Eastern Michigan Athletics

EMU Volleyball Earns 12th Straight AVCA Academic Award
7/25/2016 11:40:00 AM | Volleyball
The 2015 team held a 3.449 GPA
LEXINGTON, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team was one of 131 NCAA Division I to receive the American Volleyball Coaches' Association's (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2015-16 school year. Eastern was also one of an AVCA record 762 schools to receive the accolade this year. The honor marks the 16th time in the program's history, and the 12th consecutive year that EMU has earned the award.
The Green and White ended the 2015-16 academic year with a cumulative grade point average of 3.434 to earn the honor.
The Eagles posted the highest GPA in the nation during the 1997-98 season.
Morehead State and Indiana State hold the all-time record, being honored 17 times. EMU and Toledo have each been named 16 times.
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 GPA on a 4.0 scale, or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
"Congratulations to the coaches and institutions that won the 2016 AVCA Team Academic Award," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "It is no accident that a volleyball coaches association recognizes academic excellence as a team, rather than an individual, achievement. Players influence each other, both in execution on the court and discipline in the classroom."
The AVCA Team Academic Award is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players, and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients has increased every single year but two, while amassing a 475 team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award's inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 762.
Girls high school led the way with the number of recipients of 260, an increase of 22 over last year. NCAA Division I honored 131 programs, while NCAA Division II reached a new record with a total of 119 honorees. NCAA Division III had the second-most honorees this year with a total of 140 schools, matching last year's record number.
Prior to 2015-2016, only 26 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 that excelled in the classroom and on the court: Wheeling Jesuit University (NCAA Division II), California Lutheran University (NCAA Division III) and Columbia College (NAIA).
Over 1,000 different schools have earned the award in the program's 24-year history, with exactly 7,640 awards have been given out in total.
BREAKDOWN BY CLASSIFICATION
You can find this year's list of recipients on our website by clicking HERE
TOTAL RECIPIENT HISTORY
2015-2016: 762
2014-2015: 757
2013-2014: 687
2012-2013: 623
2011-12: 536
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
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.
The Green and White ended the 2015-16 academic year with a cumulative grade point average of 3.434 to earn the honor.
The Eagles posted the highest GPA in the nation during the 1997-98 season.
Morehead State and Indiana State hold the all-time record, being honored 17 times. EMU and Toledo have each been named 16 times.
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 GPA on a 4.0 scale, or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
"Congratulations to the coaches and institutions that won the 2016 AVCA Team Academic Award," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "It is no accident that a volleyball coaches association recognizes academic excellence as a team, rather than an individual, achievement. Players influence each other, both in execution on the court and discipline in the classroom."
The AVCA Team Academic Award is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players, and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients has increased every single year but two, while amassing a 475 team increase over the span of the last decade. Since the award's inception in 1993, the amount of award winners has increased from 62 to its current number of 762.
Girls high school led the way with the number of recipients of 260, an increase of 22 over last year. NCAA Division I honored 131 programs, while NCAA Division II reached a new record with a total of 119 honorees. NCAA Division III had the second-most honorees this year with a total of 140 schools, matching last year's record number.
Prior to 2015-2016, only 26 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 that excelled in the classroom and on the court: Wheeling Jesuit University (NCAA Division II), California Lutheran University (NCAA Division III) and Columbia College (NAIA).
Over 1,000 different schools have earned the award in the program's 24-year history, with exactly 7,640 awards have been given out in total.
BREAKDOWN BY CLASSIFICATION
| Division | Number of Recipients | |
| NCAA Division I | 131 | |
| NCAA Division II | 119 | |
| NCAA Division III | 140 | |
| NAIA Women | 54 | |
| Two-Year College | 16 | |
| NCCAA | 3 | |
| NCAA Collegiate Men | 11 | |
| High School Girls | 260 (1 sand) | |
| High School Boys | 22 | |
| College Sand | 6 |
You can find this year's list of recipients on our website by clicking HERE
TOTAL RECIPIENT HISTORY
2015-2016: 762
2014-2015: 757
2013-2014: 687
2012-2013: 623
2011-12: 536
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
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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