Montana puts 43 on Big Sky winter academic teams

4/27/2017 1:04:00 PM | General, Men's Basketball, Men's Track and Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Track and Field

By: Montana Sports Information

Alabama has cash reserves of more than $80 million. Not the state. Not the university. The Alabama athletic department.

The ACC as a conference will bring in more than $100 million from the last three NCAA men's basketball tournaments, and the Big 12 generated more than $300 million in revenue in fiscal year 2016.

As the most powerful of the Power 5 schools stuff their war chests, it's easy to understand the increased drumbeat to share that revenue with the "unpaid" labor who largely helps make it happen: the student-athletes.

Cost of attendance stipends, which range from less than $1,000 to more than $6,000 per school (for those who opt in), were approved by the NCAA the last few years but not mandated.

More far-reaching pay-for-play proposals have been bandied about in the media but remain more fanciful than fatalistic at this point, if they ever come about in some form or another.

Leave it to Sierra Anderson, then, a third-year player on the Lady Griz basketball team, to take matters into her own hands and create her own advantages.

Montana does not offer cost of attendance, and any pay-for-play models, which are being debated at the highest levels of academia these days, will never affect Anderson during her collegiate career.

Instead, Anderson is an exemplar of someone who understands the full value of her scholarship opportunity, whether it comes with a bonus check or not.

She will graduate next month after just three years with a degree in political science. And since she redshirted her first year at Montana, meaning she still has two to play, she intends to get a pair of master's degrees, one in business administration, one in public administration, before her time is done and her scholarship is up.

Cost of attendance or not, Anderson is maxing out. To all those who claim student-athletes are being taken advantage of and deserve more of the pie, Anderson is the counterargument.

"In a lot of ways we give our bodies, our time, our energy, and that's a big thing," said Anderson, who was named Academic All-Big Sky Conference on Thursday, along with 42 of her fellow winter-sport Grizzlies.

"I'm trying to take full advantage of every piece of myself I'm giving to the university and every piece the university can give back to me."

That wasn't always the idea. But take a high achiever, the youngest of Barrett and Ginny's four children, and sit her across as an impressionable freshman from Grizzly Athletics academic advisor Jen Zellmer-Cuaresma and a whole world of opportunities opened up.

"I'm the youngest of four children, so I've always wanted to be what they were. And my dad has always been a huge proponent of never settling, never being content. He always told me there was another mountain to climb," said Anderson.

"As a freshman I didn't realize the limits I could reach, but Jen was super awesome. She gave me the idea that I could do a lot of the things I wanted to do."

It wasn't easy to wrap up an undergraduate degree in just three years, especially for someone who wanted to be great academically and great athletically, which can be a tough balance to master.

She took summer classes at Montana before her freshman year and every summer since. She's loaded up with 16-18 credits every fall and spring semester, and has taken winter-session courses. Last summer she had an internship, which put her on pace to graduate in May.

"It's difficult, because I want to be the best at everything," she said. "You need to know when it's the right time to focus on school and when is the right time to focus in on basketball, and sometimes it can be hard to find the right in-between and feel like you're hitting both of those things enough.

"That's my biggest struggle, to feel like I'm getting my academics done while still feeling like I'm putting in extra work in the gym."

She seems to have things pretty well figured out. She has a 3.96 GPA, and after redshirting in 2014-15 she's been a big contributor on the court for the Lady Griz, first for Robin Selvig in his final season on the sideline, then last winter for first-year coach Shannon Schweyen.

Anderson started 11 games last season and averaged more than 22 minutes. The point guard ranked second on the team with 54 assists.

"Sierra has been a very dedicated student-athlete. She's always taken her academics seriously, along with basketball. She's very determined and focused," said Schweyen.

"It's encouraging to see someone take so much pride in getting through school and getting good grades. It's something that is contagious for the rest of the team."

Anderson arrived at Montana with an interest in political science, at first because she viewed it as a path toward law school, which may still be an option down the road.

But her interest has since shifted more toward public administration and public policy, and how those things can impact lives. And as everyone knows, it's been a fascinating time to be studying political science. #MakePoliticalScienceGreatAgain

"It's been pretty interesting," she said. "Even in my classes that are not politically based, like my business courses, you see how much politics is intertwined into everyday things.

"There have been a lot of interesting conversations."

Just like the ones taking place about the future of the NCAA and student-athletes, and what they're receiving and if it should be more, and who should get it. If any changes come, they are years away, and they won't impact Anderson.

Alabama? The ACC? The Big 12? They are in a different league, but being a student-athlete at Montana has its perks. It has given Anderson everything she could have wanted and everything she'll need to be successful once she puts away her Lady Griz uniform and leaves school with her multiple degrees.

Cost of attendance is minor in comparison to what she'll be pocketing.

"I wouldn't be in a position to be graduating in three years and working toward two more degrees if it wasn't for being a student-athlete and having the advantage of a scholarship and the resources we have to stay on track and be successful," she said.

"I think life in the future will seem easier and I'll be better prepared for it, because we go from 6 a.m. practice to class all day. Then we have lifting and homework, and some of us are in different clubs. It's made me a more holistic person than if I hadn't been a student-athlete."

Put a dollar figure on that.

Winter Academic All-Big Sky Conference honors are awarded to men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's indoor track and field.

To be eligible student-athletes must have a 3.2 cumulative GPA and have competed in at least half of their teams' competitions during the previous season.

Montana's Academic All-Big Sky Conference selections:

Men's basketball (5): Brandon Gfeller (Sr., Accounting); Fabijan Krslovic (Jr., Finance); Jack Lopez (Sr., Management); Michael Oguine (So., Finance); Jared Samuelson (Fr., Business administration)

Women's basketball (4): Sierra Anderson (So., Political science); Taylor Goligoski (Fr., Health and human performance); Gabi Harrington (Fr., Pre-journalism); McKenzie Johnston (Fr., Health and human performance)

Men's indoor track and field (11): Jakob Alme (Jr., Health and human performance); Charlie Bush (Jr., Health and human performance); Brett Dringman (Jr., Management information systems); Oliver Grajeda (Fr., Health and human performance); Callum Macnab (So., Political science); Alex Mustard (Jr., Finance); Karsten Pease (So., Computer science); Sterling Reneau (So., Health and human performance); Josh Riley (Fr., Health and human performance); Parker Spadt (Fr., Political science); Jordon Wallin (Jr., Psychology)

Women's indoor track and field (23): Emma Andrews (So., Education); Jessica Bailey (So., Health and human performance); Jane Booth (Fr., Health and human performance); Emily Cheroske (Jr., Computer science); Reagan Colyer (Grad., Journalism); Claire Dalman (Jr., Finance); Jenna Dukovcic (Jr., Biology); Olivia Ellis (So., Health and human performance); Samantha Engebretsen (Fr., Social work); Hana Feilzer (Jr., Sociology); Megan Franz (So., Biology); Maggie Hering (Sr., Political science); Samantha Hodgson (Sr., Health and human performance); Holly Houston (Fr., Health and human performance); Maddie Nagle (Grad., Economics); Carla Nicosia (So., Health and human performance); Madison Page (Jr., Health and human performance); Emily Pittis (So., Management); Chloe Seferos (Fr., Health and human performance); Carly Smiedala (Fr., Undeclared); Nicole Stroot (Sr., Biology); Morgan Sulser (Jr., Education); McKenzie Weber (Sr., Health and human performance)