WALLA WALLA, Wash. - The Whitman College Athletics department hosted its annual Celebration of Champions held on Sunday evening at the Sherwood Center. The event was held in conjunction with the Whitman Student-Athlete Advisory Committee who hosted its annual Blues Banquet during the evening as well.

The event honored team and individual conference champions throughout the 2023-24 season with the exception of several spring sports which have yet to be concluded. President Sarah Bolton was also on hand to congratulate those recognized.

The following were the individuals and teams recognized:

STUDENT-ATHLETES
Hanri Luo - Men's tennis first-year Hanri Luo kicked off his Blues tennis career with a bang. In his first major event, he navigated a tough field to win this past season's Fall ITA Northwest Regional Tennis Championship, the ITA's prominent regional tournament held every fall season. He didn't lose a single set en route to winning an all-Whitman final.

Kiki Glorioso - First-year Kiki Glorioso was a huge part of one of Whitman's finest women's soccer seasons ever. As a key member of the Whitman backline, she led one of the stingiest defenses in the league and was named the Northwest Conference's Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year.

Shaye Agnew - Shaye Agnew became only the second Whitman women's swimmer to be named the Northwest Conference's Swimmer of the Year. At the Northwest Championships held this past February, she won three events including the 100 freestyle to lift the Blues to the Northwest Conference title, their sixth in seven years

Korin Baker - When it's all said and done, Korin Baker will go down as one of the finest players to wear a Whitman women's basketball uniform. She continues to move up the all-time career lists and this year, in addition to numerous all-region and all-American honors, she was voted as the Northwest Conference's Women's Basketball Player of the Year.  She was also selected and played in the Division III National All-Star game in Columbus, Ohio.  Korin will return to Whitman to finish her academic work and to play her final season for the Blues.

Grant Hunt - Grant Hunt was named the Northwest Conference's Defensive Player of the Year, Whitman's first since the award was included in the league's post-season honors. During the league season he was among the conference leaders in steals and helped guide the Blues to their second straight regular season title and third straight Northwest Conference Tournament final.

Mason Remington - First year Mason Remington had one of the finest Northwest Conference seasons a men's golfer could have. He won all three major conference tournaments en route to leading the Blues to their first Northwest Conference title since 1986. For his efforts, he was named Rookie of the Year AND Player of the Year. 

COACHES
John Lamanna - The Whitman men's basketball team has seen a meteoric rise since coach Lamanna was hired in the summer of 2020. Enduring an abbreviated and challenging first season, the Blues qualified for the NWC Tournament the following season and advanced to the title game. Two seasons ago, the Blues won the regular season title and did so again this past season giving coach Lamanna Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back years.

Jeff Northam - Head coach Jeff Northam was named Northwest Conference coach of the year for a league record 11th time. He guided the Blues to the program's 25th consecutive postseason appearance where the team advanced to the championship match but just missed out on an NCAA Tournament appearance.

John Hein - Head coach John Hein has taken the Blues women's tennis program to new heights over the past three seasons and was well rewarded with his second straight coach of the year honor and sixth overall. Whitman lost only one conference match during the stretch which includes two regular season titles, two league tournament titles, and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Bill Howard - Bill Howard began heading up the men's golf program three seasons ago and has taken it to heights not seen in some time. He led the Blues this year to its first Northwest Conference title since 1986 which included two major league tournament titles during the season and first-year Mason Remington named both rookie and player of the year. Howard now takes his Blues squad to Las Vegas for the NCAA Championships.

TEAMS
Women's Swimming - This past February, the women's swimming team won the Northwest Conference championship for the sixth time in the past seven years. The championships, a four-day event held in Federal Way, Washington, saw the Blues excel on the final day to take over the top spot and win the title. Following the championships, Jenn Blomme was named coach of the year and Shaye Agnew was named women's swimmer of the year. 

Men's Basketball - The Blues men's basketball team won its second straight Northwest Conference regular season title, finishing the season at 20-7 and an impressive 13-3 in conference. They advanced to the Northwest Conference tournament title game for the third straight season but came up just short of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Following the season, five members of the team earned conference honors which included Jai Deshpande, Jander Cline, Ale Efe Isik, Grant Hunt who was named Defensive Player of the Year, and John Lammana who earned coach of the year honors.

Men's Golf - The men's golf team had a banner season, winning the Northwest Conference for the first time since 1986 and securing the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships next month in Las Vegas. The Blues won two of the league's three major tournaments which landed them the conference title. The wins included the Fall Classic and the Northwest Conference championships last weekend. Following the championships, Alex Knox and Ben Sweet were named first team all-conference, Mason Remington was named Rookie and Player of the Year, and Bill Howard was voted coach of the year.

Women's Tennis - The women's golf team did the double for the second straight season, winning the regular season and conference tournament in 2023 and repeating both this spring. The Blues went undefeated in league play for the second straight season and are automatically qualified for next month's NCAA Tournament. SEVEN team members earned all-conference honors which included Teleya Blunt, Jin Yu, Ilina Jha, Sascha Wells, Arianna Castellanos, Julia Longpre, and head coach John Hein who was named Northwest Conference coach of the year.