Summary

Decatur High School graduate Sierra Shugarts nominated for “Seattle Female Athlete of the Year.”

Story

Decatur High School graduate and Western Washington University women’s soccer player, Sierra Shugarts, was honored as one of five nominees for the “Female Sports Star of the Year Award” at the 82^nd Annual Seattle Sports Star of the Year event. 

“I am proud to congratulate the athletic and academic accomplishments of Decatur graduate Sierra Shugarts,” said Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer.  “Not only did her talent shine at Decatur High School, she was an integral contributor to Western Washington Soccer’s 2016 national championship.”

As team captain, Shugarts helped lead the Western Washington University Vikings to their first ever NCAA Division II National Championship in 2016.  The team was undefeated with a record of 24-0-1 and 24 consecutive wins.   During the championship run, she started in all 25 games for the Vikings and scored four goals, a rarity for a defensive player.

After winning the championship, Shugarts was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II National Player of the Year.  In the 21 year history of the award, she is just the second defensive player to earn this honor. 

In addition to NSCAA Div. II Player of the Year, Shugarts was named the Great North Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year and was a First Team All-GNAC selection, and she has also been an All-GNAC Academic Selection with a 3.35 grade point average as a multi-disciplinary major.

At Decatur High School, Shugarts was a First-Team South Puget Sound League All-Star selection and was Team Captain and MVP.  Her parents were also collegiate athletes at the University of Washington, where her mother, Mayumi, was on the track team, and her father, Curtis, played soccer.