Business School Students Win NCAA Championships
In the span of one week in June, two undergraduate students at the UW Business School won individual NCAA championships. First James Lepp, a junior studying entrepreneurship and marketing, won the NCAA division I men's golf championship, a first for the University of Washington. Then Kate Soma, a senior studying marketing, became the most decorated women's track and field athlete in UW history, winning the NCAA pole vault title
Lepp won the NCAA tourney on the third playoff hole, after charging from six strokes back on the final day to finish at a course record 7-under-par at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mill, MD.
Sparked by Lepp's superior marksmanship, Washington shot 4-under-par on the final day to grab a best-ever third place finish, behind only Georgia and Georgia Tech. The tournament capped a postseason run that saw the Huskies win their first Pac-10 title since 1988.
After struggling during Friday's rain-soaked third round, Lepp entered Saturday tied for eighth with four other players at 3-over 213. He had shot 70 and 67 during the first two days of play.
"It hasn't been a very good year for me until now," said Lepp, the first Canadian to win the title. "I haven't had much confidence, but this week, especially today, it all came together. What a great way to end the year."
A native of Abbotsford, BC, Lepp had to sit out last season after transferring from the University of Illinois. As a freshman, he finished 13th at the NCAAs for the Illini.
Now Lepp joins a distinctive list of Pac-10 players who have won the NCAA title that includes Arizona State's Phil Mickelson (1989, 1990, 1992), USC's Scott Simpson (1976, 1977) and Stanford's Tiger Woods (1996).
An exemplary student-athlete, Lepp was selected to the Pac-10 All-Academic first team for his 3.32 cumulative GPA at the Business School. He also was honored by the Golf Coaches Association of America as a first-team All-American and as the recipient of the Arnold Palmer Award as the national collegiate champion. Lepp's win also earned him a spot in a sectional qualifying round for the U.S. Open.
The NCAA championship caps an amazing year for Lepp, who also made an unwitting cameo appearance in the Oscar-winning movie "Sideways." As the film's oddly coupled protagonists take a break from their mid-life-crisis tour of California wine country, they switch on the hotel television to watch a little golf. On the TV screen is none other than Lepp, putting for birdie in the Greater Vancouver Classic, a Canadian Tour event he eventually won by five strokes.
For more on James Lepp, see an article on Gohuskies.com
After being runner-up at each of the last two NCAA Championships, Kate Soma became the 24th Washington track and field athlete - and fourth UW woman - to win an NCAA title.
Soma led the field through 14 feet, 1 ¼ inches, clearing each of the first four heights on her first attempt. Things nearly turned ugly when Soma's pole snapped in half on her first attempt at 14-5 1/4, her fourth broken pole this year. Moved to the end of the jumping order as a result of the equipment failure, Soma was able to watch as each of the three remaining competitors missed all three of their attempts, crowning the Husky champion.
Soma says she knew after clearing her second height, 13-6 ¼, that she would win the competition. "I felt so good going over that bar," she said. "I just knew right then that this was my competition to win."
A native of Portland, OR, Soma also won the 2004 Pac-10 and 2005 West Regional titles, and caps her career with five All-American honors. She also was named to the Pac-10's All-Academic second team after posting a cumulative 3.50 GPA in her studies at the Business School.
For more on Kate Soma, see the Husky Athletics article on her victory.
Return to June 2005 BA Alumni News
