Eastern Michigan Athletics
Volleyball Honored by AVCA for Academic Success
8/17/2006 3:39:36 PM | Volleyball
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team was one of just 54 NCAA Division I programs to receive the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2005-06 school year. The honor marks the sixth time in the program's history, and the second consecutive year that EMU has earned the award.
Last season the Eagles boasted a 3.342 GPA on a squad that posted its fifth consecutive winning season and first-ever Mid-American Conference West Division Championship. Following the season, senior Becky Baltare (Charing Cross, Ontario-John McGregor) and sophomore Melissa Bartlett (Chatham, Ontario-Chatham Kent) were selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV University Division Volleyball Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
"All decisions regarding the volleyball program center on the interests of the student-athlete and academics are a core belief of our volleyball program," said Head Coach Kim Berrington. "We believe the success of our program is based on the development of personal responsibility and the cooperation among teammates, staff and the university."
The Eagles posted the highest GPA in the nation during the 1997-98 season.
The AVCA Team Award is given to college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. The nominating head coaches must be AVCA members.
Initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, recipients of the award range from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls’ and boys’ teams. The college ranks produced 150 programs that met the requirements for the award. NCAA Division I schools led the way with 54 receiving the distinction, NCAA Division III followed with 44, while NCAA Division II had 31 honorees.
