GNAC release (HTML)
        Complete 2018 All-Academic team (PDF)
 
PORTLAND, Ore. – With 18 women's basketball victories so far, the Seattle Pacific Falcons are finding plenty of success on the court this winter.
 
And, once again, they also are finding plenty of it in the classroom, as well.
 
Led by four seniors making it for the third time in their careers, SPU has placed seven players on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic team.
 
Seniors Courtney Hollander, Lindsay Lee, Jordan McPhee, and Erica Pagano all made the team for the third consecutive year. That gave the Falcons more three-time selections than any other school in the conference.
 
Senior Julia Haining and junior Jaylee Albert are on for the second time, and junior Riley Evans is a first-time pick.

 

"Especially this year when we've been on the road so much, that speaks a lot for our kids," head coach Julie Heisey said. "They're putting a lot if time in to make academics a priority. We like that. We want to be about excellence in everything we do, and our grades speak of that trait."
 
McPhee carries a near-perfect 3.98 grade-point average as a business administration major. This year, she has been Seattle Pacific's leading scorer, currently averaging 14.9 per game. She also averages 5.8 rebounds. Last Thursday, she scored the 1,000^th point of her career. She pumped in a career-high 30 points in an 80-69 win at then-No. 16 Azusa Pacific in November, and tied the program's single-game free throw accuracy record by hitting 13 of 14 at Simon Fraser on Jan. 13.
 
Pagano sports a 3.72 GPA as a business administration major. She has provided valuable minutes and significant contributions both as a starter and as a reserve this winter. Pagano is averaging 7.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, and recently scored her 500^th career point. She tied her career high with 15 in a 66-50 win at Montana State Billings on Jan. 27.
 
Hollander also is a business administration major, and has built up a 3.68 GPA. She is scoring at a 12.4-per-game clip, and averages 6.6 rebounds. She also has reached the 1,000-point career scoring mark, joining McPhee in reaching that plateau last Thursday. Hollander's total includes a career-high 25 in a 74-67 win at Concordia Irvine on Dec. 13. In addition, she has a pair of six-assist games, setting a career high with the first one and tying it with the second.
 
Lee has a 3.50 GPA as a health and fitness education major. She has become a full-time starter for SPU this season, and is putting up career-best numbers of 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. With four regular-season games plus the postseason still to come, Lee already has surpassed her previous single-season highs in every major statistical category. She scored a career-high 17 points in an 87-52 win at Western Oregon on Dec. 2.
 
Haining, with a 3.71 GPA as an accounting major, is enjoying by far her best season, as she has left several injuries behind her. She has started 21 of the 22 games she has played, and is averaging career-bests of 8.0 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds. Haining is shooting .477 from the field, second-best among Seattle Pacific regulars. She two double-doubles, the second of which was a double-career high: 14 points and 17 rebounds at Concordia-Portland on Nov. 30.
 
Albert has a 3.58 GPA is business administration. She has been a steady presence in the backcourt, whether starting or coming off the bench. Albert is averaging single-season bests of 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds. She tallied a career-high 12 points against Biola on Nov. 22, and has had a pair of seven-rebound games.
 
Evans is a communications major with a 3.58 GPA. Having overcome injuries that limited her to just three games in 2016-17, she gradually has been getting more and more playing time. On Jan. 23 at Saint Martin's, she erupted for a career-high 20 points, draining 7 of 11 from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. She is averaging 4.4 points and 1.6 rebounds.
 
To earn a place on the All-Academic team, players must be a sophomore or higher with a minimum 3.20 GPA. They must be in at least their second year on the team and have played in at least half of the games.
  
2018 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
SPU selections
 
Player                                         Year        GPA                          Major
*Jaylee Albert           Jr     3.58    Business Administration
Riley Evans              Jr     3.58    Communications
*Julia Haining           Sr     3.71    Accounting
* Courtney Hollander     Sr     3.68    Business Administration
* Lindsay Lee            Sr     3.50    Health & Fitness Education
* Jordan McPhee          Sr     3.98    Business Administration
* Erica Pagano           Sr     3.72    Business Administration
 
* Third-time selection
* Second-time selection