Six Yellowjackets Earn Academic All-Conference Honors

BILLINGS, Mont. – A total of six Montana State Billings student-athletes were named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference team, the conference office announced Tuesday. 

51 student-athletes were named to the team among the nine member institutions and only three had grade point averages of 4.0, highlighted by two MSUB student-athletes in Mike Barton and Quinn Halverson.  Grace Milliken of Alaska Fairbanks also had a perfect 4.0.

Six others have GPAs of 3.9 or better, including MSUB’s Kayla Ryan.  In addition to Ryan (3.94, So., Education) and Halverson (4.0, So., Biology), Jen Smith (3.64, Sr., Elementary Education & Health) and Alira Carpenter (3.57, Sr., Molecular Biology) are repeat selections, while Kayla McPherson (3.29, Sr., Mass Communication) is making her first appearance to round out the five MSUB women named to the team.

On the men’s side, Barton (4.0., Jr., Chemistry/Biology) is the lone Yellowjacket selection and is a repeat selection as well.  Transfers and freshmen are not eligible for the Academic All-Conference team as the requirements state a student-athlete must have a 3.2 GPA and be in at least their second year of competition at their school.

Saint Martin’s placed the most players on the academic team with 10, including seven women and three men.  Northwest Nazarene was second with nine, followed by Alaska Fairbanks with eight and MSUB with six.  10 student athletes made the team for the third year in a row and 13 others are repeat selections from last year.

MSUB men’s and women’s basketball teams complete the regular season on the road this week as the women head to Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage, while the men travel to Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene.  Both teams play Thursday and Saturday.