nationals, and she placed eighth in '19 to earn first-team All-American recognition.
 
Cai also became a national-caliber multi-event athlete. She won the GNAC indoor pentathlon three straight times (2017-18-19), and as a sophomore in 2018 took fifth place at nationals with personal-best marks in four of the five events. That made her a first-team All-American.
 
In the outdoor heptathlon, Cai placed seventh at the 2019 NCAAs, making her a double All-American that year (along with her pole vault finish).
 
Throughout her career, which wrapped up last month, she competed in 10 of the 18 outdoor events and seven of the 14 indoor events. Along with her multiple All-American awards, Cai collected 16 All-GNAC and 13 All-GNAC honors for the indoor and outdoor seasons combined.
 
Cai also was a four-time GNAC All-Academic selection, a four-time national All-Academic honoree by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, and was voted to the 2018 CoSIDA Academic All-District team.