Aug 06, 2022

Coyote volleyball earns 13th straight USMC-AVCA Team Academic Award

Posted Aug 06, 2022 5:39 PM
Photo courtesy <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com">kwucoyotes.com</a>
Photo courtesy kwucoyotes.com

KWU

The United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association have announced that more than 1,200 collegiate and high school volleyball teams have earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award this season.

The award, initiated in the 1992–93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.

Kansas Wesleyan earned the award for the 13th consecutive year, a streak dating back to the 2010 season. The streak is the fourth longest active streak in the NAIA.

"Academic achievement does not happen by accident," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "I'm so proud of the hundreds of coaching staffs that make excellence in the classroom a priority."

The girls teams at Jonesboro High School (Jonesboro, Arkansas) and Ross S. Sterling High School (Baytown, Texas) head the list of 2021–22 honorees in this anniversary year. They are the only two schools to earn the award in each of the 30 years of the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award's existence.

Two colleges, Stanford University (Division I) and Stevenson University (Division III), hit the trifecta, as their women's, men's, and beach teams all are being honored. Girls high school again has the most winners by category, with 425 teams making the grade. Women's collegiate beach set a record with 54 teams receiving the honor this season.

This year's academic award was earned by eight women's teams that also won national collegiate championships on the court and in the sand during the 2021–22 season:

University of Wisconsin (NCAA Division I)
University of Tampa (NCAA Division II)
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (NCAA Division III)
Iowa Western Community College (NJCAA Division I)
Columbia International University (NCCAA Division I)
University of Southern California (NCAA Beach)
Colorado Mesa University (AVCA Small College Beach - Division II)
Stevenson University (AVCA Small College Beach - Division III)