BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University had 49 student-athletes earn the prestigious Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Faculty Athletics Representative's Scholar-Athlete award for the 2023-24 academic year.

 

The GNAC Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete Award, presented by Barnes and Noble College, capped another remarkable year of academic awards and honors for WWU student-athletes.

 

Presented annually to the most outstanding student-athletes at each GNAC institution, the FAR Award honors student-athletes who have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.85 or better. All student-athletes, including redshirts and true freshmen, listed on any squad list at a GNAC full-member school, regardless of whether the sport is a GNAC championship sport, are eligible for the award. A record 394 GNAC student-athletes, 132 men and 262 women, were recognized with FAR awards.

 

In addition to the 44 FAR award recipients, Western student-athletes also combined for 126 GNAC Academic All-Conference honors during the academic year. WWU has now had 201 GNAC FAR Award winners over the last six years for an average of over 30 accolades a year.

 

2023-24 WWU Athletics Academic Pride Points:

• 3.33 Department GPA for 2022-23 season
• 49 FAR Award Winners
• 126 GNAC Academic All-Conference honors
• 14 of 15 programs finished with team GPA over 3.00
• Won the NCAA President's Award for Academic Excellence (90% Academic Success Rate)

 

WWU's 49 selections featured 33 from women's team sports and 16 from men's team sports. The Vikings placed third in the GNAC with the 49 awards, trailing 67 by Central Washington and 53 by Alaska Anchorage.

 

Brian Le of the Track & Field program became a three-time FAR award winner with a 3.95 cumulative GPA while pursuing his degree in Kinesiology. Claire Henninger of the women's soccer team became a six-time winner after earning her master's degree in Kinesiology in December. 

 

Overall, WWU's nearly 300 student-athletes combined for a 3.33 GPA in 2023-24, with 14 of 15 teams posting a GPA over 3.00. 

 

WWU Athletics has earned the NCAA's Presidents Award for Academic Excellence for the sixth time in the last seven years, showcasing an academic success rate of 91%.

 

Here is a list of the 49 WWU student-athletes honored with 2023-24 FAR Awards from the GNAC: 

 

 

A faculty athletic representative (FAR) is a member of the faculty at a NCAA member institution who has been designated to serve as a liaison between the institution's faculty and the athletic department. The FAR serves as a representative of the institution in conference and NCAA affairs.

 

The role of the FAR is "to ensure that the academic institution establishes and maintains the appropriate balance between academics and athletics."

 

Dr. Bruce Larson is in his second term as WWU's Faculty Athletic Representative.

 

Here is a breakdown of the all-time WWU FAR Award winners by year since the award debuted in 2011-12. WWU's 49 award winners this year broke the previous record of 44 set in 2022-23:

 

 

• 1 – National Title by Women's Rowing
• 1 – National Runner-Up Finish by Softball
• 3 – Regional Titles Won By Softball, Women's Cross Country and Women's Rowing (WIRA)
• 10 – Great Northwest Athletic Conference Team Titles
• 10 – Teams (out of 15) that advanced to the NCAA Championships
• 13 – GNAC Team of the Week Awards
• 17 – All-America Awards
• 47 – GNAC Player of the Week Awards
• 49 – GNAC Far Academic Awards
• 73 – All-Region Awards
• 126 – GNAC All-Academic Honors
• 135 – All-GNAC Awards

 

Western Washington University is a four-year public institution located in Bellingham, Washington, featuring over 300 student-athletes that compete for 15 intercollegiate athletic teams at the NCAA Division II level and in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. WWU Athletics has finished in the top 50 in the NCAA II Learfield Directors' Cup standings in 18 of the last 19 years. WWU's programs have won 13 team national championships, most recently the 2024 women's rowing team and the 2022 women's soccer team. Outside of competition. WWU's student-athletes have compiled an academic success at 90% or better in six of the last seven years, earning the NCAA's President's Award for Academic Excellence six times. The 2023-24 season was another banner year for the Vikings, earning the GNAC All-Sports Trophy for the third consecutive year and 15th time overall while capturing 10 conference titles. The women's rowing program won its ninth national title, the softball team reached the College World Series while earning national runner-up honors and the track & field and cross country program swept all six possible GNAC titles. Additional highlights included the women's cross country team winning the West Regional title, the women's basketball team advancing to the NCAA Championships for a fourth consecutive season and softball winning the West Regional title at home on Viking Field.

 

For more information on WWU's 15 varsity sports programs, visit WWUVikings.com. Fans and alumni can also track all the teams via social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @WWUAthletics.