Wednesday, October 26, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – A major factor in Northwest Nazarene’s turnaround on the court this season, senior setter Mckenzie Lee leads 89 total honorees on the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team, presented by Barnes & Noble College.

One of eight four-time selections to the team, Lee currently leads the GNAC and ranks 18th in Division II with 10.79 assists per set. The pre-physical therapy major with a 3.97 GPA, Lee has four double-doubles on the season as the Nighthawks find themselves in third place in the GNAC standings.

Joining Lee as four-time selections to the team are Alaska Anchorage seniors Ellen Floyd, Talia Leauanae and Eve Stephens; Montana State Billings senior Skylar Reed, fellow Northwest Nazarene seniors Tayler Markland and Natalie Sullivan and Western Washington senior Chloe Roetcisocender. The eight are among 68 repeat selections, accounting for 77% of the squad. A total of 19 honorees are three-time selections.

Nine selections to the Volleyball All-Academic Team own a perfect 4.0 GPA and a total of 19 honorees hold GPAs of 3.9 or higher. Players with 4.0 GPAs include Alaska sophomore Rilee White, Alaska Anchorage senior Lisa Januet, Central Washington sophomores Shaunessy Fisk, Rachel Lambrecht and Kylie Thorne; Montana State Billings senior Hannah Hashbarger, Northwest Nazarene sophomore Sarah Lyons and Western Oregon sophomores Bella Maclellan and Emily Olson.

Seattle Pacific led all GNAC teams with 15 All-Academic selections, accounting for 93.7% of the team’s total roster. Western Oregon finished with 13 selections.

To qualify for the GNAC All-Academic Teams, presented by Barnes & Noble College, nominees must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 or greater, be a letterwinner on their team and must be in their second year at the nominating institution.