LaFrance and Thornton Named First-Team All-NWC Scholar Athletes
LaFrance and Thornton Named First-Team All-NWC Scholar Athletes
The Northwest Conference announced the 2024-2025 All-NWC Scholar-Athletes, including 157 Bearcats. Krisna LaFrance from Men's Soccer and Katherine Thornton from Women's Track & Field earned First Team honors, which go to the top male and the top female student-athletes from each NWC institution, based on athletic success, academic accomplishments, and community service.
Krisna LaFrance
A senior from Seattle, Washington, LaFrance earned first-team All-NWC honors after scoring 10 goals to lead the Bearcats in 2024. A team captain, LaFrance was honored by Willamette Athletics with the J.H. Booth award this year for outstanding accomplishments in athletics, academics, and leadership.
An Exercise and Health Science major, Krisna was a three-time Academic All-District selection, was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma in 2024, received a senior certificate award from Willamette, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa this past May. He has been the head human anatomy teaching assistant, was a senior member on the Exercise and Health Science Executive Board, and a part of the Sparks Fitness Center staff.
Katherine Thornton
A senior from Reno, Nevada, Thornton had an outstanding career that was capped off by breaking a 17-year-old school record in the 100-meter hurdles, setting a new standard at 14.45 seconds. She ended the season ranked #38 in Division III in that event and was ranked #74 in the 400-meter Hurdles. Thornton was honored by Willamette Athletics this year with the Jean Williams Award, which goes to a student-athlete who has achieved excellence in their sport, the classroom, and their community.
Thornton majored in Science Communication and was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma in 2023.
Very active on campus and in the Salem community, she was the co-president of "Beyond These Walls", a board member of a local organization called "Re-Group", and a member of the Conversation Project, where she has led campus-wide conversations around Radical Belonging, among other topics.