PORTLAND, Ore. - The 2021 GNAC All-Academic Volleyball Team was released on Wednesday, with 12 members of the Northwest Nazarene program earning the honor.

The honorees, in alphabetical order, are Molly Anderson, Mattisyn Cope, Maren Dent, Brooke Foster, Anna Gable, Mckenzie Lee, Sarah Lyons, Megan MacKinney, Tayler Markland, Caroline McMahon, Helen Sullivan, and Natalie Sullivan.

Foster, Lee, Markland, and Natalie Sullivan all earn the award for the third time in their careers. Cope and McMahon are also two-time honorees.

The 12 honors are tied with Alaska Fairbanks and Saint Martin's for third-most in the GNAC, with Central Washington and Seattle Pacific leading at 14 apiece. Ninety-two percent of eligible Nighthawks earned the honor.

Of the dozen NNU recipients, eight have a GPA of 3.7 or higher, while four are at 3.9 or above. Sophomore Sarah Lyons, a Nursing major, is one of 10 student-athletes from the conference with a perfect 4.0 GPA. 

To qualify for the GNAC All-Academic Teams, nominees must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, have a minimum cumulative GPA or 3.20 or greater, be a letterwinner on their team and must be in their second year at the nominating institution.

Thanks to eligibility waivers provided by the NCAA due to the cancellation of the 2020 season, players who continue to hold freshman eligibility but are in their second season of competition at the nominating institution were eligible for selection to the GNAC All-Academic Team.