Wednesday, May 4, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – It is something special to be able to play on the same team as your brother. It is just as special to receive recognition together as two of the top performers in conference on the field and in the classroom.

Twin brothers Drew and Brett Christina have done just that. The twins, members of Montana State Billings’ baseball team, lead the list of 36 selections to the 2016 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball All-Academic Team.

Drew Christina, a senior pitcher, was the only member of the team to draw a 4.00 cumulative grade point average as a chemistry major. Brett Christina, a senior infielder, was not far behind, compiling a 3.97 grade point average as a history major. To top the honors off, Drew Christina was recently recognized as the Montana State Billings’ Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The duo from Walla Walla, Wash., are among four members of the squad to compile a grade point average of 3.80 or better. Joining them in that select group are Northwest Nazarene’s Tyler Marsh and Western Oregon’s Brady Miller. Marsh has a 3.84 grade point average as he works on his master’s of business administation while Miller has a 3.83 grade point average as a business major.

This year’s All-Academic Team features six repeat selections. Earning a spot for the third consecutive year are Montana State Billings senior Lee Busto, Saint Martin’s senior Nick Mailhot, and Western Oregon senior Nathan Etheridge. Two-time selections include Montana State Billings junior Casey Merritt, Northwest Nazarene junior Andrew Helmstadter and Western Oregon senior Caleb Falck.

Conference newcomer Concordia led GNAC teams with nine selections to the All-Academic Team. Montana State Billings received eight selections.

To be included on the GNAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must be of at least sophomore standing, have competed at least one season at their current institution, hold a 3.20 cumulative grade point average or better and be a letterwinner on their squad.