PORTLAND, Ore. – In the midst of a season where the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team is exceling on the court, the Yellowjackets proved they are just as successful in the classroom, with seven of the team's student-athletes receiving Academic All-GNAC honors, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.
 
"Congratulations to all seven of our 2024-2025 Academic All-GNAC honorees," said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. "They represent 100% of our players who were eligible for this prestigious honor this year. Academic success is very important to our players, they understand the importance of excelling in the classroom and of getting a degree. Each of them has represented MSUB with class on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. I appreciate their commitment to academics."
 
To be eligible for academic all-conference selection, a student-athlete must be in their second season of competition at their current institution, and maintain a minimum 3.2 GPA. Five of MSUB's honorees were multi-time recipients, while two earned academic honors for the first time in their careers.
 
MSUB's two fifth-year seniors, Dyauni Boyce and Kortney Nelson each earned Academic All-GNAC honors for the fourth time in their MSUB careers, each keeping a perfect 4.0 GPA while working on master's degrees in school counseling. Boyce, from Winifred, Montana, currently leads the Yellowjackets in scoring 15.6 points per game along with 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. Nelson, from Scobey, Montana, is also putting together a successful campaign, leading MSUB with 4.7 assists per game, while also averaging 8.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
 
The Yellowjacket's other two seniors, Chloe Williams and Aspen Giese, earned Academic All-GNAC honors for the third time in their careers. Williams, a native of Liberty Lake, Washington, earned a 3.94 GPA while working towards a degree in health and human performance. The guard has put up a career season in her first year as an everyday starter for the 'Jackets, scoring 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per contest. Meanwhile Giese, from Fort Benton, Montana, earned a 3.89 GPA while majoring in mathematics. Giese has also increased her numbers during her senior season, averaging 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.7 steals per game, and has been one of the top three-point shooting threats in the conference this season.
 
Kaitlin Grossman, a Billings native and junior, earned academic all-conference for the second time in her career, keeping a 3.75 GPA while majoring in nursing. Grossman is another Yellowjacket that has stepped into the starting lineup in the 2024-25 campaign, and has averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, while also totaling 0.9 steals and blocks per game. And rounding out the selections for the 'Jackets were a pair of sophomores in Layla Baumann and Avery Burkhart. Baumann, another Billings local, earned a 3.91 GPA while majoring in health and human performance, while Burkhart, who is from Bozeman, kept a 3.95 GPA while studying communications. Baumann has averaged 7.1 points off the bench for MSUB this season, along with 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Burkhart is averaging 1.3 points and 1.0 rebound a game for MSUB this season.
 
The Yellowjackets (19-4, 8-2 GNAC) will look to extend their streak of 20-win seasons to three on the road this week, scheduled to take on Saint Martin's on Thursday, February 6 at 7 PM MT (6 PM PT) and Western Oregon on Saturday, February 8 at 3 PM MT (2 PM PT). Live coverage for all of MSUB's games can be found online here.