6 from MSUB soccer teams earn GNAC academic all-conference honors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, November 17, 2015 6 from MSUB soccer teams earn GNAC academic all-conference honors

Six MSUB soccer players earn academic all-conference honors announced on Wednesday, as they carry a GPA of at least 3.20 while earning a varsity letter.

PORTLAND, Ore. – A total of six women’s and men’s soccer players from Montana State University Billings have earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference academic all-conference honors announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

MSUB women Katlyn Lokay, Kari Kastelic, Dana Lubieniecki, Teegan Koster, and Jessica Spang as well as Yellowjacket men’s soccer player Joe Scott were each recognized by the conference for their academic achievement while earning a varsity letter.

“I am definitely proud of our players who earned this award,” commented MSUB women’s head coach Wojtek Krakowiak. “It’s a very special award that we cherish every year. Congratulations to the five players who received this award, and we definitely want to continue this process going forward.”

“Joe is a very hard-working individual, on and off the field.” said MSUB men’s head coach Alex Balog. “For him to be recognized by the conference for his dedication in the classroom is a real honor for him and our program. It has been

awhile since we received an academic all-conference award and I hope this recognition is going to spur the rest of our student-athletes on to excel in the classroom as well.”

To be eligible for academic all-conference honors, players must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 while earning a letter in their respective sports. Additionally, the award winners must be in at least their second year of competition at their respective schools, as freshmen and first-year transfer students are not eligible.

Koster was selected for the third season in-a-row, one of just eight total women’s soccer players in the GNAC to stake that claim. Lokay and Lubieniecki were each repeat selections, while Kastelic, Spang, and Scott each earned the honor in their first year of eligibility.

Kastelic and Lubieniecki are among the top students on the list, holding GPAs of 3.93 in finance and 3.82 in health/human performance, respectively. Spang holds a 3.51 GPA in elementary education, while Koster and Lokay each have a GPA of 3.34 while studying marketing and psychology, respectively.

Taylor Gersch of Saint Martin’s University had the highest GPA in the conference with a 4.00 while studying business.

Scott has a 3.33 GPA in political science. Four men’s soccer players hold GPAs of 4.00, while Simon Fraser University’s Brandon Watson has a 4.11 on the Canadian grading scale to lead the conference.

Senior Teegan Koster.

The Yellowjacket women finished the 2015 season as the No. 4 team in the GNAC, falling in the opening round of the conference tournament against No. 2 Western Washington University. MSUB’s men’s team finished the season in fourth place in the GNAC, with a record of 8-6-4 overall and 6-5-3 in GNAC games.

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