Seattle Pacific Edges NNU In GNAC Academic All-Sports Contest

O'Connell

Seattle Pacific posted the best team grade point average in four sports – including a record GPA in women's cross country - in winning the 2010-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Academic All-Sports title.

The Falcons, who won their fourth overall title, edged three-time defending champion Northwest Nazarene by a single point (142-141). It was the closest competition in the 10-year history of the award. Twice previously the winning school won by four points. In 2002-03, Saint Martin's nipped Seattle Pacific 127-123 and in 2004-05 SPU outscored Seattle University 135-131 for the overall title.

The Falcons, under the direction of athletic director, Erin O'Connell, won academic titles in men's basketball, men's soccer, men's track and field and women's cross country in earning their fourth overall all-sports championship. Their 3.74 team GPA in women's cross country is the highest in the 10-year history of the conference in any sport. SPU's cross country team set the previous record of 3.73 last year.

Seattle Pacific also won the men's competition for the seventh time outscoring Northwest Nazarene 66-60. Saint Martin's, which had the best team GPA in both baseball and golf, was a close third with 59 points. The baseball title was the 10th in a row for the Saints. Also winning team academic sport titles were Humboldt State in football and Alaska Fairbanks in cross country.

Northwest Nazarene, which had the best GPAs in volleyball and soccer won the women's academic all-sports title for the fourth consecutive year and seventh overall with a point total of 81, five ahead of both Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings. The Yellowjackets, who finished third in the overall competition with 125 points, had the best GPAs in both women's basketball and women's track and field.

Also winning women's team academic titles were Saint Martin's in softball and golf. The Saints' four overall titles tied them with Seattle Pacific for the most.

Fifty-nine of the conference's 108 teams (54.6 percent) posted cumulative GPAs of 3.00 or better, including all 10 women's cross country teams and all nine women's track and field squads. In all 43 of the GNAC's 58 women's teams (74.1 percent) had cumulative GPAs of at least 3.00.

Men (Top 3): Cross Country – 1. Alaska Fairbanks 3.38; 2. Central Washington 3.36; 3. Seattle Pacific 3.35. Soccer – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.31; 2. Montana State Billings 3.10; 3. Saint Martin's 3.00. Basketball – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.13; 2. Saint Martin's 3.12; 3. Alaska Anchorage 2.97. Baseball – 1. Saint Martin's 2.99; 2. Central Washington 2.98; 3. MSU Billings 2.74. Track-and-Field – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.29; 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.10; 3. Alaska Anchorage 3.06. Golf – 1. Saint Martin's 3.05; 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.01; 3. MSU Billings 2.94. Football – 1. Humboldt State 2.70; 2. Dixie State 2.60; 3. Western Oregon 2.56.

Women (Top 3): Volleyball – 1. Northwest Nazarene 3.36; 2. Western Washington 3.32; 3. Alaska Fairbanks and Central Washington 3.30. Cross Country – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.74; 2. Alaska Fairbanks 3.65; 3. MSU Billings 3.56. Soccer – 1. Northwest Nazarene 3.51; 2. MSU Billings and Seattle Pacific 3.37. Basketball – 1. MSU Billings 3.55; 2. Seattle Pacific 3.39; 3. Simon Fraser 3.28. Softball – 1. Saint Martin's 3.18; 2. MSU Billings 3.16; 3. Northwest Nazarene 3.07. Track and Field – 1, MSU Billings 3.56; 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.42; 3. Seattle Pacific and Central Washington 3.26. Golf – 1. Saint Martin's 3.44; 2. MSU Billings 3.21; 3. Western Washington 3.19.