By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Sarah Dean (Sr., Boise, ID/Timberline HS) and Luke Hiserman (Sr., Monterey, CA/Pacific Grove HS) from Willamette University have been named to the Northwest Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team for the 2020-21 athletic year. The award honors the top male student-athlete and the top female student-athlete from each NWC college and university, based on athletic success, academic accomplishments, and community service.
Dean competed for the women's tennis team during her four years as a Bearcat. Hiserman played for the men's tennis team at Willamette each of the past four years.
Earlier this year, Dean and Hiserman were honored as the winners of Willamette's Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards for 2020-21. 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 grade point average through the fall semester.
NWC Scholar-Athlete First Team
Sarah Dean (Sr.) majored in Politics, Policy, Law, and Ethics as well as Spanish. She minored in American Ethnic Studies. In dual competitions for the Bearcats from 2017-18 through 2020-21, Dean played in 51 singles matches and 49 doubles matches. She advanced to the consolation final in the singles bracket at the Ojai Tournament in 2018-19. She played in 12 singles matches and 11 doubles matches in 2020-21.
Dean received the ITA Scholar-Athlete Award during her first three seasons and is likely to receive the award for 2020-21. She is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Student-Athlete honorary society and also Phi Beta Kappa. She is a semifinalist for the Fulbright Teaching Assistant Grant. As a student at Willamette she earned a Carson Undergraduate Research Grant in 2020.
In addition to being a leader on the women's tennis team, Dean was involved in Community Service Learning and as an event planner with the Willamette Events Board. She was the creator of Willamette's "Get Out the Vote" initiative in 2020. She participated in Bearcats Give Back and Into the Streets. She was involved with the valentine's card program for Shangri La Mental Help Services. She was a peer tutor at Willamette.
"Sarah is a player who went out and had the 'faceless opponent attitude' as our number one player," Willamette Head Coach and Director of Tennis Rick Wood said. "Sarah faced the best players on each team each weekend. She loved and accepted the opportunity to be challenged in each match.
"She was always looking out for the team and their needs, and helped me out so much," Wood continued. "Sarah was there to support each player and make the new players feel welcome and part of the team."
Luke Hiserman (Sr.) earned a major in Environmental Science with a minor in Economics. He graduated Summa Cum Laude. He competed in a total of 45 singles matches and 44 doubles matches in dual meets as a Bearcat from 2017-18 through this spring. In 2020-21, Hiserman saw action in 13 singles matches and 13 doubles matches.
Hiserman was a leader for the men's tennis team. He earned the ITA Scholar-Athlete Award each of the past three years and is likely to be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete for 2020-21. He is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa, Delta of Oregon, and the Mortar Board Society. In 2019, he received the Academic Excellence in Environmental Science Award.
He was a member of the Willamette Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2018-19. He served on the SAAC Winter Fundraiser Committee.
"Luke is a player who challenges himself every day and will do whatever, and spend time on and off the court, to reach his goal," Wood commented. "Luke plays because he enjoys the game, the competition, and most of all his team.
"He is a team player and is always willing to help out any teammate on and off the court," Wood added. "Most teammates would look to Luke for advice with classes and studying."
