LEXINGTON, Ky – On July 29, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced  that 755 teams have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2014-2015 season. Western Wyoming Volleyball was among those selected.

This number once again breaks the previous year’s total of 687 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.

“A hearty congratulations to all the volleyball coaches whose teams won the AVCA Team Academic Award,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “Teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court.”

“The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf. In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as volleyball success. All involved should celebrate this award.” – AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer.

The AVCA 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 have increased every single year but one, while amassing a 476 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 755.

Girls high school led the way with the number of recipients with 237. NCAA Division I recorded their highest-ever total number of recipients, honoring 146 programs while NCAA Division II also set a new record by reaching a total of 113 honorees.

NCAA Division III continues to set new records after 140 schools take home the honor with the Two-Year College category also surpassing their previous high of 22 with 24. The high school boys notched a record in their category with 29.

Prior to 2014-2015, only 22 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 four programs that excelled in the classroom and on the court: University of Tampa (NCAA Division II), Hope College (NCAA Division III), Irvine Valley College (CCCAA) and the Stevens Institute of Technology (NCAA DIII Mens).

Over 1,000 different schools have earned the award in the program’s 23-year history, with exactly 6,878 awards been given out in total.

You can find this year’s list of recipients on our website by clicking HERE

 

BREAKDOWN BY CLASSIFICATION

(Division, Number of recipients)

NCAA Division I Women, 148

NCAA Division II Women, 114

NCAA Division III Women, 140

NAIA Women, 49

Two-Year College, 24

NCCAA, 1

Collegiate Men, 7

High School Girls, 237

High School Boys, 29

College Sand, 6

 

TOTAL RECIPIENT HISTORY

2014-2015: 755

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