Tuesday, February 14, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. – A pair of 4.00 performers, who combine outstanding performance on the court and in the classroom, lead the list of 55 honorees on the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team.

Montana State Billings senior forward Tiana Hanson and Western Oregon sophomore guard Alison Nelke lead the list. Hanson, who has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average as an elementary education major, has also emerged as one of the top players in the GNAC. Hanson enters the week averaging 16.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, leading the Yellowjackets and ranking fourth in the GNAC in both categories.

Nelke has played a key role for a young Western Oregon squad as a sophomore, averaging 4.9 points and four rebounds per game. She has started 20 of a possible 23 games for the Wolves.

Hanson is one of three GNAC all-academic performers who were also named to the CoSIDA Division II Academic All-District 8 Women’s Basketball Team. She was joined on the squad by Seattle Pacific’s Jordan McPhee and Alaska’s Jordan Wilson.

The four players are among eight student-athletes who have a 3.90 GPA or better. Also among that elite list is Concordia’s Briannah Smith, Northwest Nazarene’s Ellie Logan, Saint Martin’s Hannah Reynolds and Western Oregon’s Natalie DeLonge.

This year’s Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team includes 26 repeat selections. Eight of those are three-time honorees: Alaska’s Wilson and Kailee Skjold, Alaska Anchorage’s Alysha Devine, Seattle Pacific’s Stacey Lukasiewicz and Hannah Rodrigues; and Western Washington’s Rachel Albert, Aleisha Hathaway and Taylor Peacocke.

Honorees for the GNAC All-Academic teams must be in their sophomore year of eligibility or greater and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better.

2016-17 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM