BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University student-athletes capped a successful 2023-24 season by earning a top-five placing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Academic All-Sports Trophy, presented by Barnes & Noble College.
 
The trophy recognizes the conference's top-performing academic teams based on grade point average during each academic year. Western placed 4th in the women's team standings with a score of 68.67 while the men ranked 5th with a score of 43.
 
Fourteen of WWU's 15 varsity athletic programs recorded a team grade point average above 3.00, with the men's soccer team leading all conference member schools with its 3.48 GPA. Viking student-athletes combined for an impressive 3.33 overall GPA during the academic year.
 
The academic accolades by student-athletes included 126 GNAC All-Academic awards and the department earning the prestigious NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for the sixth time in the last seven years with a 91% Academic Success Rate.
 
In competition, the Vikings won a third consecutive GNAC All-Sports Trophy and placed 38th overall in the 2023-24 Learfield Directors' Cup standings.
 
Saint Martin's University claimed the overall title and the men's sports title, and earned a share of the women's sports title in conjunction with Central Washington University.
  Overall Top Five: 1. Saint Martin's, 136; 2. Northwest Nazarene, 125; 3. Central Washington, 118; 4. Seattle Pacific, 116; 5. Western Washington, 111.67
Men's Top Five: 1. Saint Martin's, 58; 2. Northwest Nazarene, 56; 3. Seattle Pacific, 54; 4. Alaska Anchorage, 48; 5. Western Washington, 43
Women's Top Five: T1. Saint Martin's, 78; T1. Central Washington, 78; 3. Northwest Nazarene, 69; 4. Western Washington, 68.67; 5. Montana State Billings, 62.67
 
MEN'S TOP THREE TEAMS BY SPORT
Baseball: 1. Montana State Billings, 3.45; 2. Central Washington, 3.41; 3. Saint Martin's, 3.38
Basketball: 1. Seattle Pacific, 3.42; 2. Saint Martin's, 3.39; 3. Central Washington, 3.24
Cross Country: 1. Alaska Fairbanks, 3.52; 2. Alaska Anchorage, 3.48; Western Oregon, 3.41
Golf: 1. Montana State Billings, 3.17; 2. Northwest Nazarene, 3.10; T3. Saint Martin's, 3.04; T3. Simon Fraser, 3.04; T3. Western Washington, 3.04
Soccer: 1. Western Washington, 3.48; 2. Northwest Nazarene, 3.40; 3. Saint Martin's, 3.33
Track & Field: 1. Seattle Pacific, 3.43; 2. Alaska Anchorage, 3.30; 3. Saint Martin's 3.22
 
WOMEN'S TOP THREE TEAMS BY SPORT
Basketball: 1. Montana State Billings, 3.72; 2. Western Washington, 3.63; 3. Seattle Pacific, 3.61
Cross Country: 1. Saint Martin's, 3.80; 2. Alaska Fairbanks, 3.78; 3. Western Oregon, 3.57
Golf: 1. Saint Martin's, 3.77; T2. Northwest Nazarene, 3.27; T2. Western Washington, 3.27
Rowing: 1. Central Oklahoma, 3.40; T2. Western Washington, 3.31; T2. Cal Poly Humboldt, 3.31
Soccer: 1. Western Oregon, 3.60; T2. Saint Martin's, 3.54; T2. Northwest Nazarene, 3.54
Softball: 1. Montana State Billings, 3.60; 2. Central Washington, 3.58; T3. Saint Martin's, 3.52 ; T3. Western Oregon, 3.52
Track & Field: 1. Alaska Anchorage, 3.62; 2. Seattle Pacific, 3.57; 3. Central Washington, 3.56
Volleyball: 1. Central Washington, 3.70; 2. Seattle Pacific, 3.68; 3. Western Oregon, 3.57
  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.