Thursday, April 26, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – With a total of five selections and a pair of 3.95 grade point averages, Northwest Nazarene leads this year’s selections to the 2017-18 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Golf All-Academic Team.

Northwest Nazarene juniors Drew Lunt and Luke Vaartstra lead conference selections with 3.95 grade point averages. Lunt, a financial economics major, is third on the Nighthawks with a 78.2 stroke average while Vaartstra, a psychology undergraduate, has recorded two top-10 finishes this year.

The Nighthawks’ duo leads a total of 13 selections to this year’s Men’s Golf All-Academic Team, which recognizes players of sophomore standing or better, with a 3.20 cumulative grade point average or better and who are at least their second season at their current school.

Vaartstra is one of six repeat selections to the team. He is joined by senior teammate Justin Higgins and Western Washington junior Michael Butler. Higgins, an accounting major, boasts a 3.63 grade point average while Butler maintains a 3.45 GPA in accounting.

Three of the six repeat honorees come from Saint Martin’s, which includes a three-time selection in senior Andrew Raab who owns a 3.46 GPA in accounting. Senior Chace Daskalos (3.83 GPA) and junior Trevor Frisby (3.20 GPA) round out the two-time selections with focuses in business administration and mechanical engineering.

Of the 13 honored student-athletes, five have GPAs of 3.70 or better. Joining Lunt, Vaartstra and Daskalos in that group are Northwest Nazarene junior Lincoln Olson (3.92) and Concordia sophomore Ryan Russell (3.71).

A total of eight of the 13 All-Academic Team members participated at the GNAC Men’s Golf Championships, including three members of Saint Martin’s team. Raab was the top individual finisher of the All-Academic Team honorees, placing eighth at 4-over par 217.

2017-18 GNAC MEN'S GOLF ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM