Griz place 45 on spring Academic All-Big Sky teams
7/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | General
July 2, 2013
2013 Spring Academic All-Big Sky Conference Teams 
Montana's spring sports teams of men's and women's tennis, women's golf and men's and women's outdoor track and field combined to put 45 student-athletes on the 2013 Spring Academic All-Big Sky Conference teams, the league office announced this week.
The Grizzlies were represented by 23 selections from the women's outdoor track and field team, nine from the men's outdoor track and field team, five from the men's tennis team and four each from the women's tennis and women's golf teams.
Idaho State led the Big Sky in selections by a wide margin. The Bengals had 72 representatives in all, 15 more than runner-up Weber State. ISU had a league-high number of selections in women's outdoor track and field (29), men's outdoor track and field (16), men's tennis (7) and women's tennis (7).
Idaho State was one of seven schools to receive a numbers boost by having women's softball, but even without that sport ISU would have had 61 student-athletes recognized, and that still would have led the league.
Montana and Eastern Washington both had 45 selections, the most of the non-softball-playing schools.
Seniors Olivia Weber, of the golf team, and Heather Davidson and Michael Facey, of the tennis teams, all finished their four-year academic careers as four-time Academic All-Big Sky Conference selections.
And they were also All-Big Sky Conference performers. Davidson was three times first-team All-Big Sky, Weber two times second-team All-Big Sky and Facey one time first-team All-Big Sky.
Kiandra Rajala, of the track and field program, also maxed out her honors, receiving four indoor and four outdoor selections in her career. Emily Eickholt was also an eight-time selection, with four outdoor, three indoor and one cross country.
To be eligible, student-athletes needed to have participated in at least half of their teams' competitions last season and achieved a cumulative GPA through the spring semester of at least 3.2.
2013 Spring Academic All-Big Sky Conference selections (by team): Idaho State (72), Weber State (57), Southern Utah (53), North Dakota (46), Montana (45), Eastern Washington (45), Montana State (38), Portland State (35), Northern Colorado (33), Sacramento State (29), Northern Arizona (27). * Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona do not offer softball.
2013 Montana Spring Academic All-Big Sky Conference Selections
Men's tennis (5): Semion Branzburg (Fr., Business administration); Eric Braun (Jr., Management information systems); Mikolaj Caruk (Jr., Communication studies); Michael Facey (Sr., Accounting); Ethan Vaughn (Jr., History)
Women's tennis (4): Sasha Carter (So., Marketing); Heather Davidson (Sr., Marketing); Maddy Murray (Jr., Mathematics); Laurence Pelchat (So., Management)
Women's golf (4): Kyla Clancy (Fr., Health and human performance); Tara Green (So., Elementary education); Phoebe Tan (Fr., Pre-psychology); Olivia Weber (Sr., Philosophy)
Women's outdoor track and field (23): Gwenn Abbott (Jr., Health and human performance); Morgan Braby (So., Journalism); Tess Brenneman (Fr., Health and human performance); Rebekah Collins (Sr., Communication studies); Lindsey Dahl (Fr., Undeclared); Keli Dennehy (So., Finance); Nycole Devers (Jr., Sociology); Emily Eickholt (Sr., Pharmacy); McCalle Feller (Fr., Pre-journalism); Amanda Foley (Fr., Business administration); Kellee Glaus (Jr., Biology); Sarah Hastings (Fr., Sociology); Samantha Hodgson (Fr., Health and human performance); McKenzie Luth (Jr., Psychology); Emily Mendoza (Fr., Social work); Mariah Meyer (So., Biology); Allie Parks (So., Environmental studies); Kiandra Rajala (Sr., Recreation management); Julia Read (Fr., Communicative sciences and disorders); Brittany Schroeder (Sr., Health and human performance); Autumn Taniguchi (So., Sociology); Lauryn Wate (Fr., Undeclared); Madison Worst (So., Health and human performance)
Men's outdoor track and field (9): Matt Barker (Fr., Undeclared); Jordan Collison (So., Health and human performance); Dylan Hambright (So., Sociology); Brian Maus (So., Management); Mark Messmer (So., Health and human performance); David Norris (So., Health and human performance); Bobby Smollack (Fr., Undeclared); Alex White (Jr., Health and human performance); Jake Wiley (Fr., Athletic training)
