PORTLAND, Ore. – All 11 players from the Montana State University Billings women’s soccer team who met the requirements for the academic all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference team had the grade point averages to back it up, as the conference office announced the award winners on Wednesday.
“It is truly remarkable that every player on our team who is eligible for this award has received it,” said MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo. “It speaks volumes on the type of people we have in our program and they are true student-athletes. The team dedicates so much of its free time towards studying, and makes sure they are always on top of their school work. It is really impressive they are so successful with that, considering the amount of school we miss in the fall due to our travel schedule.”
To be eligible for the award, students must be in at least their second full year at their university, and they must play during the given season. Once meeting those requirements, any player with a grade point average of 3.20 or higher earns the honor.
Leading the way for the ‘Jackets were seniors Lili Delgadillo and Jordan Devoto, who were each honored for the third straight season. Delgadillo is completing her degree in health and human performance, and holds a 3.94 grade point average. She has played in five matches this year, making 22 saves and recording one shutout.
Devoto has started all 15 games at forward, and has scored two goals and racked up 1,025 minutes. She has a 3.97 grade point average and is finishing her degree in health and wellness.
Juniors Amanda Hemmen, Alexa Iacolucci, Erin Reynolds, Kalin Sandow, Courteney Shovlin, and Claire Tevaseu, were each repeat selections after all earning the award as sophomores in 2017.
Hemmen matched three other players in the conference with the top GPA, as she carries a perfect 4.00 while studying biology. The center back has started all 15 games and ranks second on the team with 1,282 minutes played. She has scored one goal this fall as well.
Fellow center back Sandow has a 3.86 GPA while studying psychology, and like Hemmen has started all 15 games. Sandow leads the team with 1,309 minutes played.
Shovlin and Reynolds are also part of MSUB’s defensive unit, carrying GPAs of 3.89 in history and 3.48 in business management, respectively. Shovlin has started all 15 games and played 1,112 minutes, while Reynolds has seen time in all 15 games and has started one.
Tevaseu and Iacolucci have been crucial among the team’s midfield unit, with the former starting all 15 and the latter making 11 starts before a season-ending injury. Tevaseu leads MSUB with seven points, after scoring two goals and adding three assists. Iacolucci contributed two goals and an assist on the year for a total of five points. Tevaseu has a 3.53 GPA as a management/marketing double major, and Iacolucci carries a 3.70 while studying mathematics.
All three of MSUB’s sophomores earned the academic recognition in their first year of eligibility, as goalkeeper Erinn Harder, midfielder Hallie Vervair, and forward Amanda Grimshaw were each also on the list. Harder has made 11 starts in goal, with 38 saves and one shutout to her name. She has a 3.63 GPA and is completing her general studies.
Grimshaw has one goal and one assist, and has played in all 15 games with four starts. She has a 3.51 GPA in psychology. Vervair has also played in all 15 games with nine starts, and she has a 3.40 GPA as an education major.
MSUB’s eight total repeat selections were the third-most in the GNAC, after Seattle Pacific University’s 11 and Concordia University’s nine multi-time honorees.
“I am so proud of these 11 student-athletes who represent our program so well,” Cavallo said. “They set a gold standard in what it means to succeed using solid time management skills and dedication to their studies.”
MSUB (4-10-1, 1-9 GNAC) closes the 2018 season at home Saturday against No. 15 Western Washington University.
Five players from the men’s team earned academic accolades.
Seniors Guillaume Kremer and Dana Kowachek, junior Christian Thode, and sophomores Luca Battistotti and Shantik Bedrosian were the Yellowjackets’ selections for the 2018 season.
“It is no coincidence that the majority of these student-athletes are also our best players,” said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “They work hard on and off the field, and I’m glad their work is being recognized. That work ethic should also serve as an example for the rest of our guys. Nothing comes for nothing, and if you want something in life, go get it. I am proud of these five guys because they exemplify that.”
Kremer was the team’s lone repeat winner, as he achieved academic all-GNAC status as a junior last fall. Kremer carries a 3.54 GPA while studying business. The Yellowjacket captain has started all 17 matches as a central midfielder, and has scored four goals while adding a team-high five assists.
Battistotti is the team’s other captain, and he claimed the honor by virtue of a 3.62 GPA while studying business management. Battistotti leads the team with 1,540 minutes played, starting all 17 matches as a defender. He has also contributed one goal and three assists on the offensive end.
Kowachek is MSUB’s leading scorer, with seven goals and three assists for 17 total points. He has played in 16 matches and has two game-winning goals to his name. Kowachek is completing his degree in business, and holds a 3.39 GPA.
Thode is also a business major, and carries a 3.31 grade point average in his third collegiate season. He has seen action in 13 matches, scoring one goal and adding one assist.
Bedrosian started 11 games and contributed a pair of assists before an injury prevented him from playing the last three weeks. He holds a 3.38 GPA while studying psychology at MSUB.
Seattle Pacific University sophomore Travis Swallow is the lone player in the conference with a perfect 4.00 GPA, as he is studying business administration. Western Washington University led all teams with 10 total players earning academic all-conference.
MSUB (7-8-2, 4-5-1 GNAC) is in action on Saturday afternoon at Saint Martin’s University. Kickoff is set for noon Pacific/1 p.m. Mountain time
