Friday, July 8, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – A near-record 352 student-athletes have been recognized among the top of the class academically, receiving the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award, presented by Barnes & Noble College.

The 95 male student-athletes and 257 female student-athletes fell just short of the record of 353 that received the award a year ago. The Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award recognizes all student-athletes listed on any squad at a GNAC institution, regardless of whether the sport is a GNAC championship sport, that have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.85 or greater. Conference affiliate members could nominate only student-athletes from the sport in which they compete in the GNAC.

A total of 196 recipients are repeat winners, which accounts for over 55 percent of the total list and is a testament to the conference’s ability to generate high-performing graduates. The list also includes 80 student-athletes (22 men, 58 women) that finished the 2021-22 academic year with a 4.00 GPA or greater (Simon Fraser grades on a system that awards a 4.33 GPA for an A-plus).

Nine student-athletes are receiving their fifth FAR Scholar-Athlete Award: Alaska senior Lahra Weber (volleyball), Montana State Billings senior Rachel Lythgoe (women’s soccer), Saint Martin’s senior Emily Gooding (volleyball), Seattle Pacific senior Travis Swallow (men’s soccer), Simon Fraser seniors Emily Chilton (cross country/track and field) and Bianca Te (volleyball) and junior Ryan Stolys (men’s golf); and Western Washington senior Maddie Bangasser (rowing) and junior Tess Biscup (volleyball).

The list of repeat honorees includes 49 three-time honorees (15 men, 34 women) and 34 four-time honorees (10 men, 24 women).

Central Washington led all conference institutions with 53 FAR Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, which included a conference-leading 40 women’s honorees. Saint Martin’s led the conference 16 men’s honorees.

A faculty athletic representative (FAR) is a member of the faculty at an NCAA member institution who has been designated to serve as a liaison between the institution’s faculty and the athletic department. The FAR serves as a representative of the institution in conference and NCAA affairs.

The role of the FAR is “to ensure that the academic institution establishes and maintains the appropriate balance between academics and athletics.”