For sports glory, look no further than Seattle's women's teams

It was yet another weekend of the same story in Seattle sports.

The Seattle Pacific women's soccer team won a national title, and the Washington volleyball team advanced to its fifth Sweet 16 in the past six seasons.

Who says there's only one refrain around here?

Who says this is an area where only losing happens?

Who says there's no source for athletic pride with the Huskies, Seahawks and Mariners faltering and the Sonics combusting?

Actually, it's been a fantastic year — for women's teams. So here's the challenge for those of us obsessed with the male squads: We must change the way we think to reap some much-needed glory.

We must ditch any chauvinistic perceptions and appreciate what has become a true wonder.

Consider this: In the past three weeks, gloomy, miserable, can't-buy-a-victory Seattle has won three championships.

On Nov. 22, Seattle Pacific runner Jessica Pixler won her second straight Division II national title and led the Falcons to a fourth-place finish. Two days later, the UW women's cross country team earned its first title to complete perhaps the most dominant season in that sport's history. Saturday, Seattle Pacific beat undefeated West Florida to win the Division II women's soccer championship.

They're the pillars of the city's 2008 sports success, the most outstanding examples of how women's sports have been a counterbalance to otherwise grim results.

Beyond those national titles, the Storm stood as the one pro team to avoid the curse. The UW and Washington State women's soccer teams made the NCAA tournament, and the Western Washington women's soccer team advanced to the Division II Far West Regional Championship before losing to SPU.

And that's just a rundown of what has happened this fall. For certain, Julie van Beek's SPU hoops squad will be among the women's programs to add some more glory this winter.

The volleyball Huskies are hosting an NCAA Tournament regional at Edmundson Pavilion this weekend, looking for their fourth Final Four berth in five seasons.

The ladies are deserving of the most hype.

But perhaps the humility that comes from being underappreciated is a contributor to their successes.

"I could not care less about hype," said Chuck Sekyra, the Seattle Pacific women's soccer coach. "All that matters is how we feel about ourselves and how the kids feel about this program. We don't need the hype. We know what we're doing."

On the other hand, Sekyra is quite moved by the idea that some sports fans might be looking to his team for civic pride.

"Oh, man, if we can play a role in that, that would be huge," he said. "That would make me feel great. That's amazing. If we could bring a little more pride to our city, we're happy to do it."

Sekyra has enjoyed an incredible six-year run at SPU. He's 117-11-10, with six tournament appearances, three Final Fours and now a national title. This season, the Falcons were 21-1-2, and for them, it was considered a rough run considering they hadn't lost a regular-season game in three of the previous four years. Talk about establishing a high standard.

"We went through things that our program hasn't been through in a while," Sekyra said. "We figured, if we could learn from those things, we could have the best team we've had. That's how we handled it. That's the route we went. And they believed me.

"What's our adversity? We were 17-1-2 during the regular season, but it was adversity."

It sounds a lot like the UW volleyball team having a 26-4 record this season in what was supposed to be a transition year. It shows the genius of coach Jim McLaughlin and the commitment of players who only understand winning.

Nothing can erase the bad memories of 2008, which turned into Murphy's law for the most scrutinized Seattle sports teams. Plenty of lessons can be learned, the most important of which should be to diversify our sporting interests.

That way, we won't find ourselves lamenting losses when there are three national champions polishing their trophies next door.

"Sometimes, you do wonder, 'Do people realize what's going on around here?' " Sekyra admitted. "It's not that easy, especially in a sport in which you can dominate a game and lose."

The year of Matt Hasselbeck's bad back and Jake Locker's broken thumb and Erik Bedard's damaged shoulder includes a more glorious chapter.

It includes names such as Pixler, Jessica Swarbrick, Kendra Schaaf and Janae Godoy. More important, however, the teams outshine the individuals, the truest joy of sports.

It's been a tragic year for Seattle sports, for sure. It's been a triumphant one, too.

The women have led the way. It's about time we appreciate them for providing the sunshine around here.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For more columns and the Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports