Monday, August 15, 2005

AVCA HONORS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE -- MORAVIAN ONE OF 274 TEAMS TO WIN AWARD FOR 2004-2005

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The American Volleyball Coaches Association has named a 274 colleges, including Moravian College, and high school volleyball teams the 2004-2005 Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award.

The award, which began in 1992-93, honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average during the 2004-2005 school year and is just below the record of 304 schools honored in 2003-04. Nominating coaches must be AVCA members.

Recipients of the award range from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls’ and boys’ teams. The college ranks produced 161 schools that met the requirements for the award, while 143 high school programs earned the distinction. The breakdown of college representation includes 45 NCAA Division I schools, 26 NCAA Division II schools, 43 NCAA Division III schools, 23 NAIA schools and eight junior college/community colleges.

Moravian, under the direction of head coach Shelley Bauder, earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the fifth straight year. The Greyhounds and Messiah College were the only schools in the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation to be honored.

Some of the top volleyball programs in the country also succeeded in the classroom. A total of 30 teams that earned the AVCA Team Academic Award also earned a berth in either the NCAA or NAIA post-season tournaments.

"The Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award embodies the true meaning of the student-athlete concept, and the AVCA is honored to recognize these schools for their excellence in the classroom," Katherine McConnell, executive director of the AVCA said. "We congratulate the student-athletes, as well as the coaches and school administration, for maintaining balance between academics and excellence."