SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced that 1,502 teams from across the nation have earned the distinction of Scholar Teams for the 2014-15 academic year, including all 17 of Spring Arbor University’s athletic programs.
“We are very proud of the commitment and dedication our student-athletes have continued to exhibit in the classroom,” said SAU Director of Athletics Ryan Cottingham. “They are great ambassadors for Spring Arbor University. We are also blessed to have an incredible coaching staff that emphasizes excellence in all areas of life.”
The volleyball team led all SAU programs with an impressive 3.65 grade-point average while six other squads owned a GPA of 3.5 or higher – women’s cross country (3.63), women’s basketball (3.59), women’s outdoor track & field (3.55), women’s tennis (3.55), women’s soccer (3.54) and women’s indoor track & field (3.53).
Spring Arbor’s 17 Scholar Teams was tied for the fifth-most in the NAIA behind four other schools boasting 18 apiece. The Cougars also ranked second in the Crossroads League trailing only Taylor University.
For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar-Team award, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team grade-point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.
In addition to the Scholar Team awards, a total of 51 Spring Arbor student-athletes were honored as Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete this past year for being a junior or senior academically with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or better.
Volleyball – 3.65
Women’s Cross Country – 3.63
Women’s Basketball – 3.59
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field – 3.55
Women’s Tennis – 3.55
Women’s Soccer – 3.54
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – 3.53
Men’s Cross Country – 3.48
Softball – 3.45
Men’s Golf – 3.43
Baseball – 3.41
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – 3.40
Women’s Golf – 3.30
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field – 3.27
Men’s Tennis – 3.22
Men’s Soccer – 3.11
Men’s Basketball – 3.04