Grizzly Athletics honors its highest academic achievers

Grizzly Athletics honors its highest academic achievers

5/2/2023 2:04:00 PM | General, Men's Tennis, Men's Track and Field, Women's Cross Country, Soccer, Women's Tennis

By: Montana Sports Information

For a fifth-straight year, the Montana men's tennis team has posted the highest cumulative GPA of any team under the Grizzly Athletics umbrella to earn the coveted Dusten Hollist Award.

That award and the four recipients of the President's Award for the department's highest individual GPAs highlighted the 29th annual Grizzly Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet Tuesday evening in the UC Ballroom.

The awards banquet celebrates the accomplishments of UM's student-athletes who have dedicated themselves to success in the classroom and in competition. This year over 243 athletes who earned a 3.0 GPA or better were in attendance.

It was another stellar year for the Grizzlies in their scholarly pursuits. Of the more than 350 Grizzly student-athletes to suit up for Montana in the last calendar year, an impressive 116 - roughly one-third of the entire cohort - earned their way onto the Dean's List. Even better, 31 more posted a perfect 4.0 GPA.

As a group, all of Montana's student-athletes averaged a 3.44 cumulative GPA over the course of the last two semesters.

The Dusten Hollist Award was renamed in 2019 after Hollist, the former faculty athletic representative who passed away that year. Men's tennis was the first team to be presented with the Hollist Award and has continued to win it ever since.

Head coach Jason Brown's team earned a 3.74 term GPA in the fall and posted a program-best 3.72 cumulative GPA to lead the department in the last year. All 10 of the squad's student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA or higher, with five making the dean's list.

"These guys have created a culture of academic excellence that has gone well beyond the incredibly high standards I set forth for the program," said Brown.

"They're student-athletes for a reason, and they're going to go on and do great things, but the balance between their work on the court and the work in the classroom is what's really going to drive them to success in life. I'm just super proud of the fact that these guys aren't afraid to put in the hard work."

Presidents award 2023

Four student-athletes were recipients of the President's Award for the top overall GPAs in Grizzly Athletics this year, with a pair becoming two-time award-winners.

Beatrix Frissell is one of those two-time winners of the President's Award. The cross-country standout from Polson is a one-time All-Big Sky performer who qualified for two cross-country regional championships. Her academic career has been remarkable as a 10-time Academic All-Big Sky Selection, a Truman Scholarship recipient, and most recently a Marshall Scholarship recipient, a merit-based award that provides funding for study in the U.K.

Soccer player Skyleigh Thompson is a two-time Academic All-Big Sky Conference selection. The Kalispell native and Flathead High graduate played in all 40 of Montana's matches over the last two seasons at forward, getting 28 starts. She will go into her junior year in the fall with five career goals, and two career assists.

Rosie Sterk, a sophomore on the women's tennis team from Bridge of Allan, Scotland, had a breakout season for the Griz this spring. She finished her second year at UM tied for the most doubles wins in the Big Sky Conference at 13-6 with her partner Lauren Dunlap, all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Jethro Thorne of Florence has twice competed in the long jump at the Big Sky Championships and is a four-time Academic All-Big Sky selection. A two-time recipient of the President's Award, Thorne set a new PR in the long jump with a mark of 22-11.75 to get himself into the top 10 in the Big Sky Conference earlier this season.

Thanks to the generosity of dozens of donors, 49 different scholarships were divided between 66 deserving recipients at the banquet. Below is a complete list of those recipients.

Dean Erhard Athletic Award in Cross Country and Track
Jaylyn Hallgrimson (track & field)

Harriet Anderson Memorial Athletic Scholarship
Braxton Hill (football)

Markovich Family Athletic Scholarships
Nash Fouch (football)
Grace Haugen (women's tennis)

Mike and Cathie Frellick Lady Griz Basketball Scholarship
Keeli Burton-Oliver (women's basketball)

Larry and Kristin Stayner Family Athletic Scholarship
Dillon Botner (football)

Jim Powell Memorial Scholarship for Men's Basketball
Aanen Moody (men's basketball)

Col. Thomas M. Alison, USAF (Ret.) Memorial Scholarship
Ryan Simpson (football)

