Trojan Volleyball Earns Prestigious Academic Honor
July 23, 2012Anderson One of Four Conference Teams to Earn Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Anderson University volleyball team was one of just 67 NCAA Division II women’s volleyball teams to earn an American Volleyball Coaches Association AVCA Team Academic Award following the 2011-2012 academic year, as recently announced by the AVCA.
A record-breaking overall total of 533 teams earned the honor, once again breaking the previous year's total of 481 and sets a new all-time high for this award.
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
We are thrilled to be honored by the AVCA for the hard work this team put into its academics last year,” said Anderson head coach Craig Mosqueda. “I am very proud of this team for excelling on and off the court and I can’t wait to see the continued fruits of their labor. Last spring, we had seven individuals with a perfect 4.0 GPA with the rest of the team close behind. On top of a strong academic spring semester, we had an excellent spring season on the court and we can’t wait to get into our fall season.”
The volleyball squad, one of four South Atlantic Conference Teams (Brevard, Tusculum and Wingate) to garner the AVCA award, also posted the highest team grade point average within the AU Athletics Department for the spring semester with a stellar 3.57 GPA and will be presented the Dr. Shirley Jacks Award during the fall semester in recognition of its accomplishment.
“Many coaches tell us they take more pride in and hear more positive feedback about winning the AVCA Team Academic Award than anything else they do all year,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “While it is undeniable that the sport we coach is zero-sum on the scoreboard, it is a tool for empowerment on other fronts. The 533 coaches whose teams won this academic award understand the value of both playing to win and winning through play. A well-deserved congratulations to each team and coach!”
The Team Academic Award has become one of the AVCA’s fastest growing awards programs, seeing an impressive surge in teams honored over the past several years. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients has increased every single year but one, while amassing an overall 200% increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award’s inception in 1993, the award has risen by an astounding 760%. NCAA Division I recorded their highest-ever total number of recipients, honoring 102 programs while Division III easily surpassed last year’s record of 57 winners with 67 this year. Division III also set a new record with 90 winners and the high school division increased their all-time high of 192 recipients to 220. Finally, the NCAA men broke new ground landing a record seven schools on this year’s AVCA Team Academic Award list.
Prior to 2011-12, only 13 teams had attained the pinnacle of volleyball success in both earning the AVCA Team Academic Award and winning their respective collegiate national championship in the same academic year. This year, the AVCA is proud to recognize three programs -- Concordia University-St. Paul (NCAA Division II), Cowley College (NJCAA Division II) and Clearwater Christian College (NCCAA Division II) – all three of whom excelled in the classroom and on the court.
Over 1,000 different schools have earned the award in the program's 20-year history, with exactly 4,827 awards been given out in total. Only two institutions, both high schools, have earned the distinction all 20 years: Jonesboro High School (Jonesboro, Arkansas) and Ross S. Sterling High School (Baytown, Texas).
BREAKDOWN BY CLASSIFICATION
Division Number of recipients Percent Breakdown*
NCAA Division I Women 102 19.14%
NCAA Division II Women 67 12.57%
NCAA Division III Women 90 16.89%
NAIA Women 33 6.19%
Two-Year College Women 13 2.44%
NCCAA Women 1 0.19%
NCAA Collegiate Men 7 1.31%
High School (Girls and Boys) 220 41.28%
High School Girls 198
High School Boys 22
* Percentage is based on each category’s breakdown of the total 2011-2012 Team Academic recipients.
To view the total recipient list, click HERE
TOTAL RECIPIENT HISTORY
2011-12: 533
2010-11: 481
2009-10: 450
2008-09: 409
2007-08: 354
2006-07: 308
2005-06: 287
2004-05: 276
2003-04: 305
2002-03: 205
2001-02: 178
2000-01: 130
1999-00: 140
1998-99: 149
1997-98: 132
1996-97: 134
1995-96: 116
1994-95: 83
1993-94: 98
1992-93: 62
Anderson opens the 2012 campaign versus Southern Wesleyan on August, 31 in Limestone’s College Classic.
ABOUT AVCA
The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to develop and grow the sport of volleyball; with a membership of over 5,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and developing the sport. Members are comprised of national and international coaches, collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as club directors. Other members include former players, officials, media members and other friends of volleyball. As a group, the AVCA is committed to the development, growth, advancement and publicity of volleyball throughout the world. Further information is available at www.avca.org
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