Mount Marty Repeats as GPAC-Christopherson All-Academic Award Winner

  (Sioux City, Iowa) -  The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is proud to announce the winner of the second annual GPAC-Christopherson All-Academic Award.    Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota, claims the honor with the combined GPA of 3.280 among all of their student-athletes for the 2006-2007 academic year.  Mount Marty won the inaugural award in 2005-2006.
  A traveling award was presented February 6 in Yankon at the Mount Marty versus Briar Cliff basketball games at the Laddie E. Cimpl Arena.  Corey Westra, Commissioner of the GPAC, presented the award to Dr. James T. Barry, President of Mount Marty College.  Also present for the award presentation were Dr. Rich Lofthus, Mount Marty Faculty Athletic Representative, and Chuck Iverson, Mount Marty Athletic Director.
  “To win an award of this magnitude for two consecutive years is very impressive,” said GPAC Commissioner Corey Westra.  “Mount Marty’s student-athletes need to be strongly commended again for their work both in the classroom and on the playing fields.”  “It is my honor to once again present the GPAC-Christopherson All-Academic Award to Mount Marty College,” added Westra.
  “Mount Marty College is proud to be the recipient of the 2006-2007 GPAC Christopherson All-Academic Award,” said Mount Mary President, Dr. James (Tim) Barry.  “To receive this award for the second consecutive year is true testimony to the academic success of our student-athletes, the faculty who advise and teach them, and the coaches who coach them.”  “It is a marvelous accomplishment for Mount Marty College to be recognized in this way by our athletic peers,” added Barry.
  “Winning back-to-back Christopherson Awards is a great accomplishment for the entire academic community of Mount Marty College,” said Mount Marty Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Rich
Lofthus.  “This form of recognition demonstrates that our student-athletes are serious about their academic responsibilities; it indicates that our coaching staff supports the mission of the college by stressing the importance of academics, and it reveals that MMC faculty members cooperate with our student athletes.”  “I would like to thank all of these groups for bringing this award back to Mount Marty College,” added Lofthus.
”On behalf of the student-athletes, the faculty, and the athletic department of Mount Marty, we are
again extremely honored to accept this great award,” said Mount Marty Athletic Director, Chuck
Iverson.  “This award is even more meaningful considering it comes from the Great Plains Athletic Conference, in which all members are outstanding academic as well as athletic institutions that believe and live by the true meaning of the word student-athlete.” added Iverson.  
  The Christopherson All-Academic Award is named in honor of former Dana College President Dr. Myrvin Christopherson’s faithful and long-term service to student-athletes in the GPAC.  Dr. Christopherson retired following the 2004-2005 academic year after 19 years of dedicated leadership at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska. 
  President Christopherson served as the first chair of the GPAC Council of Presidents, which was formed in 2004.  Dr. Christopherson was very active with the NAIA serving on the Council of Presidents for many years up until his retirement.  In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Christopherson was a Viking student athlete himself, playing for the men's basketball and baseball teams.
  Concordia University and Dordt College were second and third in the All-Academic standings with 3.254 and 3.220 GPA’s respectively.  Ten of the 13 GPAC schools boasted collective GPA’s over a 3.000. 

Mount Marty College
College Relations Office
1105 West 8th Street
Yankton, SD 57078
(605) 668-1517
mmc.college.relations@mtmc.edu