Wednesday, June 4, 2014
PORTLAND, Ore. – A record-setting season – and career - has earned Montana State University Billings’ Bobbi Knudsen the 2013-14 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year award.
Knudsen became the first MSUB woman to win the GNAC’s top award and just the third basketball player joining Kerie Hughes of Seattle Pacific (2002-03) and Hanna Johansson of Alaska Anchorage (2011-12).
Knudsen received six first-place votes and three second-place votes in the balloting by the conference’s athletic directors.
The senior guard finished fourth in the GNAC in scoring (17.2) and was the conference leader in both assists (5.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.9) last season. She also finished 10th in three-point percentage (35.7).
Remarkably she finished her career as the GNAC’s all-time leader in both points (1,831) and assists (532).
She also is the all-time conference career leader in field goals made (680), field goal attempts (1,617) and minutes played (3,838).
Knudsen led the Yellowjackets to a 25-8 record, including a perfect 15-0 home record.
MSUB finished 15-3 in the conference winning its first GNAC title since joining the GNAC prior to the 2007-08 season.
The Yellowjackets won two games in the NCAA West Regional tournament before losing to No. 1 seed Cal Poly Pomona in the championship game.
Knudsen’s post-season awards were numerous.
She was selected as the GNAC Player of the Year and was an unanimous selection to the all-conference team.
The region’s coaches selected her to the WBCA West Region first team for the third year in a row and the region’s sports information directors named her to the Daktronics first team for the second time.
She was named to both the WBCA (honorable mention) and Daktronics (third team) All-American team. Her WBCA award was her third.
Knudsen, who was also named to the West Region all-tournament team, finished her season ranked fifth nationally in assists and 29th in assist/turnover ratio.
She also had an outstanding year in the classroom carving out a 3.5 grade point average, earning CoSIDA and GNAC Academic honors for the third consecutive year.
GNAC Female Athlete of the Year
Years Female
2001-02 Stephanie Huffman, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field)
2002-03 Kerie Hughes, Seattle Pacific (Basketball)
2003-04 Liz Bishop, Western Washington (Volleyball)
2004-05 Danielle Ayers-Stamper, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field)
2005-06 LeAnne McGahuey, Central Washington (Volleyball)
2006-07 Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field and Cross Country
2007-08 Courtney Schneider, Western Washington (Volleyball)
2008-09 Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field and Cross Country)
2009-10 Jessica Pixler, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field and Cross Country)
2010-11 Sarah Porter, Western Washington (Track and Cross Country)
2011-12 Hanna Johansson, Alaska Anchorage (Basketball)
2012-13 Helen Crofts, Simon Fraser (Track and Field)
Ali Worthen, Seattle Pacific (Track & Field)
2013-14 Bobbi Knudsen, Montana State Billings (Basketball)