The University of Montana’s Kelsey Smith and Ryan Staudacher were among 18 student-athletes named 2010 Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athletes the league office announced this week. Each of the Big Sky Conference’s nine schools had a men’s and women’s representative on the list.

To be eligible, student-athletes needed to have completed their athletic eligibility in 2009-10 and stood out in both their athletic and academic careers.

Smith, from Havre, Mont., was a five-year member of the Griz track and field program competing in the pole vault. She currently has a 3.84 grade point average as a management major and will graduate this summer.

A five-time Academic All-Big Sky Conference selection, Smith competed at five Big Sky indoor and outdoor championships during her career. She scored points for the Grizzlies at the last three championships, finishing seventh in the pole vault at the 2009 outdoor and 2010 indoor meets and sixth at last month’s outdoor championships.

Staudacher, from Kirkland, Wash., wrapped up his four-year career with the Griz basketball team in March as a key member of Montana’s 2010 NCAA tournament team. He finished third on the team in scoring his final season at 8.6 points per game and earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors.

Staudacher, a three-time Academic All-Big Sky Conference selection, graduated in May 2009 with an undergraduate degree in finance and a GPA of 3.57. He will graduate this summer with an MBA. He currently has an MBA-program GPA of 3.72.

A career 44.4 percent 3-point shooter, Staudacher led the Big Sky in that category as both a junior (.452) and senior (.455). His 210 career threes rank third on the Montana career list.

2010 Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athletes

Eastern Washington (sport, hometown, major)
Jacob Kragt (Football, Ritzville, Wash., Biology/pre-med)
Christy Borders (Track and field, Sunnyside, Wash., Health service administration)

Idaho State
Michael Tucker (Track and field, Pocatello, Idaho, Spanish)
Annamarie Hofstetter (Soccer, Boise, Idaho, Health science)

Montana
Ryan Staudacher (Men’s basketball, Kirkland, Wash., Business administration)
Kelsey Smith (Track and field, Havre, Mont., Management)

Montana State
Matt Adams (Track and field, Seward, Alaska, Environmental science)
Jamie Thornton (Women’s basketball, Pullman, Wash., Mathematics)

Northern Arizona
David McNeill (Track and field /cross country, Melbourne, Australia, Exercise science)
Rachael Foe (Swimming and diving, Ada, Mich., History/secondary education)

Northern Colorado
Zak Bigelow (Football, Littleton, Colo., Business administration)
Marcie Johnson (Soccer, Denver, Colo., Business administration)

Portland State
Ryan Pederson (Football, Beaverton, Ore., Communications)
Dolly Enneking (Soccer, Tacoma, Wash., Business administration and management)

Sacramento State
Anton Stryhas (Men’s tennis, Minsk, Belarus, Business administration)
Kim Kemper (Soccer, Orangevale, Calif., Liberal studies)

Weber State
Beau Hadley (Football, Taylor, Utah, Technical sales)
Rebecca Ritchie (Soccer, Hilton, N.Y., Accounting)