FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu February 10, 2017 Hanson named CoSIDA Academic All-District MSUB Women’s Basketball on Facebook | MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU | Yellowjacket Award Winners CoSIDA Release | GNAC Release
MSUB’s Tiana Hanson earned Academic All-District 8 Honors.
Tiana Hanson is being honored as a member of the women’s basketball CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Team. BILLINGS, Mont. – Senior Tiana Hanson was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division II Academic All-District 8 Women’s Basketball Team as one of five selections to the west region team released Thursday. The CoSIDA Academic All-District Men's and Women's Basketball Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. The NCAA DII District 8 features the California Collegiate Conference, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the PacWest Athletic Conference. Hanson, a member of the Montana State University Billings women’s basketball team, is an elementary education major with a 4.00 cumulative grade point average. She is joined on the team by fellow GNAC honorees Jordan Wilson (elementary education, 3.94 GPA) from Alaska and Jordan McPhee (business, 3.98) from Seattle Pacific. They are joined
by Cassidy Mihalko (business, 3.91 GPA) from PacWest school Cal Baptist and Whitney Branham (biology, 3.91 GPA) from CCAA school Cal State Chico. “I am very happy for Tiana for earning this great honor,” MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said. “She has had a tremendous senior season and the improvements she made in one year were very impressive. Tiana increased her on court productivity in every statistical category while also serving as an effective captain. In addition, she has earned a 4.0 GPA in elementary education at MSUB and represents the type of student-athlete everyone would want at their university.” This season for the Yellowjackets, Hanson has stepped up into a big role. As the only active senior on the roster, the 6foot forward from Shepherd, Mont., has become a leader on and off the court. In the GNAC, Hanson is fifth in scoring at 16.0 points per game and fourth in rebounding at 6.9. She is shooting 84.7 percent from the free-throw line (122-144), is third in blocked shots and ninth in minutes played. In last night’s GNAC win at Western Oregon, Hanson completed her fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds. A transfer her junior year from Sheridan College, Hanson has over 500 points and 200 rebounds for MSUB in two seasons with the Yellowjackets. Hanson is the seventh woman from the MSU Billings women’s basketball program to be honored with a selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. She joins a list that includes Yellowjacket standouts Natalie Visger, Robyn Milne, Jenny Langford, Michele Lieber, Alira Carpenter, and Bobbi Knudsen. Nominated and voted upon by members of CoSIDA, nominees to the Academic All-District Teams must be a sophomore standing or greater, be in their second year at the nominating institution, be a starter or important reserve for their team and have a 3.30 cumulative GPA or greater. With Hanson’s selection to the district squad, she is eligible to be selected for the CoSIDA Division II Academic AllAmerican Teams. Voted upon by college athletic communications professionals from across the nation, the All-America teams will be announced on Wed., Mar. 1. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--