RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Following the completion of the 2017-18 season of competition in the Great American Conference, the league office announced that a record 475 student-athletes achieved Academic All-Conference honors in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track & field baseball and softball, an increase of 20 from the prior high.
Oklahoma Baptist led with 63 student-athletes earning GAC Academic All-Conference marks. The Bison collected the most All-Academic selections in women’s tennis, women’s golf and men’s golf. The 15 All-Academic student-athletes in women’s track & field and five in men’s basketball placed second in conference.
Harding ranked second with 61 All-Academic performers. The Lady Bisons’ track & field squad tallied 16 All-Academic selections, the highest single-sport total across the 10 sports. Harding also produced GAC-leading All-Academic honorees in men’s track and field, 11, and men’s basketball, six.
Southern Nazarene finished third while Southern Arkansas took fourth. The Crimson Storm’s men’s golf and women’s tennis each ranked second in their respective sports. The Mulerider baseball team accumulated 11 All-Academic picks, tied for the second-most in the GAC in the sport.
Ouachita led the GAC with the most All-Academic honorees in baseball shared the conference lead in softball with Arkansas Tech, Arkansas-Monticello and Northwestern Oklahoma State. Henderson State recorded a GAC-leading seven All-Academic scholars in women’s basketball while Southeastern Oklahoma State paced in men’s tennis.
“I am perpetually amazed by the achievements of the student-athletes within the league,” GAC Commissioner Will Prewitt said. “They continue to raise their academic standard in the classroom all while performing at championship levels on the field of play.”
GAC baseball student-athletes garnered the most All-Academic selections, 94, followed by 91 from softball and 78 in women’s track & field. For the full 2017-18 academic year, 837 student-athletes earned All-Academic honors, 34 more than the previous high for the conference.
For student-athletes to be recognized on the Academic All-Conference team, they must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at the nominating institution. In addition, their grade-point average must be a minimum of 3.30 based on the 4.0 system. The GPA shall be cumulative for the athlete's entire collegiate career.