Hanson named to CoSIDA Academic All-America® team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu March 1, 2017 Hanson named to CoSIDA Academic All-America® team MSUB Women’s Basketball on Facebook | MSUB Women’s Basketball on ISSUU | CoSIDA Release

Tiana Hanson was named the third CoSIDA Academic All-America® Yellowjacket in MSUB women’s basketball history.

Tiana Hanson earns the MSUB women’s basketball program’s third CoSIDA Academic All-America® honor in Yellowjacket history.

AUSTIN, Texas – Senior Tiana Hanson of the Montana State University Billings women’s basketball program was named to the 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Women’s basketball team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America Wednesday.

The forward from Shepherd, Mont., earned the academic accolade after a very successful final year as a Yellowjacket.

“I am very happy for and proud of Tiana for earning CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors, “MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin said. “It is a very prestigious award that requires both excellence in the classroom and on the basketball court.

She is very deserving of this award and I feel very fortunate to have coached her the past two years.”

In the classroom, Hanson carries a 4.00 cumulative grade point average in elementary education. A transfer from Sheridan College last season, Hanson made outstanding adjustments at MSUB in her desired degree and on the team by playing a starting role for the Yellowjacket basketball program this year.

“We are very proud of Tiana and all her accomplishments during her time as a MSUB Yellowjacket, and it is not surprising that she has earned the very special recognition of Academic All-American,” MSUB director of intercollegiate athletics Krista Montague said. “Tiana has been an outstanding leader for not only our women’s basketball program, but the entire athletics program and our university as a whole. Our sincere congratulations go out to her on this tremendous achievement.”

On the court, Hanson was the only player in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to finish in the top-5 in both points and rebounds at 17.4ppg and 7.2rpg. She was third in blocked shots at 1.2 per game and eighth in field goal percentage at 50.3 percent.

From the free-throw line, Hanson was an elite player in the GNAC and in the nation. In the GNAC’s top-30, Hanson made the most attempts at 181, finishing 157 of those to end with the fourth-highest percentage in the GNAC at 86.7. In NCAA Division II, Hanson concluded the season ranked 21st. For her career, Hanson finished No. 1 at MSUB overall and No. 4 in the GNAC in career free-throw percentage at 86.7 percent, sinking 228 of 263 attempts in her two years for the Yellowjackets.

This past week, Hanson earned her first career GNAC Player of the Week accolade. In the final two home games of the season, Hanson accumulated 53 points on 61.3 percent shooting, was 2-2 from 3-point territory and 17 for 18 from the free-throw line. She also recorded four steals and seven blocks.

In her career at MSUB, Hanson amassed 657 points, 287 rebounds, and 59 assists. She shot 47.8 percent from the field, had 36 steals, and 47 blocks. This year, she led the academic all-GNAC team and became just the seventh woman in Yellowjacket women’s basketball history to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-Region 8 team. The five players selected by CoSIDA members for the regional team advanced to the national ballot. Hanson, along with Jordan Wilson from Alaska, were both selected for the national honor. Cassidy Mihalko from Cal Baptist, also on the All-Region 8 team, was named the Academic All-America® of the Year recipient.

Along with Mihalko, the Academic All-America® Division II Women’s Basketball teams have three repeat performers from last year’s CoSIDA Academic All-America® teams. Fourteen of the 15 members of the 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Women’s Basketball teams have at least a 3.90 G.P.A., with seven student-athletes maintaining a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. The six members of the first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.93. Eleven of the 15 players on the 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Women’s Basketball first, second and third teams are new honorees to this year’s listing.

With the honor, Hanson becomes just the third woman’s basketball player in Yellowjacket history be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® team and only the sixth student-athlete all-time at MSU Billings.

Name Tiana Hanson Jennifer Larsen Alira Carpenter Sam Charles Sam Charles

Sport Women’s Basketball Women’s Soccer Women’s Basketball Men’s Soccer Men’s Soccer

Season 2016-17 2012 2008-09 2009 2008

Team 2nd 1st 3rd 2nd 2nd

Robyn Milne Margot MerrillJohnson

Women’s Basketball Women’s Soccer

2004-05 2004

3rd 1st

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