(Longview, WA) – June has arrived and soon Lower Columbia College student/athletes will be embarking on summer vacation.
 
Some will play summer ball, others will stay on campus to take summer classes and others will either work or relax.  But all will take pride in what has been another incredible year of success in the land of the Red Devils.
 
For the second straight year, and five out of the last six years, LCC has won the Maury Ray NWAC Athletic Directors Cup.  The Cup goes to the school that performs the best in each of the conference's 15 men's and women's championships. Points are awarded in order of finish, equal to the number of teams that participate in each sport and are averaged between a team's regular season finish and its NWAC Championship finish.  Teams that do not qualify for a post season tournament, received postseason points equal to their regular season finish.
 
Cups are awarded to winners of the two divisions.  Larger school's with 8 to 15 sports offered compete for the Frank Bosone Division. Smaller schools offering 1 to 7 sports compete for the Dick McClain Division.  Both Bosone and McClain are former NWAC Executive Directors.  The cup itself is named for former Spokane Athletic Director Dr. Maury Ray, who was instrumental in forming the Cup competition.
 
LCC won the Dick McClain Division and the on field and on court achievement was remarkable in 2023-24.
 
The Red Devil women's soccer team was the West Region Champions and took third in the NWAC tournament.  The Devils were locked in a scoreless tie with eventual champion Columbia Basin when the Hawks scored in the 89^th minute to get the victory. It was the second straight NWAC Final Four for head coach Joe Chicks Red Devils.
 
The Lower Columbia College volleyball team also won the West Region title for a second straight year.  Carri Smith had informed the school that she was retiring at the conclusion of the season, but the team was unaware of the plan. The Devils won the West Super Regional and advanced to the Elite 8. The incredible career of Smith ended with a 3-1 loss to Yakima Valley. Coach Smith and her husband/assistant Josh Smith won an NWAC title in 2016, captured four West Region titles and led the Devils to a record of 231-142 in 11 seasons. Troy Shorey has been hired to continue the Red Devil tradition.
 
Both Lower Columbia College basketball teams won West Region titles and came up with victories at the NWAC Sweet 16.
 
Coach Lucas Myers women's team went 11-1 in the West, 22-7 overall.  The Devils defeated Bellevue 72-63 in the Sweet 16 and then succumbed to Walla Wall in the Elite 8.
 
The LCC men's hoop team under head coach Mickey Polis won the West for a fifth straight time. The Devs were 13-1 in the West and 26-4 overall. Lower Columbia defeated Walla Walla 74-60 in the Sweet 16 and then lost a tough, heartbreaking game to Skagit Valley 66-61 in the Elite 8.
 
Both Red Devil spring sports had great seasons that ended with a third place finish at the NWAC Championships.
 
Traci Fuller's Devil softball team had a record breaking offensive season.  The D's broke school records for hits, batting average, runs, RBI's and doubles.  In contention for the South Region title until the final days of league play, the Devils ended up third in the region with a 22-6 record, 42-13 overall. At the NWAC tournament, LCC got wins over Douglas and Spokane but then lost to North Idaho.  The team bounced back with victories over SWOC and Wenatchee Valley. The win over Wenatchee was memorable as the team was down to its last out before Leanna Russell and Sawyer Stenson hit back to back homers for the victory.  Up 9-0 in semi-finals against North Idaho, the Cardinals rallied for an 11-9 win ending an incredible run for LCC.
 
The LCC baseball team had to work through an unfamiliar route to get to the NWAC Championship Final 8 at Story Field.  As the number two team in the West, the Devils hosted and won a Super Regional. LCC opened the final tournament with a 1-0 loss to eventual champion Linn Benton before coming back with wins over Blue Mountain and Edmonds. The season ended for Kurt Lupinski's Devils with a loss to Tacoma.  The third place finish was a great result for a team that battled through inconsistency only to show they are championship worthy.
 
The success in competition is only part of the story for Lower Columbia College athletics.  The academic achievement remains high and LCC is again in contention for the President's Cup, which goes to the school with top GPA's, graduation rate and completion rate.  The final totals will be compiled following spring and summer completion.  The Devils are hoping to win the President's Cup for the third straight time.  LCC is the only school to win an AD Cup and the President's Cup in the same school year and they have done it twice.
 
Summer is here but the job is never finished for the Lower Columbia College coaches.  They have recruited and signed the next group of student/athletes to join the Red Devil family.  The expectations are the same.
 
For the departing Red Devils we say job well done.  You have left your mark with great success. 
 
Always remember……..Once a Red Devil, always a Red Devil!