Complete AVCA Release
Complete AVCA Academic Team Honorees
LEXINGTON, KY - The University of Hartford volleyball team was one of 450 programs to receive American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Honors for the 2009-10 season as announced by the AVCA on Tuesday. The Hawks were one of 94 Division I teams to earn the AVCA academic distinction.
The Hartford volleyball team finished both the fall (3.41) and spring (3.43) semesters with the third highest cumulative grade point average among the 18 Division I teams at Hartford. Leading the way for the Hawks was rising senior Lindsay Ford who finished her junior campaign by being named to the America East All Academic Team.
“I am extremely proud of our team's hard work this season,” said head coach Don Ferguson. “This recognition of academic excellence is a reflection of our player's diligence in the classroom. These young women are a great example of the term student-athlete.”
The AVCA academic award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom. To be honored a team must maintain 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 during the previous academic year.
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. The program has increased by over 300% in the last 10 years and by 79% in the past three years alone. This year's 450 total recipients surpasses all previous totals, including last year's 409 teams honored. Both NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II recorded their highest-ever total number of recipients, with the former honoring 94 programs and the latter honoring 55 programs.
There were 119 first-time recipients of the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2009-10. NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II each saw 15 new teams achieve the honor, while NCAA Division III welcomed 17 newcomers. Thirteen NAIA teams, two NCCAA teams and two Two-Year Colleges garnered recognition for the first time, while 55 high school teams (51 girls' teams and four boys' teams) received their first AVCA Team Academic nod.
