Pepperdine Claims WCC Commissioner's Cup, Women's All-Sport Award and More

MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine took home four major West Coast Conference awards, including the 2023-24 WCC Commissioner's Cup which is awarded to the league's top-performing institution in conference play for the past year, the conference office announced today.

Along with taking home the WCC Commissioner's Cup for the fourth-time in program history, the Waves also won the Women's All-Sports Award for the sixth time, while Nikki Redelijk of women's tennis garnered WCC Female Mike Gilleran Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Johnathan Flint of men's cross country and track was awarded the WCC Male Postgraduate Scholarship.

"Winning the WCC Commissioner's Cup is a testament to the overall success and unity of not only the athletic department, but the University as well," said Pepperdine Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner. "It takes the hard work and dedication of each of our devoted student-athletes, excellent coaches and committed department staff, as well as the support of professors, campus staff and University leadership, to triumph this way. What a powerful showcase of what makes Pepperdine such a special place."

"I also want to acknowledge Steve Potts for his role in this award. It is an outstanding honor and a demonstration of his exceptional tenure at the helm of Pepperdine Athletics."

The WCC Commissioner's Cup is an all-sports award presented at the end of each academic year to the league's top performing school in conference play and is based on a point system, reflecting the finish of each team in conference play. The institution with the highest point total after combining the men's and women's point totals is honored with the Commissioner's Cup. Stretching back to the 2001-02 school year, the Commissioner's Cup has become an annual tradition celebrating WCC athletic excellence.

Pepperdine won the league's Commissioner's Cup first in the 2001-02 academic year, during the award's first year of existence, and went on to win the next two-consecutive awards of its kind in 2002-03 and 2003-04. In those three years, Pepperdine also took home both the Men's and Women's All-Sports Awards, though the Waves were co-winners on the women's side with Santa Clara in the first year. The Waves have since won the Women's All-Sports Award in 2006-07 and 2009-10 as well.

During the 2023-24 season, Pepperdine won WCC championships in women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's golf, earned a share or better of WCC regular season championships in men's water polo and men's tennis and also came in second in beach volleyball and tied for second in women's soccer.

In addition to the program honors, Redelijk and Flint excelled in various areas to be recognized as well.

Nikki Redelijk, WCC Female Mike Gilleran Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Part of four-straight WCC Champion women's tennis teams, Nikki Redelijk garnered All-WCC second team recognition honors and was part of a Waves' squad that advanced to the national semifinals this season. She was also part of the NCAA runner-up team in 2021. Redelijk will graduate Summa Cum Laude and won Pepperdine's Scholar-Athlete of the Year after earning WCC All-Academic honors for three-straight years from 2022-24. She also made the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2023.

An active member in her community, Redelijk served Pepperdine's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (Waves Leadership Council), from 2023-24. She helped organize events like the Malibu Tiny Tot Olympics, a hygiene kit drive for unhoused neighbors and a blood drive donation to help fight cancer.

The Mike Gilleran Scholar-Athlete of the Year is selected by a vote of the WCC's Executive Council to recognize the finest accomplishments in athletics, academics and community service by individuals who have completed their collegiate eligibility. The award is named in honor of the conference's first full-time commissioner, Mike Gilleran.

Johnathan Flint, WCC Male Postgraduate Scholarship
Garnering a 4.0 grade point average with a degree in finance and a minor in applied mathematics, Johnathan Flint will be attending the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School to pursue a master's in financial economics. Flint hopes to work at a venture capital firm emphasizing emerging markets.

During his time at Pepperdine, Flint served as President of the Waves Leadership Council, running meetings covering all topics from improved competition engagement on campus to community service and mental health awareness. He was also part of the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, working on a student-led consulting team to collaborate on volunteer organization plans. Some of the volunteerism Flint was part of included: beach cleanup in Santa Monica, the Tiny Tots Olympics and mental health trivia night.

He was named Pepperdine's 2024 Scholar Athlete of the Year after being a four-time school scholar-athlete. Flint is a three-time WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree and made the WCC All-Academic Team this past fall.
A two-time WCC Runner of the Week, Flint scored in the WCC Cross Country Championships all four years. He competed in the NCAA regionals three times (none held in 2020). His time of 24:17.2 in the 8K ranks in the top 10 all-time in program history,

To be eligible for a WCC Postgraduate Scholarship, a student-athlete must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25, demonstrate significant athletic contributions to his or her sport for a minimum of two years, and have a record of participation in campus or community activities. He or she also must submit a personal statement of intention to attend graduate or professional school for which this scholarship would be awarded.

2023-24 Commissioner's Cup Standings
1. Pepperdine (81 points)
2. Saint Mary's (78.5 points)
3. Santa Clara (78 points)
4. LMU (75 points)
5. San Diego (74.5 points)
6. Gonzaga (73.5 points)
7. Portland (66 points)
8. San Francisco (54 points)
9. Pacific (50.5 points)

Men's All-Sports Award Standings
1. San Diego (40 points)
2. Pepperdine (32.5 points)
3. Santa Clara (32 points)
4. Saint Mary's (31.5 points)
5. LMU (31 points)
6. Portland (29 points)
7. Gonzaga (28.5 points)
8. San Francisco (20.5 points)
    Pacific (20.5 points)

Women's All-Sports Award Standings
1. Pepperdine (46.5 points)
2. Saint Mary's (46 points)
3. Gonzaga (44 points)
    Santa Clara (44 points)
5. LMU (43.5 points)
6. Portland (37 points)
7. San Diego (33.5 points)
    San Francisco (33.5 points)
9. Pacific (30 points)

Pepperdine Claims WCC Commissioner's Cup, Women's All-Sport Award and More

Players Mentioned

Johnathan Flint

Nikki Redelijk

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