FAIRBANKS, Alaska - The Alaska Nanooks were crowned the women's cross country academic team champions by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference after maintaining a league-best (among teams from all sports) 3.61 grade-point average during the 2011-12 season.
It marked the fourth time Alaska's women's running team garnered the honor in the conference's 11-year history and the first since the 2005-06 season. It also snapped Seattle Pacific's run of five consecutive academic team titles for the women's cross country honor.
Alaska's men's runners saw their own three-year streak snapped by SPU's men's cross country team, who had a 3.34 on the year as compared to the Nanook's 3.29 team GPA. Despite missing out on this year's honor, the Nanook men have laid claim to seven of the 11 men's cross country team titles.
The women's volleyball team was the only other academic team champion, winning the crown in 2009-10.
Northwest Nazarene edged SPU 146-144 for their fourth GNAC overall academic team title in the last five years. Saint Martin's was third in the overall standings with 128 points.
SPU's men won their fifth straight men's academic title and Montana State Billings won the women's overall title for the first time.
Sixty-six of the conference's 108 teams (61.1 percent) posted cumulative GPAs of 3.00 or better, including all 10 women's cross country and volleyball teams and eight of the nine women's track and field squads. In all 48 of the GNAC's 58 women's teams (82.7 percent) had cumulative GPAs of at least 3.00.
The Academic all-sports standings are based on the cumulative grade point averages of all the athletes on the official team rosters including redshirts. Points are awarded on two-point increments.
Overall (Top 5) – 1. Northwest Nazarene 146, 2. Seattle Pacific 144, 3. Saint Martin's 128, 4. Montana State Billings 123, 5. Central Washington 110.
Men (Top 5) – 1. Seattle Pacific 70, 2. Northwest Nazarene and Saint Martin's 64, 4. Central Washington 46, 5. Alaska Anchorage 42.
Women (Top 5) – 1. Montana State Billings 85, 2. Northwest Nazarene 82, 3. Seattle Pacific 74, 4. Central Washington 70, 5. Western Oregon 65.
Men (Top 3): Cross Country – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.34,
2. Alaska Fairbanks 3.29, 3. Alaska Anchorage 3.28.
Soccer – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.28, 2. Saint Martin's 3.10, 3. MSU Billings 2.94.
Basketball – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.19, 2, Saint Martin's 3.16, 3. Northwest Nazarene 2.92.
Baseball – 1. Northwest Nazarene 3.00, 2. Central Washington 2.97, 3. Saint Martin's 2.80.
Track-and-Field – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.15, 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.12, 3. Alaska Anchorage 3.08.
Golf – Northwest Nazarene 3.01, 2. MSU Billings 2.94, 3. Saint Martin's 2.88.
Football – 1. Central Washington 2.65, 2. Dixie State 2.60, 3. Humboldt State 2.58.
Women (Top 3):
Volleyball – 1. Seattle Pacific 3.47, 2. Saint Martin's 3.35, 3. Northwest Nazarene 3.32.
Cross Country –
1. Alaska Fairbanks 3.61, 2. Seattle Pacific 3.50, 3. MSU Billings 3.49.
Soccer – 1. MSU Billings 3.48, 2. Northwest Nazarene 3.46, 3. Western Oregon 3.37.
Basketball – 1. MSU Billings 3.47, 2. Central Washington 3.40, 3. Seattle Pacific 3.39.
Softball – 1. Saint Martin's 3.33, 2. MSU Billings 3.11, 3. Northwest Nazarene 3.05.
Track and Field – 1. Northwest Nazarene 3.39; 2. Western Oregon 3.35; 3. Central Washington 3.33.
Golf – 1. Saint Martin's 3.49; 2. MSU Billings 3.43; 3. Western Washington 3.21
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