Thursday, July 16, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest Nazarene University has won its fifth Great Northwest Athletic Conference Academic All-Sports championship.

The Crusaders, who finished second last year, outpointed defending champion Seattle Pacific 164-152. NNU was also the academic all-sports champion in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12.

NNU also won the men’s and women’s all-sports titles. The Crusaders edged Saint Martin’s 76-72 for their fifth men’s title, including the last three in a row. Northwest Nazarene scored 88 points to finish six points ahead of Seattle Pacific in winning their eighth women’s title.

NNU won the academic all-sport titles despite posting the best team GPA in only two of the GNAC’s sports – men’s cross country (3.37) and women’s track and field (3.48). The Crusaders had solid performances across the board, finishing in the top 3 in nine of 13 sports.

Seattle Pacific earned the best team GPA in five different sports including men’s soccer (3.52), men’s basketball (3.41), men’s track and field (3.29), volleyball (3.43) and women’s basketball (3.58). The women’s basketball team GPA (3.58) was the highest for any GNAC team in any sport.

Saint Martin’s posted the best team grade point average in four sports including men’s golf (3.38), women’s soccer (3.54), softball (3.36) and women’s golf (3.27).

Montana State Billings had the best team GPA in baseball (3.23) and tied Western Washington for the best team GPA in women’s cross country. Both teams had 3.54 GPAs.

Affiliate member Azusa Pacific had the best team GPA in football for the second year in a row with a 2.93 figure.    

Seventy-six of the conference’s 113 teams (67.2 percent) posted cumulative GPAs of 3.00 or better, including all 10 women’s volleyball and cross country teams and all nine track and field teams. In all, 54 of the GNAC’s 59 women’s teams (91.5 percent) had cumulative GPAs of at least 3.00.

Five teams – Azusa Pacific football, Seattle Pacific men’s soccer and men’s basketball, MSU Billings baseball and Saint Martin’s softball – were champions on both the field and in the classroom.

The academic all-sports standings are based on the cumulative grade point averages of all the athletes on the official team rosters including redshirts. Points are awarded on two-point increments.

GNAC 2014-15 ACADEMIC ALL-SPORTS STANDINGS

Overall (Top 5) – 1. Northwest Nazarene 164; 2. Seattle Pacific 152; 3. Saint Martin’s 139; 4. Central Washington 111; 5. Western Washington 110. Men (Top 5) – 1. Northwest Nazarene 76; 2. Saint Martin’s 72; 3. Seattle Pacific 70; 4. Western Washington 48; 5. Central Washington 40. Women (Top 5) – 1.   Northwest Nazarene 88; 2. Seattle Pacific 82; 3. Montana State Billings and Central Washington 71; 5. Saint Martin’s 67.

Men (Top 3): Cross Country – 1. Northwest Nazarene 3.37; 2. Saint Martin’s 3.32; 3. Seattle Pacific 3.18. Soccer – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.52; 2. Mary 3.33; 3. Northwest Nazarene 3.13.   Football – 1. Azusa Pacific 2.93; 2. Dixie State 2.84; 3. Central Washington 2.80. Basketball – Seattle Pacific 3.41; 2. Saint Martin’s 3.15; 3. Alaska 3.07. Baseball – 1. Montana State Billings 3.23; 2. Northwest Nazarene 2.97; 3. Saint Martin’s 2.88. Track-and-Field – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.29; 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.18; 3. Western Washington 3.10. Golf – 1. Saint Martin’s 3.38; 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.11; 3. Simon Fraser 2.94.

Women (Top 3): Volleyball – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.43; 2. Central Washington 3.42; 3. Northwest Nazarene 3.26. Cross Country – 1. Montana State Billings and Western Washington 3.54; 3. Seattle Pacific 3.44.   Soccer – 1. Saint Martin’s 3.54; 2. Seattle Pacific 3.53; 3. Central Washington 3.42. Basketball – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.58; 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.46; 3. Montana State Billings 3.41.   Softball – 1. Saint Martin’s 3.27; 2. Western Washington 3.26; 3. Northwest Nazarene 3.21. Track and Field – 1. Northwest Nazarene 3.48; 2. Alaska Anchorage 3.42; 3. Western Washington 3.39.   Golf –1. Saint Martin’s 3.27; 2. Western Washington 3.26; 3. Northwest Nazarene 3.21.