Nov. 7, 2007

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Western Washington University placed two student-athletes - middle blocker Tiana Roma and libero Courtney Schneider - on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Academic All-Star Team.

Roma, a biology major, is maintaining a 3.78 grade point average (4.0 scale). A junior from Edmonds where she attended Edmonds-Woodway High School, Roma leads the league and ranks 20th nationally in NCAA Division II in hitting percentage at .367.

Schneider is a community health major and has a 3.59 GPA. A senior from Snohomish (Snohomish High graduate), she leads the nation in digs per game at 7.66.

Western, 19-4 overall and leading the GNAC standings with a 15-1 record, completes its regular season this week, entertaining Western Oregon on Thursday (7 p.m.) and Saint Martin's on Saturday (7 p.m.).

GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Thirty-Nine Named to GNAC Volleyball Academic Team

A total of 39 student-athletes have been named to the 2007 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference volleyball team.

Alaska Fairbanks placed the most players on the academic team with seven. Central Washington and Western Oregon have six selections each while Seattle Pacific and Northwest Nazarene each earned five spots on the all-conference team.

For the third straight year Kristi Wigren of Northwest Nazarene has the top grade point average among the scholar-athletes with a 3.95 GPA. Wigren, a senior from Olympia, Wash., is a social science education major.

Wigren is one of three players with GPAs of 3.90 or better, including Lisa Martini of Western Oregon (3.94) and Loni Evenson of Northwest Nazarene (3.93).

Sixteen student-athletes were repeaters off of last year's team, including 10 who made the team for the third year in a row.

To be eligible for the academic team, student-athletes must have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 and be in at least their second year of competition at their university.

GNAC Volleyball Academic All-Conference Team

Alexa Sherman, Alaska Fairbanks (Arts & Sciences, So., 3.85, Calabasas, CA)
**Jenna Jones, Alaska Fairbanks (Biology, Sr., 3.73, Fairbanks, AK)
Megan Thigpen, Alaska Fairbanks (Business, So., 3.58, Spokane, WA)
Miranda Trudeau, Alaska Fairbanks (Spanish, Jr., 3.52, Chimacum, WA)
Hannah Armstrong, Alaska Fairbanks (Business, So., 3.45, Eagle River, AK)
Jessica Hill, Alaska Fairbanks (Biology, So., 3.36, Colorado Springs, CO)
**Jessica King, Alaska Fairbanks (Communications, Sr., 3.31, Hailey, ID)
**Bree Brandt, Central Washington (Elementary Education, Sr., 3.87, Bellingham, WA)
Erin Norris, Central Washington (Undeclared, So., 3.60, Spokane, WA)
Deidre Scheidt, Central Washington (Math Teaching, So., 3.49, Milton, WA)
Maggie Olson, Central Washington (Economics, Jr., 3.43, Snoqualmie, WA)
**Erika Stevens, Central Washington (Food Science & Nutrition, Sr., 3.38, Fairbanks, AK)
Lauren Vercammen, Central Washington (Undeclared, Jr., 3.28, Bellingham, WA)
Alicia Cazemier, Montana State Billings (Biology/Chemistry, Sr., 3.74, Vauxhall, Alberta)
Jessica Lechner, Montana State Billings (Math Education, Jr., 3.29, Pompeys Pillar, MT)
Katrina Solomon, Montana State Billings (Biology, So., 3.37, Billings, MT)
**Kristi Wigren, Northwest Nazarene (Social Science Education, Sr., 3.95, Olympia, WA)
**Loni (Loveland) Evenson, Northwest Nazarene (English Education, Sr., 3.93, Middleton, ID)
Allison James, Northwest Nazarene (Kinesiology, Sr., 3.31, San Diego, CA)
**Chelsea (Lewis) Pelton, Northwest Nazarene (Applied Studies, Sr., 3.31, Bellevue, WA)
Cammy Dranginis, Northwest Nazarene (Kinesiology Education, So., 3.21, Nampa, ID)
Elise Dike, Saint Martin's (Psychology, So., 3.71, Shelton, WA)
*Libby Graff, Seattle (Mathematics, Jr.,  3.56, Beaverton, OR)
*Nikole Thompson, Seattle (Psychology, Sr., 3.48, Marysville, WA)
Haley Bury, Seattle (Journalism/Mass Communications, Jr., 3.24, Roy, WA)
Jessica Gunderson, Seattle (Mechanical Engineering, So., 3.22, Duvall, WA)
Nicole Finley, Seattle Pacific (European Studies, Jr., 3.89, Highlands Ranch, CO)
Robin De Jong, Seattle Pacific (Sociology, So., 3.81, Goleta, CA)
**Alyssa Given, Seattle Pacific (Nursing, Sr., 3.32, Salinas, CA)
*Torii Mount, Seattle Pacific (Family & Consumer Behavior, Sr. 3.49, Gresham, OR)
**Rachel Biornstad, Seattle Pacific (Info Systems Management, Sr., 3.39, Kent, WA)
Lisa Martini, Western Oregon (Exercise Science, So., 3.94, Philomath, OR)
*Stacey Bennett, Western Oregon (Psychology, Jr., 3.89, Portland, OR)
Amy Herron, Western Oregon (Exercise Science, So., 3.79, Spokane, WA)
Jessica Baty, Western Oregon (Exercise Science, So. 3.71, Pendleton, OR)
Danielle English, Western Oregon (Exercise Science, So., 3.40, Anchorage, AK)
*Claire Carpenter, Western Oregon (Early Childhood Education, Sr., 3.33, Gresham, OR)
*Tiana Roma, Western Washington (Biology, Jr., 3.78, Edmonds, WA)
**Courtney Schneider, Western Washington (Community Health, Sr., 3.59, Snohomish, WA)