2021 Bearcat Awards
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University track and field student-athlete Keaton Beckmann (Sr., Salem, OR/Sprague HS) has received the J.H. Booth Award for 2020-21. The J.H. Booth Award is presented annually to the senior men's student-athlete who most excelled in all areas of their career at Willamette by exemplifying and demonstrating outstanding leadership, scholarship, and athleticism.
During his career at Willamette, Beckmann competed at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships twice. He placed 15th in the decathlon in 2021 and took 11th place in the decathlon in 2019 while setting what was then his personal-best score of 6,519 points.
This year, Beckmann moved into fifth place on Willamette's all-time list in the decathlon with a personal record score of 6,788 points while taking second place at the 2021 Northwest Conference Track and Field Multi-Event Championships. His score ranked second in the West Region and fifth all-time at Willamette.
Beckmann was named All-West Region in the decathlon three times (2018, 2019, 2021). He also received All-West Region honors in the long jump twice (2019, 2021) and one time each in the 100-meter dash (2021), 200-meter dash (2021), and 400-meter dash (2021). He qualified for All-West Region recognition in all five events this year. No All-Region teams were announced in 2020.
During his career at Willamette, Beckmann earned All-Northwest Conference honors six times. He was All-NWC in the decathlon (2nd place) this year. He received All-NWC status in the long jump (2nd place), the javelin throw (3rd place), and on the 4 x 400-meter relay team (3rd place) in 2019. He was an All-NWC choice in the long jump (3rd place) and the 400-meter dash (3rd place) in 2018. Beckmann was named Northwest Conference Men's Track and Field Freshman of the Year in 2018.
Beckmann majored in Chemistry at Willamette and completed a virtual internship in public health. He earned NCAA Division III All-Academic status from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Award winners for 2020-21 have not yet been announced. Student-athletes earn the All-Academic award through a combination of academic and athletic success. Each All-Academic athlete must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or higher (4.0 scale) while either competing at the NCAA Division III Championships or by finishing in the top 50 nationally in an individual event or in the top 35 in a relay event.
While participating as a track and field athlete for the Bearcats, Beckmann served as a team captain. He also provided leadership through his consistently strong performances in the many events required to successfully compete in the decathlon.
This spring, Beckmann ranked second in the West Region in the decathlon, as well as the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. In the 100-meter dash, he registered a personal record of 10.85 seconds to move into fifth place on Willamette's all-time list. In the 200-meter dash, Beckmann earned a time of 21.82 seconds. It was the second-fastest time in Willamette history, trailing only Rex Putnam, who completed the race in 21.74 seconds in 1941.
Beckmann completed the regular season ranked fourth in the West Region in the 400-meter dash with a personal record time of 48.94 seconds that is tied for 10th all-time at WU. He was fifth in the West Region in the long jump. His top distance of the season was 22' 9.75" at the Willamette vs. Portland Dual. His career-best long jump mark of 22' 11.75" in 2019 is seventh on WU's all-time list.
Other recent winners of the J.H. Booth Award were swimmer Alika Masei in 2017, baseball player Eric Del Prado in 2018, cross country and track and field runner Keith Carlson and basketball player Jordan Jenkins in 2019, and swimmer Derek Ludwig in 2020.
Keaton Beckmann's Career-Best Marks
100-meter Dash, 10.85, 2021 (NWC Prelims), 5th All-Time at Willamette
200-meter Dash, 21.82, 2021 (NWC Prelims), 2nd All-Time at Willamette
400-meter Dash, 48.94, 2021 (NWC Prelims), 10th (tie) All-Time at Willamette
1,500-meter Run, 4:42.38, 2019 (NCAA Decathlon)
110-meter Hurdles, 15.30, 2019 (Bearcat Invitational Multi)
Long Jump, 22' 11.75", 2019 (Willamette Opener), 7th All-Time at Willamette
High Jump, 5' 11.25", 2021 (Willamette vs. Corban Dual #1)
Pole Vault, 12' 3.25", 2021 (NWC Multi-Event)
Shot Put, 40' 6.75" 2021 (NCAA Decathlon)
Discus Throw, 120' 8", 2021 (NCAA Decathlon)
Javelin Throw, 183' 0", 2019 (NWC Prelims)
Decathlon, 6,788 points, 2021 (NWC Multi-Event), 5th All-time at Willamette
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University women's soccer forward Lacey Jones (Sr., Portland, OR/David Douglas HS) has been chosen as the Jean Williams Award winner for 2020-21. The Jean Williams Award is presented annually to the senior women's student-athlete who most excelled in all areas of their career at Willamette by exemplifying and demonstrating outstanding leadership, scholarship, and athleticism.
