Bruins win the McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy for second straight year

NEWBERG, Ore. - After winning their first McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy in 2021-22, George Fox has captured its second consecutive trophy for their performance in the 2022-23 Northwest Conference season.

The Northwest Conference All-Sports Trophy recognizes athletic excellence among NWC institutions across all fields of competition. Points are awarded in descending order for first through ninth (18-16-14, etc.), with two points awarded to ninth-place finishers.

"This prestigious award recognizes the university's success in athletics throughout the year," said George Fox Athletic Director Adam Puckett. "I can't tell you how proud I am of our students, coaches, and staff and grateful I am for the continued support our administration, alumni, and community give Bruin Athletics.” 

Fox earned their first ever All-Sports Trophy in 2021-22 after 25 years in the NWC, earning 262 total points on the season. This year, the Bruins amassed 262 points, 20 more points than second-place Whitworth. Fox took home NWC Championships in men's tennis, women's golf, women's lacrosse, and men's and women's track and field in the spring, also capturing conference titles in men's and women's cross country in the fall. All seven of the Bruins’ conference champions repeated from the previous year.

The fall season saw new marks set by several teams: the football program finished their season second in conference with a program-record eight wins, while both cross country teams qualified for their first team NCAA Championships, with the women finishing 16th and the men 17th.  Out at Austin, the women’s soccer team picked up their first win over Puget Sound since 1999, finishing the year 10-4-4.

In the winter, the men’s basketball team qualified for their first conference tournament since 2017 with a Senior Night win over Pacific. The spring season saw the Bruins take home five NWC championships while sending seven teams to their respective tournaments. The women’s lacrosse team won the first lacrosse tournament in Northwest Conference history, defeating Willamette, 20-12. The track and field teams totaled 16 individual champions en route to their sixth straight NWC title sweep, while men’s tennis and women’s golf took their conference titles with a tennis defeating Pacific, 5-1, and women’s golf winning by 81 strokes.

This year, the Bruins put together 120 All-Northwest Conference performances as a department, with one NWC Player of the Year, two Freshman of the Year, one Offensive Player of the Year, one Defensive Player of the Year, and seven Coach of the Year honorees. This spring, five teams will be making the trip to nationals.

Beyond the field, George Fox has continued to excel in the classroom; in 2021-22, the Bruins exceeded the department GPA goal of 3.25 set by athletic director Adam Puckett with a final cumulative GPA of 3.37. 

Fox put together 283 NWC Scholar-Athlete performances from its student-athlete population in 2021-22 between 198 individuals, including multi-sport athletes. In the fall of 2022-23, the Bruins sat at a combined term GPA of 3.31, slightly above their position at the same time the year prior.

That success both in play and in the class has been a steady build across the department. Just one year after claiming their first All-Sports Trophy, the program has gone back-to-back, winning by four more points than the year prior. With additions of football, swimming, and lacrosse — not to mention victories by non-NWC teams in esports and cheer — George Fox has grown into one of the premier athletic programs in the region.

Over the last ten years, the Bruins have won 44 conference championships, eight more than second-place Whitworth and 20 more than Linfield. Now, Fox has their second straight All Sports Trophy to emphasize that success.

The McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy is named in honor of John Lewis, the former coach and athletic director (1947-72) at Willamette, and Jane McIlroy, the former coach, athletic director, and professor for Linfield women's programs (1950-82).

George Fox University is classified by U.S. News & World Report as a "Best National University." More than 4,000 students attend classes on the university's campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem and Redmond, Oregon. George Fox offers more than 60 undergraduate academic programs, degree-completion programs for working adults, and 19 master's and doctoral degrees.