May 7, 2007

By Danny Martin, Staff Writer
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Published May 5, 2007

Coaching the Alaska Nanooks rifle team is not a job to Dan Jordan -- it's his life.

His passion for the sport shows in the Coach of the Year award he received for the second straight year at Friday night's Alaska Nanooks All-Sports Banquet at the Princess Hotel. The award goes nicely with the NCAA Rifle Coach of the Year honor he received recently.

"I love it to death," Jordan said after the banquet. "I live and breathe the team and shooting. I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary, I'm not doing anything to try to win awards. I'm doing stuff because I want to see the rifle team grow, I want to see rifle as a sport grow and I'm going to do everything I can to help that. It's my life and I'm dedicated to it and I will be until the day I die."

The second-year head coach did plenty in March for the Nanooks, guiding the program to its eighth national championship in nine years during the two-day competition in the Patty Center.

The 28-year-old's passion for the team he coaches began as a competitor for the same program. He earned first-team All-America in smallbore and air rifle in 1998 and 1999, when Alaska captured its first national title.

One of the shooters from this past season's championship squad, senior Matthew Rawlings, was named the Intercollegiate Athletic Council Male Student-Athlete of the Year and swimmer Rebecca George, a senior academic wise and a junior eligibilty wise, received the Female Student-Athlete of the Year honor.

Rawlings, an eight-time All-American and U.S. National Team member from Wharton, Texas, said that his senior season individually didn't fare as well as past seasons.

At the nationals at the Patty Center, he missed qualifying for the smallbore finals and he placed 16th in the air rifle. He was the NCAA individual smallbore champion as a freshman and sophomore, when he earned the Best Overalll Shooter recognition at the national meet.

Rawlings, though, ended his final season as a Nanook with a national team championship.

"That's what I wanted," "We lost the national championship my sophomore year and after that, I didn't want to lose any more. So, finishing my NCAA career here at home with a national championship is all I could ask for."

The 22-year-old technology major appreciated Friday night's honor, too.

"There were a bunch of good candidates. It feels good to win it," said Rawlings, who's headed to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is scheduled to compete at the U.S. Nationals in Fort Benning, Ga., on June 17-24.

Friday night marked the second straight year that George took home an award from the banquet. The butterfly and freestyle specialist from Mulkiteo, Wash., received the Harris Shelton Spirit of Competition Award last year.

An All-Pacific Coast Swim Conference Academic Team selection this past season, George is a Nanooks pioneer, as she was the first swimmer to come to the university for an official visit. She had transferred from Central Washington University, which dropped its program after the 2004-05 season.

"Since I've arrived at UAF, it's been mostly about building a program and establishing traditions," the journalism and philosophy major said, "and making sure that proper leadership and proper role models are set up.

"As far as my own competition (for next season), it's just about improvement and having fun. It's my last year of swimming."

All Nanooks honorees are listed below:

Coach of the Year:
Dan Jordan, Head Rifle Coach

Intercollegiate Athletics Committee Male and Female Athletes of the Year:
Matthew Rawlings, Mixed Rifle
Rebecca George, Women's Swimming

Harris Shelton Spirit of Competition Award:
Marius Korthauer, Men's Skiing/Men's Cross Country

Humanitarian Award:
Jocelyn Shumate, Women's Basketball

Most Valuable Players

Jushay Rockett, Men's Basketball
Kari Reabold, Women's Basketball
Allan Spangler, Men's Cross Country
Aurelia Korthauer, Women's Cross Country
Kyle Greentree, Men's Hockey
Ryan Baum, Mixed Rifle
Marius Korthauer, Men's Skiing
Aurelia Korthauer, Women's Skiing
Kelly Becker, Women's Swimming
Megan Thigpen, Women's Volleyball

Dr. Wood Scholar-Athletes

Mike Titus, Men's Basketball
Mia Seagraves, Women's Basketball
Vahur Teppan, Men's Cross Country
Elisabeth Habermann, Women's Cross Country
Trevor Hyatt, Men's Hockey
Christian Lejon, Mixed Rifle
Marius Korthauer, Men's Skiing
Julia Coulter, Women's Skiing
Katie Mohrmann, Women's Swimming
Jenna Jones, Women's Volleyball