Jan. 31, 2006

SEATTLE - The University of Washington will send four individuals to the 71st annual Seattle P-I Sports Star of the Year banquet, held tonight, Tuesday, Jan. 31 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle. About 1,000 public and VIP guest, including more than 12 past award winners will vote for the male and female nominee of their choice.

Representing the Huskies on the men's side is basketball head coach Lorenzo Romar, while Kate Soma (Track and Field), Kayla Burt (Basketball), and Christal Morrison (Volleyball) will represent the women.

Other males nominated for the award are: Sonics guard Ray Allen, Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, Mariners closer Eddie Guardado, extreme mountaineer Ed Viesters, and Washington State running back Jerome Harrison. On the women's side, Seattle Pacific midfielder Shannon Lovejoy will go up against the three Husky female athletes.

Kayla Burt returned to the basketball court after suffering cardiac arrest in 2002 that forced her to sit out the 2003-04 basketball season. She courageously made a comeback in the 2004-05 season leading the Huskies in scoring and assists. Unfortunately, when Burt's defibrillator went off during a timeout on Jan. 12 against UCLA, she was forced to retire from the game for good. Her fans will remember her great courage when they cast their vote.

Another favorite among the Huskies is the NCAA Volleyball tournament's Most Outstanding Player Christal Morrison. In her second season at Washington, Morrison led the Huskies with 15 kills in Washington's 3-0 sweep over Nebraska in the NCAA Championship match. Morrison was a first-team All-Pac-10 member, AVCA third-team All-American, Asics honorable mention All-American and All-Pacific Region member.

The last female nominee from Washington is five-time All-American pole-vaulter Kate Soma. Soma was the Pac-10 champion in 2004, and the NCAA Champion in 2005. She has broken her own school record numerous of times after she first set the record in 2001. She ended her Husky career with top heights of 14 feet, 3 1/2 inches indoors, and 14 feet, 1 1/4 inches outdoors. Soma has competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials, going up against U.S. Olympic gold-medallist, and former world-record holder Stacy Dragila.

Rounding out the list of nominees for the Huskies is men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar. In his fourth year here at Washington, Romar has coached the Huskies to a Pac-10 tournament championship title and also the first-ever number one seed in the 2005 NCAA. He directed the team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2004 and 2005, marking the fourth time that a Husky team has made a consecutive NCAA appearances. Romar guided Washington to a 29-6 record in 2005, which ties the 1938 squad for the highest win total in school history. He was named the 2005 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, and Black Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. This season, Romar's Huskies are 16-4 and have been ranked in the Top-25 for much of the year.

Last year's Sports Star of the Year nominees from Washington included:
Nate Robinson (Basketball)
Tina Frimpong (Soccer)
Courtney Thompson (Volleyball)
Anna Mickleson and Mary Whipple (Former UW rowers)
Matt Deakin and Bryan Volpenhein (Assistant rowing coaches)

The most recent University of Washington recipients were former women's crew coach Jan Harville in 2001 and football quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo in 1999.

The P-I's Sports Star of the year banquet is one of the longest running sport celebrations in the nation, honoring the most outstanding athletes and coaches in the area.