Michael Penix Jr. big winner at the Seattle Sports Star of the Year Awards after insisting michigan…
Everyone who had the opportunity to witness the University of Washington football team’s performance last season was aware of Michael Penix Jr.’s star quality. This fact was officially recognized by the Seattle Sports Commission on Thursday night, as Penix was crowned the men’s Sport Star of the Year at the 89th annual Seattle Sports Star of the Year Awards at The Westin Seattle.
Penix secured this accolade by leading the Huskies to the national championship game against Michigan last month. He concluded a remarkable season by passing for an NCAA-leading 4,903 yards and throwing 36 touchdowns, the third-highest total in the country.
Having thrown for over 4,000 yards in each of his two seasons at Montlake after transferring from the University of Indiana in late 2021, Penix is anticipated to be a high pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Penix triumphed over other notable nominees such as Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, Kraken center Matty Beniers, Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, and UW wide receiver Rome Odunze.
“It means a lot,” Penix expressed. “Those names… they’ve all been great for the city, and they’ve been doing a lot of great things in their respective sports, and I’m just super blessed to be able to be a part of it as well.”
Additionally, Penix and the rest of his UW teammates were awarded the Sports Story of the Year Award. This recognition followed the Huskies’ undefeated regular season, culminating in their appearance in the College Football Playoff title game against Michigan. This marked Washington’s first College Football Playoff appearance since 2016, with the team setting a program record with 14 wins in a season.
UW linebacker Carson Bruener highlighted some of the Huskies’ major accomplishments, including their Apple Cup victory, Pac-12 title win, first national title game appearance, and first undefeated regular season since 1991. The mention of defeating Oregon twice this year received the loudest cheers from the audience.
In the women’s category, Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd clinched the Sports Star of the Year award. Loyd set a WNBA record for most points in a single season with 939 in 2023 and also set records in free throws and games with 25 or more points. She was named the All-Star Game MVP after scoring 31 points, breaking the previous record of 30 shared by Maya Moore and former UW star Kelsey Plum.
Loyd’s competitors for the women’s award included Seattle Pacific track star and 800-meter national champion Vanessa Aniteye, Seattle Reign defender Lauren Barnes, Washington State basketball standout Charlisse Leger-Walker, and 14-year-old Bellevue golf prodigy Angela Zhang, who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach last year.
The Leader of the Year award was presented to Reign head coach Laura Harvey, who guided her team to an NWSL final appearance. Harvey, the first head coach in Reign history from 2013 to 2017, returned to Seattle in 2021 after coaching Utah from 2018 to 2021, during which she also assisted in coaching the U.S. Women’s National Team.
Former Seattle Times columnist Larry Stone, who retired in November after 27 years at the Times, was honored with the Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award, along with the late Seattle sports writer Jim Caple.
Megan Rapinoe received the Paul G. Allen Humanitarian Award, while 93-year-old former Seattle Totem Guyle Fielder, the first professional hockey player at any level to score 2,000 points and a six-time WHL MVP, was greeted with a standing ovation as he received the Royal Brougham Sports Legend Award.
Olivia Vitello, an 11-year-old UW softball fan undergoing enzyme replacement therapy at Seattle Children’s Hospital, received the Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award from former UW softball player SilentRain Espinoza.
Jaci McCormack of Rise Above, an organization that uses basketball to change the lives of Native American youth and help them develop life skills, was presented with the Sports Equity and Inclusion Award by former Seattle Supersonic Lenny Wilkens, actor Danny Glover, and former Seahawk Doug Baldwin.
The 2024 Class of the Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame was also honored, including longtime Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin, former Seahawks and Washington State head coach Dennis Erickson, former UW quarterback Steve Pelluer, UW associate athletic director Chip Lydum, and athletic trainer Jim Whitesel.
