MSU Billings Sweeps Heartland GPA Awards (6/21/06)

BILLINGS, MT – With a combined overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.14 for its athletics programs, Montana State University–Billings has earned the Heartland Conference Overall GPA Award for the 2005-2006 academic year.  This is the first year that MSU Billings has won the award.  Just behind MSU Billings were St. Edward’s University with a 3.10 combined GPA and University of the Incarnate Word with a 3.06 GPA.

Averaging the team GPAs from the sports sponsored by the conference—baseball, basketball, cross country golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball—the Heartland Conference honors the athletics programs with the highest men’s overall GPA, women’s overall GPA and combined overall GPA.  This year, in addition to winning the overall GPA award, MSU Billings won the women’s category with a 3.32 GPA and the men’s award with a 2.96 GPA.

Overall, the Heartland Conference averaged a 2.85 GPA for its men’s program and a 3.19 for the women’s programs.  This gives the Heartland Conference a combined 3.02 average GPA for the member institutions.

The conference also recognizes the teams with the highest GPA in each sport. For 2005-2006, the teams with the first and second highest GPAs in each sport were:

Baseball
1.         Incarnate Word…2.95
2.         Lincoln & St. Edward’s…2.77

Men’s Basketball
1.         St. Edward’s…2.96
2.         MSU Billings…2.90

Women’s Basketball
1.         St. Edward’s…3.29
2.         Incarnate Word…3.20

Men’s Cross Country
1.         MSU Billings…3.21
2.         Dallas Baptist…3.05

Women’s Cross Country
1.         MSU Billings…3.67
2.         St. Mary’s…3.48
Men’s Golf
1.         Incarnate Word…3.04
2.         Oklahoma Panhandle & St. Mary’s…2.97

Women’s Golf
1.         St. Edward’s…3.43
2.         St. Mary’s…3.38

Men’s Soccer
1.         MSU Billings…3.32
2.         Incarnate Word…3.01

Women’s Soccer
1.         MSU Billings…3.34
2.         St. Edward’s….3.22

Softball
1.         Oklahoma Panhandle…3.21
2.         St. Edward’s…3.20

Men’s Tennis
1.         St. Mary’s…3.29
2.         St. Edward’s…3.09

Women’s Tennis
1.         Lincoln…3.51
2.         Incarnate Word…3.45

Volleyball
1.         Incarnate Word…3.56
2.         MSU Billings…3.54

The Heartland Conference is an NCAA Division II conference, founded in 1999, that currently consists of nine schools, six from Texas, and one each from Missouri, Montana, and Oklahoma.  The schools that are the Heartland Conference include founding members St. Edwards University (Austin, Texas), University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, Texas), St. Mary’s University (San Antonio, Texas), and Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Missouri) along with expansion members Dallas Baptist University (Dallas, Texas) in 2002 and again in 2004, Panhandle State University (Goodwell, Oklahoma) in 2002, and Montana State University - Billings (Billings, Montana) in 2005.  

In 2006, the Heartland Conference announced the addition of Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas, and The University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas.  These schools are provisional members of the NCAA while they complete their transition from the NAIA.

The 2006-2007 academic year will be the second and final year in the Heartland Conference for Montana State-Billings.  Beginning with the 2007-2008 seasons, MSU Billings will join the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.