WCC Press Release
SAN BRUNO, Calif. --- University of Portland athletes Sophie Schmidt, Trevor Dunbar, and Ratan Gill were named West Coast Conference Players of the Month in their respective sports, following impressive performances in November. Schmidt scored two goals and added an assist in two NCAA playoff games, Dunbar recorded first and 25th place finishes at NCAA Championship competitions, and Gill won the Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate Gold Draw singles title.
Schmidt, a senior midfielder from Abbotsford, B.C., had a goal and an assist in Portland’s 9-0 first round rout of UT-San Antonio and scored UP’s lone goal in a 1-1- tie to Washington in the second round. Schmidt began the month by helping the Canadian National Team win the CONCACAF World CUP Qualifying Tournament in Mexico. During the title match against Mexico, a 1-0 win for the Canadians, Schmidt earned her 50th career cap to become the 19th player to reach the milestone in team history. She shares the November Player of the Month honor with Callie Payetta of Pepperdine.
Dunbar, a sophomore runner from Kodiak, Alaska, finished first overall at the NCAA West Regionals 10k in 29:57.89 on November 13th, earning him a place on the All-West Region team and USTFCCCA West Region Athlete of the Year. It was the first time that a Pilot, and first non Pac-10 runner in the last 25 years, has earned the West Region Athlete of the Year honor. He went on to lead the Pilots to a 13th place overall finish at the NCAA National Championship 10k on November 22, finishing 25th in 30:21, earning a place on the 2010 men’s cross country All-American team.
Gill, a freshman from Richmond, B.C., opened the Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate Gold Draw tournament, hosted by the University of Washington, with a three-set win over Pablo Mosquera Perez of Gonzaga and then handled Sho Higuchi of Oregon in straight sets. He went on to defeat Alan Shin of Idaho and a pair of Pac-10 opponents en route to claiming the singles title.