Max Spilsbury Field at Lumberjack Stadium | Northern Arizona University Athletics
Max Spilsbury Field at Lumberjack Stadium | Northern Arizona University Athletics
Northern Arizona University has achieved a notable academic milestone, with 67 of its student-athletes being named to the Fall All-Big Sky Academic Team. This recognition was announced by the league office on January 30, 2025.
Eligibility for this accolade requires student-athletes to have participated in at least half of their team's competitions, maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, and completed at least one academic term at their current Big Sky institution. For cross country athletes, participation in either half of the team's competitions or the conference championship is necessary.
Across the Big Sky Conference, a total of 720 student-athletes from various sports were recognized on the Fall All-Academic team. Northern Arizona ranked sixth in representation with its 67 honorees, just behind Northern Colorado's 68.
Among Northern Arizona's honorees, 42 students had GPAs of at least 3.50, and eight achieved perfect GPAs of 4.0. Over recent years, Northern Arizona has seen growth in selections for this honor: from 52 in the academic year 2022-23 to 59 in 2023-24 and now reaching 67.
Breaking down by sport, football led with 24 selections; soccer followed with 16; volleyball had 11; women's cross country included ten members; and men's cross country contributed six.
In addition to academic success, these teams performed well athletically during their seasons. The football team qualified for an FCS Division I Playoff berth for the first time since 2017 and remained undefeated at home. Cross country secured Big Sky titles for both men’s and women’s teams for the fourth consecutive year. The soccer team reached the Big Sky Tournament Championships while boasting Haylee Phoenix as the league's Golden Boot award winner. Volleyball returned to championships after two seasons with standout performances from Millie O'Ketter and Taylor Jacobsen.
The broader athletic department also excelled academically during this period, achieving a collective GPA of 3.354 across all teams—each maintaining above a GPA of 3.0—and seven teams exceeding a GPA of 3.5.
Moreover, over half (51.2%) of student-athletes made it onto the Dean's List with nine teams having at least half their roster achieve this distinction. Eighty-five athletes earned perfect GPAs during the fall semester.
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