SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University seniors Sami Riggs (La Verne, CA/Bonita HS) and Alex Weirth (Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy) have been named to the Northwest Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team for the 2022-23 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.
Riggs played for the women's basketball team and the women's track and field team for four years. Weirth competed for the men's golf team at Willamette for four years
Other NWC Scholar-Athlete First Team selections for 2022-23 were Ethan Kassebaum (Men's Track and Field) and Brenna Sclair (Women's Track and Field/Women's Cross Country) from George Fox University; Brenden Patrick (Men's Basketball) and Gabby Beltran (Women's Basketball from Lewis & Clark College; Lexie Matsunaga (Women's Tennis) and Jacob Slifka (Track and Field/Football) from Linfield University; Brilie Kovaloff (Women's Basketball) and Isaac Lovings (Baseball) from Pacific University; Claire Cranch (Women's Swimming) and Larson Fairbairn (Men's Track and Field) from Pacific Lutheran University; Grace Moussa (Women's Swimming) and Ryan Smith (Men's Soccer) from the University of Puget Sound; Angel Le (Women's Tennis) and Tanner Filion (Men's Swimming) from Whitman College; and Eva Millan (Women's Volleyball/Track and Field) and Riley Cissne (Baseball) from Whitworth University.
NWC Scholar-Athlete First Team
Sami Riggs (Sr.), Womens' Basketball (Guard), Women's Track and Field (Sprinter)
La Verne, California / Bonita High School
Major: Exercise and Health Science
Minor: Psychology
A four-year member of both the women's basketball team and the track and field team at Willamette, Riggs received the Women's Athlete of the Year Award in 2022-23. She served as team captain in basketball, where she was a three-year starter and a Second Team All-NWC choice in 2022-23. In track and field, Riggs was named to the NWC All-Sportsmanship Team in 2022-23. She earned All-NWC honors in the 400-meter run, the 4 x 100-meter relay, and the 4 x 400-meter relay in 2022-23. She is ranked eighth on Willamette's all-time list in the 400-meter dash.
An Exercise and Health Science major with a minor in Psychology, Riggs earned a cumulate grade point average of 3.62. She was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team in 2022-23 in basketball and in track and field. She was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma athletic honorary society in 2022, and was named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team in 2021.
At Willamette, she served as a student trainer from 2021 through 2023. She was involved in the community by helping create Bearcat Boxes for hospitalized children, and by participating in Church in the Park, Salem Angels, and Special Olympics.
"Sami is one of the most dedicated, yet selfless student-athletes I have every worth with," Willamette Head Women's Basketball Coach Peg Swadener said. She is extremely driven to be the best she can be individually, but is still primarily motivated by overall success as a team. Every year she has competed at Willamette, she has been forced to fill a different role on the court, from being a point guard to playing in the post.
"All of these roles have been outside of her 'primary' position, but throughout her career, she just put her head down and worked to be the best she could be at the role we needed for the team," Swadener commented. "She took her role to the next level this year as a leader, and she was incredible in the way she helped elevate her teammates around her. Any success we had over the past four years was in large part due to her."
Alex Weirth (Sr.), Men's Golf
Port Orchard, Washington / Crosspoint Academy
Double Major: Environmental Science and Data Science
A member of the men's golf team at Willamette, Weirth assisted in leading the Bearcats to four consecutive NWC Championships. In 2022-23, he won two events during the season and was named Second Team All-NWC. He participated in three NCAA Golf Championships in his career and had a career scoring average of 1-over par 73.
An Environmental Science and Data Science double major with a 3.95 cumulative GPA, Weirth graduated Summa Cum Laude this past spring and was a College Academic Honors recipient during all of his semester at Willamette. He was an NCAA Division III All-America Scholar and a CSC Academic All-District selection in 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. He was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma in 2022.
Weirth was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, Delta Zeta Chapter, where he served as vice president, recruitment chairman, scholarship chairman, and vice president of recruitment. He was involved with the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Children's Cancer Association, Burning Bright Willamette, and was a League Volunteer Coach through his time at Willamette.
"It is really easy to get caught up watching Alex hit shots during a tournament," Willamette Head Men's Golf Coach Patrick Daugherty noted. "He's big, powerful, and incredibly talented. I also want to highlight Alex's sportsmanship. When Alex isn't hitting polarizing shots on the course, you will find him to be as caring and kind as he is competitive.
"One thing unique about college golf is that when you compete, you compete both as an individual and as a team. This may not seem like much, but it would be easy for Alex or any player to go about competing and mind his own business, never interacting with the players from other teams in their playing group. Golfers can get consumed by the individualism and cut-throat competitiveness in golf. When a player has a simple friendly interaction or a compassionate gesture during a tournament, it can get overlooked," Daugherty said.
"Alex goes out of his way to engage with his fellow playing competitors," Daugherty added. "He shows kindness and compassion during the round and that is a true reflection of Alex's character and sportsmanship on and off the golf course … There have many situations where a player in his group is having a difficult time either athletically or emotionally and Alex has gone out of his way to put aside his individual competitiveness and check in on that player, giving them words of encouragement, affirmation, and confidence."
