By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – After each winning their respective Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships tournaments last week, the Montana State University Billings women’s basketball team and Saint Martin’s men’s basketball team were selected as co-winners of the Athletic Solutions GNAC Team of the Week award.
 
It is the second weekly team honor for each program this season, and both punched their tickets to the upcoming NCAA West Region Championships which kick off this weekend.
 

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Yellowjacket Women Post 3 Straight Upsets, Become First-Ever 6 Seed To Win Tourney
Montana State Billings faced a must-win game on the final weekend of the regular season just to secure a conference tournament berth, as the youthful Yellowjackets went 9-9 across their GNAC slate and tied for fifth place in the standings. The team was at its best last week however, knocking off No. 3 seed Saint Martin’s 69-61 on Thursday, No. 2 seed Central Washington 79-74 on Friday and capping the run with a 66-61 win over No. 1 seed Western Washington on Saturday.
 
The Yellowjackets (20-14) became the first-ever women’s No. 6 seed to win the tournament, which began in 2011. It was MSUB’s second conference tournament trophy overall, as the Yellowjackets also won the event in 2018. GNAC Freshman of the Year Cassie Chesnut became the first-ever freshman to win GNAC Championships MVP honors, as she fueled her team to victory with three-consecutive 20-point performances. MSUB senior Kaitlin Grossman and freshman Rae Smart each also earned all-tournament recognition.
 
MSUB’s season continues on Friday with a rematch against the Wildcats in the opening round of the NCAA West Region Championships. The ‘Jackets are the No. 8 seed after claiming the GNAC’s automatic regional berth and will face the top-seeded Wildcats on Friday at 6 p.m. (Mountain) in Ellensburg, Wash. CWU is 2-1 against MSUB this season after winning each of the regular-season contests between the teams.
 
Montana State Billings is led by Kevin Woodin, who is in his 22nd season as head coach of the program. Woodin is 389-249 (.613) all-time and has the third-most conference wins in league history at 185-142 (.566). MSUB will be making its 18th NCAA Championships appearance, with its best-ever finishes being Elite Eight appearances in 1999 and 2018.
 
 

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Saint Men Claim First-Ever GNAC Tournament Trophy
It was a historic performance for the Saints last weekend, as they throttled both their opponents on the way to their first-ever GNAC Championships trophy. The top-seeded Saints cut down No. 4 seed Central Washington 87-68 in the semifinals on Friday, before rolling past No. 2 seed Alaska Anchorage 74-62 in a championship game that was more one-sided than the final score indicated. SMU freshman Patrick Kilfoil became the first-ever underclassman to be named GNAC Championships MVP, scoring a game-high 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting including 6-for-8 from 3-point range in Saturday’s championship game. It was the Portland, Ore., native’s second-highest scoring game of the season and he matched his season high for made threes in a contest. It was the Saints’ other two all-tournament selections who led them to victory on Thursday, with Pablo Navarro posting a 15-rebound, 10-point double-double and Diego Trejo-Delgado leading the offense with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
 
The Saints improved to 25-5 overall on the year, after going 15-3 in their league slate to claim their fourth GNAC regular-season title and third in the last five seasons. SMU’s other regular-season titles came in 2019, 2022 and 2023. It was the sixth time in league history that a team won both the regular-season and conference tournament titles in the same year, and the first occurrence since Western Oregon in 2018. Other teams to achieve the feat were Western Washington in 2017, Western Oregon in 2016, Seattle Pacific in 2014 and Central Washington in 2011, the inaugural year of the championship.
 
The Saints will take on Hawaii Pacific in the opening round of the NCAA West Region Championships this weekend in Hayward, Calif., on the campus of top-seed Cal State East Bay. SMU earned the No. 2 seed into the regional, with the Sharks claiming the No. 7 seed. It will be the second meeting of the season between the teams, with Hawaii Pacific claiming an 88-75 triumph on Nov. 18 in Honolulu.
 
Aaron Landon, voted the 2025-26 GNAC Coach of the Year, is in his seventh season in charge of the team and holds an overall record of 115-74 (.608). He was at the helm for each of SMU’s last three regular-season titles, compiling a league record of 64-45 (.587) since taking charge in the 2019-20 season. The Saints will be making their fourth NCAA regional tournament appearance and are 3-3 at the event since the league was formed in 2001-02.
 
GNAC Team of the Week presented by Athletic Solutions
Athletic Solutions was introduced as an official partner of the GNAC on Dec. 8, 2025 and it will sponsor the GNAC Team of the Week award. Athletic Solutions is a national leader in NIL fan engagement and e-commerce technology, collaborating with colleges and universities to bring NIL Locker Rooms to life. Its platform simplifies NIL opportunities, providing student-athletes with the tools and exposure needed to thrive in the evolving landscape of college athletics.