Yellowjackets are the GNAC’s top academic teams in baseball, women’s go

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, July 19, 2016 Yellowjackets are the GNAC’s top academic teams in baseball, women’s golf

MSUB’s baseball team wins its third straight academic team title, while women’s golf wins for the third time in the last four seasons.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Boasting the top team grade point averages in their respective sports, the baseball and women’s golf teams from Montana State University Billings earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference team academic awards announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

The back-to-back GNAC Champion Yellowjacket baseball team claimed the honor for the third straight season, while MSUB’s women’s golf team took home the award for the third time in the last four years.

“I am proud of our guys for their high level of academic achievement,” said MSUB baseball head coach Rob Bishop, who guided the ‘Jackets to their first-ever 30-win season in 2016. “This confirms that our program is succeeding on and off the baseball field.”

MSUB’s baseball team posted a collective 3.28 grade point average, and had eight players earn academic all-conference honors. Senior Drew Christina held the top GPA in the GNAC among baseball players, with a 4.00 while completing a

degree in chemistry. Sophomore Adam Cox went on to win academic all-region honors, while carrying a 3.68 GPA with a criminal justice/sociology double major.

Holding the top team GPA of any sport at MSUB, the women’s golf squad returned to the top academic spot in the league with a mark of 3.64. The Yellowjackets have won three of the six academic team titles since women’s golf became a GNAC sport, claiming back-to-back titles in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Junior Haley Shackelford earned academic all-GNAC honors for the second straight season, and sophomore Bailee Dexter was the Yellowjackets’ other academic honoree this season.

With a team GPA of 3.49, MSUB’s women’s basketball team finished in third place for its sport. MSUB won four straight academic team titles in women’s basketball from 2009-13 and has consistently finished in the top-3.

MSUB’s baseball team was one of just three teams in the GNAC to win team academic awards and a conference title during the 2015-16 season, joining Seattle Pacific University’s men’s soccer and women’s outdoor track and field teams.

Northwest Nazarene won the overall academic all-sports title, combining men’s and women’s sports to earn 182 total points in the standings. The Crusaders won the combined men’s academic standings with 91 points, while Seattle Pacific won the women’s title with 95 points.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--