P-I Sports Stars of the Year: Engram, Lawrie shine

It was remarkable what Bobby Engram and Danielle Lawrie accomplished last year for their ages.

Photo gallery from the banquet

The Seahawks receiver surprised everyone but himself by coming back from a serious medical condition to set a team receiving record at age 34. The University of Washington softball pitcher rewrote the Huskies record books at 20.

But while 14 years separate the two elite athletes, one thing united them Tuesday night at The Westin Seattle: They were named P-I Sports Stars of the Year.

A crowd of more than 600 at the 73rd Sports Star of the Year Awards voted Engram and Lawrie the winners of an award that dates to 1935, selecting them from a group of 10 elite athletes.

"This is humbling," Engram said after his name was announced by Seattle P-I publisher Roger Oglesby. "When you're down you have to look up, and that's what I did last year. This is very gratifying on many levels."

In the middle of the 2006 season, it looked as if Engram's career might be over. Graves disease, a thyroid condition, had sapped him of his strength and cost him most of the season.

"Basically I had my health and my career snatched from my grasp in about two or three weeks," Engram said last season. "It was a blessing, though at the time I didn't see it. It's really helped me as a person, and it's helped me tremendously as a player. The way I take care of myself now, it's a whole different level."

And Engram reached a whole different level on the field, with a team-record 94 receptions for 1,147 yards, the first 1,000-yard season of his career. With Deion Branch and D.J. Hackett limited by injuries, the Seahawks needed someone to step up, and the 5-foot-10 Engram was up to the task.

Engram said another playoff run that came up short has only whetted his appetite for next season.

"It was a tremendous year, a good ride," he said. "We have a tremendous group of guys, and I look forward to trying again next year."

The men's vote was close, with J.J. Putz, the Mariners' All-Star closer, and Jon Brockman, Washington's All-Pac-10 basketball forward, tying for second place just behind Engram.

Jockey Ricky Frazier, ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek and UW running back Louis Rankin also were honored at the banquet.

Lawrie, in her sophomore campaign, broke her own school record with 457 strikeouts -- an amazing 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Lawrie went 31-13 and led the Huskies back to the College Softball World Series, where she opened the tournament with a no-hitter and a one-hitter.

"What an honor, just to be nominated for this," Lawrie said. "I've got my family here and my coaches. It's pretty special."

Lawrie was named a first-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American, named to the Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team and was the first-team All-Pac-10 pitcher. After just two years, she's already second on the Washington career strikeout list with 844.

But Lawrie, a native of Langley, B.C., won't be adding to her college statistics in 2008. She's taking the year off to pitch for Canada in the Beijing Olympics. She leaves Monday for Las Vegas for a month of training with her team, and then it's off to Australia on Feb. 24 for nearly a month of training and exhibitions.

"I loved what happened last year, but I'm trying to kind of put it aside, take the best things from it and focus on this being an Olympic year," said Lawrie, one of the youngest-ever P-I Sports Stars. "I'm just gearing up for one of the biggest things I'll ever do.

"I know I'm with the Canadian team, but I'm going to be taking a little bit of Seattle with me, too."

Lawrie thinks what she'll learn in her redshirt year can only help her and the rest of the Huskies when she returns.

"I feel like it's going to be an upset if we don't win the national championship my junior year," she said.

Other women's honorees included second-place finisher Sarah Martinez of Seattle Pacific University soccer, SPU runner Jessica Pixler and UW crew coxswain Katelin Snyder.

As usual, the event was a star-studded affair, including Gov. Chris Gregoire, numerous past Sports Star of the Year winners and representatives of all of Seattle's pro sports teams and college programs.

The P-I Sports Star of the Year Awards also is the scene for the official presentation of the Hutch Award, given annually to the major league player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire of Seattle's Fred Hutchinson, the 1938 Sports Star of the Year.

This year's Hutch Award winner was Kansas City Royals five-time All-Star Mike Sweeney.