FARMINGTON, Utah (Feb. 21, 2024) – The Northern Arizona University athletic department finished off the Fall semester strong with 59 student-athletes named to the Big Sky Conference Fall All-Academic team, the league office announced this afternoon.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must have met and/or exceeded the following minimum requirements: 1) Participated in at least half of the team's competitions; 2) Achieved a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at the conclusion of the most recently completed term; 3) Completed at least one academic term at his/her current Big Sky institution.
For cross country student-athletes, they must have participated in at least half of the team's competitions or competed at the conference championship.
In all, the conference placed 657 athletes league wide from football, men's and women's cross country, women's soccer and volleyball on the Fall version of the All-Academic team.
For Northern Arizona, the Lumberjacks improved from 52 student-athletes represented last Fall to 59 this year. Football led the way with 22 selections, followed by soccer with 14, volleyball with eight, men's cross country with eight, and women's cross with seven.
Of the 59 Fall All-Academic honorees, 44 had a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50. Seven student-athletes hold a perfect 4.0 GPA. The Big Sky had a total of 657 selections across five different sports and the Lumberjacks had the sixth-most representatives.
The five squads saw success not only in the classroom, but in competition as well. Both men's and women's cross country were crowned Big Sky Champions and went on to finish runner-up at the NCAA National Championships. Soccer competed in their second-straight Big Sky title game and both football and volleyball saw win improvements from the previous season.
Outside of the Fall sports, the Northern Arizona athletic department saw academic success as a whole during the Fall semester. Over 48 percent of student-athletes made the Dean's list, with nine teams having 50 percent of their roster or higher represented. A total of 62 student-athletes earned a 4.0 GPA during the semester, with nine teams earning a GPA of 3.4 or higher.
A full list of the 2023 Fall All-Big Sky Academic team is below.
VOLLEYBALL
Savannah Bloom / Sr. / Volleyball / Marketing
Jordan Cherniss / R-So. / Volleyball / Mechanical Engineering
Keira Hall / Jr. / Volleyball / Hotel & Restaurant Management
Kylie Moran / So. / Volleyball / Hotel & Restaurant Management
Neche Newton / 5
th Yr. / Volleyball / Environmental and Sustainable Studies
Millie O'Ketter / Sr. / Volleyball / Strategic Communications
Karya Suvarioglu / Jr. / Volleyball / Psychological Sciences
Sophia Wadsworth / R-So. / Marketing
SOCCER
Jaylin Borden, Graduate-Student, Soccer, Masters in Human Relations
Olivia Bos, Sophomore, Soccer, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Morgan Caslin, Sophomore, Soccer, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Trinity Corcoran, Junior, Soccer, Finance
Holly Hunter, Junior, Soccer, Psychological Sciences
Carly Lantz, Junior, Soccer, Nutrition and Foods
Allie Larsen, Graduate-Student, Soccer, Masters in Human Relations
Joey Lujan, Junior, Soccer, Public Health
Molly Massman, Graduate-Student, Soccer, Masters in Human Relations
Josie Novak, Senior, Soccer, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Avery Ott, Sophomore, Soccer, Business Management
Grace Quinn, Senior, Soccer, Exercise Physiology
Maddie Shafer, Senior, Soccer, Fitness Wellness
Kayla Shebar, Junior, Soccer, Fitness Wellness
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Kang Nyoak, Jr, Cross Country, Exercise Physiology
John Scherer, So, Cross Country, Biology
Corey Gorgas, Jr, Cross Country, Psychological Sciences
Brodey Hasty, Sr, Cross Country, Educational Leadership – Community College/Higher Education
Cael Grotenhuis, So, Cross Country, Exercise Physiology
Nico Young, Jr, Cross Country, Health Sciences – Nutrition and Foods
Drew Bosley, Sr, Cross Country, Educational Foundations
Theo Quax, Sr, Cross Country, Human Relations
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Anna Fenske, So, Cross Country, Biomedical Sciences
Gracelyn Larkin, Sr, Cross Country, ESL & Bilingual Education
Ruby Smee, Jr, Cross Country, ESL & Bilingual Education
Maggi Congdon, Jr, Cross Country, Civil Engineering
Annika Reiss, Sr, Cross Country, Elementary Education
Aliandrea Upshaw, Jr, Cross Country, Health Sciences – Public Health
Meagan Van Pelt, Sr, Cross Country, Community College Teaching and Learning
FOOTBALL
Que Baker-McCaulay, Sr., Football, Psychological Sciences
Ethen Cluff, R-So., Football, Health, Science and Fitness Wellness
Tommy Ellis, Jr., Football, Business Economics
Angel Flores, R-Fr., Football, Health, Science and Fitness Wellness
Jack Forsyth, Jr., Football, University Studies
Michael Harkins, Jr., Football, Hotel and Restaurant Management
Mark Ho Ching, Sr., Football, Sociology
Krikour Koustanian, Sr., Football, Master's in Organizational Leadership
Richard Kwete, R-So., Health, Science and Fitness Wellness
Marcus Lye, So., Health, Science and Fitness Wellness
Alofaletuia Maluia, R-So., Football, Strategic Communication
Coleman Owen, R-Jr., Master's in Business Administration
Marcus Phillips Jr., Sr., Football, Health, Science and Fitness Wellness
Quinlan Popham, R-So., Football, Finance
Porter Reynolds, Fr., Football, Engineering
Daniel Robledo, R-Sr., Health, Science and Fitness Wellness
Alexis Sanchez, R-Fr., Football, Civil Engineering
Kevin Sawitzke, R-Fr., Football, Psychological Sciences
Bryzai White, Jr., Football, Journalism
Jeff Widener, R-Jr., Football, Management
Jhasi Wilson, Sr., University Studies
Brandon Wong, So., Football, Exercise Physiology
