MSU Billings Senior Jerett Skrifvars Named to Academic All-America First Team (Mar. 4, 2004)

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State University-Billings senior guard Jerett Skrifvars has been named to the Academic All-America First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  Skrifvars is believed to be the first CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team selection at Montana State-Billings.

A senior from Brea, California, Skrifvars graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2003 with a BSBA in Information Systems and has held a 4.00 GPA through four and a half years at MSU Billings.  He returned for a fifth year after receiving a medical redshirt last season.  Skrifvars has earned academic honors all nine semesters at MSU Billings and will be a three-time PacWest Academic All-Conference selection once the PacWest all-conference teams are announced next week.

“It’s definitely an honor to receive this award,” said Skrifvars.  “Usually with college athletics it’s all about the statistics.  It’s an honor to be a part of this group that also takes academics seriously.”

Skrifvars was named to the CoSIDA District VII first team two weeks ago, placing him on the national ballot for Academic All-America.  The CoSIDA College Division includes all schools in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA.  Skrifvars is joined on the Academic All-America First Team by Nick Branting of Nebraska-Kearney, Justin Call of Emory & Henry, Dennis Stanton of Ursinus, and Brian Westre of Missouri-Rolla.  Skrifvars, Branting and Westre all represent schools from CoSIDA District VII and were all on the District VII first team.

Skrifvars currently ranks in the top five in the PacWest for scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, assists, assist/turnover ratio, and offensive rebounds.  He is fifth for scoring (18.2 ppg), first for rebounding (8.3 rpg), fourth for field goal percentage (54.3), fourth for assists (4.00), fifth for assist/turnover ratio (1.43) and first for offensive rebounds (3.38).  He also ranks seventh for steals (1.54 spg) and tenth for free throw percentage (73.2) and leads the conference with nine double-doubles.

Skrifvars has climbed the MSU Billings school record books throughout his senior season and enters the final two games of his collegiate career ranked eleventh in school history for career scoring with 1,201 points.  He is fourteen points short of reaching the Yellowjackets’ career top ten scoring list.  He also ranks eighth in school history for rebounds (553), sixth for steals (109), and third for free throws made (448).

“Jerett is the epitome of the ideal student-athlete,” said Yellowjacket head coach Craig Carse.  “There is nobody that I know of that is more deserving.  It’s a tremendous compliment to Jerett.”

The G.P.A. average of the University and College Divisions combined is 3.80, which includes four 4.00 GPA’s by Skrifvars, Derek Winans of Southeast Missouri State, Hokies’ Johannes Herber and Jay Brogden, Hardings second team Academic All-America from Cherokee Village, Arkansas.

“The Academic All-America Teams program promotes the importance of balancing academics and athletics among college student-athletes.  Sports information directors take pride in recognizing those who strive to achieve balanced excellence both academically and athletically in their college careers,” says Academic All-America Chairperson, Dick Lipe, of Bentley College.

The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000 –member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletics and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.  Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com or email academicallamerica@millsport.com.

Official Release and Complete Academic All-America Teams (pdf)