Montgomery and Friedt Recognized by CoSIDA

Nate Montgomery Felix Friedt

SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth University has one of the biggest front lines in NCAA Division III basketball, and now the Pirates have one of the smartest as well. Post players Nate Montgomery and Felix Friedt have been recognized by regional college sports information directors for excellence on the court and in the classroom and have been named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII College Division men's basketball team.

The Academic All-District VIII teams are selected from NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA players throughout the western United States. The players are nominated and selected by members of CoSIDA. To be eligible for nomination, a player must be a starter or important reserve with a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and of sophomore standing.

Montgomery (6'-8", Sr., Sammamish, Wash. / Eastlake) is an engineering physics major with a grade point average of 3.58. He averages 16.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest, which lead the Pirates in both categories. His field goal percentage of 60.0% leads the Northwest Conference. He was named NWC Student-Athlete of the Week on January 12th after averaging 26 points and 12 rebounds in wins over Pacific (Ore.) and George Fox.

Friedt (6'-8", So., Düsseldorf, Germany / Humboldt-Gymnasium) is in his first season as a starter for the Pirates. He is an international business major with a 3.94 GPA. Since he became a starter in the fourth game of the season, the Pirates have won 15 in a row. He averages 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and makes 54.8% of his shots from the floor.

Whitworth is now 17-2 overall and 10-0 in the NWC and are ranked 10th in the most recent D3hoops.com top-25 poll.

Both players are now eligible to be selected to the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-America college division team.