Carol Huggins Lady Griz Scholarship
Draya Wacker (women's basketball)

Dusten Hollist Memorial Scholarship in Athletics
Carly Anderson (volleyball)

Julie Deming Memorial Scholarship
Haley Huard (women's basketball)

William L. Kann Basketball Scholarship
Isaiah Kerr (men's basketball)

Stockman Bank Scholarship
Junior Bergen (football)

Athletics General Scholarship
Ashlyn Dvorak (soccer)
Emma Pascoe (soccer)
Maddie Seelhoff (soccer)
Maria Goheen (women's tennis)
Audrey Smith (track & field)
Madi Chuhlantseff (volleyball)
Sierra Dennison (volleyball)
Jackie Howell (volleyball)
Catie Semadeni (volleyball)
Kynzie Mohl (softball)
Kelly Sweyer (softball)

Sylvia Jensen Athletic Scholarship
Kylie Franklin (golf)

John L. Olson Family Scholarship
Alex Gubner (football)

John Kolendich Memorial Scholarship
TraJon Cotton (football)

Frank W. Milburn Memorial
Catie Semadeni (volleyball)

David and Goldie Enger Athlete Scholarship
Skyleigh Thompson (soccer)

Fifth-Year Lady Griz Basketball Scholarship
Adria Lincoln (women's basketball)

Frank Nugent Memorial Scholarship
Matthew Hockett (track & field)

'54 Griz Football Scholarship
Ryan Tirrell (football)

Douglas LeBrun Track and Field Scholarship
Aly Tekippe (track & field)

Bill and Phyllis Bouchee Family Football Scholarship
Tyler Flink (football)

Clark Wilson Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Charley Boone (soccer)

Kole Swartz Legacy Scholarship
Drew Deck (football)

Ekegren Education Scholarship
Maddie Seelhoff (soccer)

Colleen Marks Athletic Scholarship
Trevin Gradney (football)

Bob and Adeline O'Conner Memorial Endowed Athletic Scholarship
Cutter Thatcher (track & field)

Ken Staninger Memorial Scholarship
Garrett Graves (football)

William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship
Carson Rostad (football)

Robin Selvig Lady Griz Basketball Scholarship
Dani Bartsch (women's basketball)

John Van Heuvelen Memorial Athletic Scholarship
Moritz Stoeger (men's tennis)

Wayne Harrington Family Athletic Scholarship Endowment
Guillermo Martin (men's tennis)

The Michael Dwyer and Susan Alley Softball Scholarship
Allie Brock (softball)

Naseby Rhinehart Endowment Fund
Gustav Theilgaard (men's tennis)
Rosie Sterk (women's tennis)
Presley Jantzi (softball)

William "Biff" Hall Athletic Scholarship
Emma Zimmerman (track & field)

Bruce E. Blattner Memorial Scholarship
Kathleen Aitchison (soccer)

Lawrence "Bugs" Dwyer Memorial Scholarship
Grace Hardy (softball)

Erik Ogren Memorial Athletic Scholarship
Ally Henrikson (soccer)

Janet and Michelle Hainline Scholarship
Shivika Agrawal (women's tennis)

Athletic Scholarship Endowment
Allie Larsen (soccer)

Katherine Markette-John Schuler Scholarship
Haley Huard (women's basketball)

Michael R. Jorgensen Endowment Fund
Nick Ostmo (football)

Michael R. Jorgensen Endowment Fund
AJ Forbes (football)

Erika Camp Memorial Athletic Scholarship
Carmen Gfeller (women's basketball)

Ronald and Julia Blake Memorial Fund
Sarah Ashley (volleyball)
Ashlyn Dvorak (soccer)
Jay Beagle (track & field)
Everett Fred (track & field)
Katie Whitehurst (track & field)

Brian and Karen Sippy Endowed Scholarship
Madison Cecil (golf)

Fifth-Year Football Scholarship
Cody Kanouse (football)

Blaine and Ellen Bloomgren Family Scholarship
Noah Ramirez (track & field)

Gallery: (5-2-2023) 2023 Grizzly Scholar-Athlete Banquet