BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings athletic department was named a finalist for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence, an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership. The Yellowjacket men's and women's basketball teams partnered with the MSU Billings Native American Achievement Center to hold their first-ever Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women game on February 17th, 2024. 
 

The event was a culmination of a week of education on the topic of murdered and missing Indigenous people in Montana and was led by MSUB student-athletes who want to be ambassadors to support local indigenous cultures and people in the area. Montana is home to eight federally recognized tribes and Native Americans make up the second-largest ethnicity in the state; several basketball players are enrolled members of the tribes, causing the event to resonate among the players.

"On behalf of our athletics department and institution, we are extremely honored for this recognition," said MSUB Director of Athletics Michael Bazemore. "This is a very important topic for our community and any way we can use our platform and resources to collaborate and increase awareness we are thankful to be included. Kola Bad Bear (one of our former women's basketball student-athletes) and our Native American Achievement Center were very instrumental in us hosting this event, and I would like to acknowledge and highlight their efforts. We look forward to continuing to collaborate on topics and events of this nature in the future."

NCAA Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities and on their campuses. A committee of athletics administrators determined this year's finalists, and the national DII Student-Athlete Advisory Committee selects the top three finalists who will be announced on January 17th. Each finalist receives $750 which is to be used for future student-athlete initiatives and community engagement events.

The MMIW game focused on bringing recognition to missing and murdered Indigenous women primarily in the areas surrounding Billings and remembering and honoring over 50 individuals, as well as educating the campus and extended Billings community. As part of the event, the teams spent time with the Native American Achievement Center and worked with them to develop marketing campaigns while having individuals share their own stories and encouragement to attend the game. Over 75 participants attended the halftime ceremony where they walked silently carrying photos and mementos of those they wished to honor. Once all participants made it to the gym, Shakira Glenn performed a powerful rendition of the song "Remember Me" to an emotional crowd of over 1,100 people. 

MSU Billings athletic department and the MSUB Native American Achievement Center are set to host another Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women basketball game on January 25th. The game is a women's and men's basketball double header, tipping off at 2pm and 4:15pm, respectively. Basketball schedules with specific game sponsorships and events can be found on www.msubsports.com.