EUGENE, Ore. – Senior Point Guard
Ben Voogd made history on Wednesday, becoming the first player in Northwest Christian University history to earn All-American honors at the NAIA level. Voogd earned All-American Honorable Mention and was one of seven players from the Cascade Collegiate Conference to gain national recognition.
Head Coach and NCU Athletic Director Corey Anderson said, “This is a great honor for Ben as well as our program and university. Ben had a great year statistically and competitively in leading us to a fifth-place finish in the CCC. I am happy to see Ben receive the rewards that he has recently earned which are directly related to the countless hours of work that he has put into the gym. Most importantly, basketball became fun again for Ben, and that showed all season long."
Voogd, a 6-2 senior who transferred from the University of Oregon after a stint at LSU earned First-Team All-Conference and CCC Newcomer of the Year honors after ranking sixth in the CCC in scoring (17.9 ppg) and third in assists (4.4 apg).
Voogd had one of the best individual seasons in school history, finishing with 534 points, second all-time. He also set new NCU single-season records for free-throws (147) free-throw attempts (187), steals (76), and assists (130). Voogd led the Beacons in scoring 19 times and scored at least 20 points in 13 games.
The Beacons finished the season in fifth place in the CCC, their highest finish in school history. Northwest Christian went 14-17 on the year, with a 10-8 mark in conference play.
From the CCC, both Nathan Menefee of Evergreen State and Justin Parnell of Oregon Tech earned First-Team All-American honors while Jordan Gregg of Eastern Oregon was named to the Second Team. Also grabbing honorable mention were Craig McGee (College of Idaho), Joseph Foster (Oregon Tech), and Jake Glisson (Warner Pacific).
Northwest Christian, which is in its third full season as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, has its first athlete recognized as an NAIA All-American. The Beacons/Crusaders have now had 32 players earn All-American honors at all levels, including 23 in men’s basketball.