Jones played in 57 games with 28 starts over the past four seasons. She scored 13 goals and earned four assists for 30 career points. This spring, she started all eight games and provided the Bearcats with three goals and two assists during a season shortened due to COVID-19.
She competed in 18 games as a first-year player in 2017 and scored three goals. In the fall of 2018, she saw action in all 20 games and contributed five goals and two assists. In 2019, she played in 11 games and scored two goals, but missed part of the season due to an injury. During her career, Jones took 86 total shots, including 43 shots on goal.
Jones created many scoring chances and was skilled at providing timely goals for the Bearcats. She scored six game-winning goals, including two in 2017, two more in 2018, and one in both 2019 and 2020-21. She was a team captain for spring practices in her first year at Willamette and remained a captain during her junior and senior seasons.
As a student at Willamette, Jones majored in Psychology with a minor in Russian. He was a research assistant for psychology Professor Melissa Witkow's research project in 2018. Jones received the Presidential Scholarship and earned College Honors in the fall of 2020. She also received the Slavic National Honor Society award.
She served on the WU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She was the SAAC secretary as a junior and was the service and philanthropy coordinator as a senior.
Jones was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, where she held several positions as a vice president during her years at Willamette. She was a board member of the sorority as a sophomore, junior, and seniors. In addition, she worked as an intramural coordinator on campus. She has also worked as a coach with Soccer Shots Portland in 2019 and as an instructor at YMCA volleyball camps in 2019 and 2020. At Soccer Shots Portland, she worked with girls ages 2-6, while at the YMCA volleyball campus, she helped coach girls ages 7-12.
Recent winners of the Jean Williams Award include cross country and track and field runner Olivia Mancl in 2017, soccer player Emmy Manset along with cross country and track and field runner Hannah Swanson in 2018, swimmer Kiley Lin in 2019, and swimmer Niki Kates in 2020.
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Don Thomson, director of the Bishop Wellness Center at Willamette University, has been selected to receive the 2020-21 Sue J. Rauch Distinguished Service to Athletics Award. The award is presented in memory of Sue Rauch, whose continuous support and commitment while working at Willamette served a vital role in the success of the Athletics Department, its coaches, and student-athletes. The recipient is honored for following Rauch's example of exceptional service.
During a year with so many big events having an impact on the Willamette campus, Thomson served as one of the leasers on the Reopening Operations Committee (ROC), where he played a vital role in organizing and managing the plan that kept the WU community safe throughout the year despite COVID-19, wildfires in Oregon, and an ice storm in Salem.
"Don was a tremendous resource for me and our staff as we tried to navigate the changing protocols set in place by the CDC, OHA, and NCAA," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Rob Passage said. "He was always available to answer questions and provide guidance related to COVID-19."
Thomson also played a key role in preparing the protocols for testing Willamette student-athletes so they could compete this spring.
"Don was instrumental in getting the testing organized that was mandatory for all of our return to play protocols," Passage noted.
In addition, Thomson provided the Athletics Department and the entire campus community with a positive attitude throughout the various challenges faced by Willamette and other colleges and universities in the area. He was a friendly face when the Divison of Student Affairs held Zoom meetings. He was in regular contact with area health and safety organizations throughout the year in addition to his typical duties at Willamette.
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University Athletics has announced the Academic Teams of the Year and Senior Scholar-Athlete Award winners for 2020-21. The team winners are women's swimming and men's cross country, while the individual winners are Sarah Dean (Sr., Boise, ID/Timberline HS) from women's tennis and Luke Hiserman (Sr., Monterey, CA/Pacific Grove HS) from men's tennis.
The Academic Team of the Year Award is presented to the men's and women's teams who collectively excel in the classroom and earn the highest cumulative team grade point average through the fall semester. The Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards go to the men's and women's student-athletes who excel through the physical and time-management rigors of academics and athletics. The recipients are the student-athletes who have achieved the highest cumulative GPA through the fall semester.
While earning the Academic Team of the Year honor, the Willamette women's swimming team achieved a 3.68 cumulative GPA. The men's cross country team attained a 3.60 cumulative GPA to secure its Academic Team of the Year recognition.
Dean majored in Politics, Policy, Law, and Ethics as well as Spanish. She minored in American Ethnic Studies. While playing for the Bearcats from 2017-18 through 2020-21, Dean competed in 51 singles matches and 49 doubles matches in dual meets. She reached the consolation final in the singles bracket at the Ojai Tournament in 2018-19. She played in 12 singles matches and 11 doubles matches this season.
Hiserman majored in Environmental Science while completing a minor in Economics. He played in a total of 45 singles matches and 44 doubles matches in dual meets during the past four seasons. In 2020-21, Hiserman competed in 13 singles matches and 13 doubles matches.