Three-sport athlete Casey Stepan and basketball letterman Steve Taylor have been selected to receive the Vern Marshall Award for 2007-08, honoring Linfield College athletes who exhibit the greatest tenacity.The award was established in 2003 to honor the late Vern Marshall, Class of 1957, a former Linfield athlete, and college and professional sports referee.As team captain for the women’s basketball team, Stepan received honorable mention Northwest Conference honors for the second consecutive year. Starting all 25 games in 2007-08, she averaged 10.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists while ranking fourth in the NWC in steals (47) and eighth in 3-pointers made (40). During her four-year career with the Wildcats, Stepan totaled 717 points in 99 games to finish 16th on the all-time scoring list. She also accumulated 120 career steals (15th all-time) and made 106 3-point baskets to rank third on Linfield’s all-time list.As a member of the Linfield cross country team in the fall, Stepan placed 12th at the NWC championships to earn all-conference honors.Competing in track and field in the spring, Stepan placed among the top five in three events at the NWC championship meet and earned an invitation to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships in Oshkosh, Wis. She currently ranks third on Linfield’s all-time list in the 1,500-meter run and is seventh all-time in the 800 with a mark of 2:17.82.Stepan is a graduate of Mountain View High School in Vancouver, Wash. where she lettered seven times in basketball and track. Taylor earned his first NWC all-star recognition in 2007-08. He led the NWC in free-throw percentage (.862) and ranked seventh in the conference in 3-pointers made with 59. That equaled Linfield’s single-season record for 3-point shots made, tying the mark set by Ryan Cruz during the 2000-01 season. He was the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points per contest. He also averaged 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds a game.Taylor is a graduate of South Salem High School in Salem, Ore. where he was a member of the 2004 Class 4A state championship team.