The men and women who represent Indiana Wesleyan University in athletic competition have won another first, but this latest honor was earned in the classroom. All 14 IWU athletic programs have received the 2009–10 Scholar Team Award from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Each team must maintain a 3.0 grade point average to be named to the NAIA list.
“We are so proud of our teams for this tremendous accomplishment,” said Mark DeMichael, Director of Athletics at IWU. “This reflects the quality of student-athletes that our coaches are dedicated to recruiting, and the emphasis that our athletic department places on academic achievement. We are blessed to have student-athletes who truly excel both in the classroom and in their sports.”
IWU athletes are usually well-represented in the NAIA for their scholastic achievement. Last year, 13 of 14 teams earned the award. But this is the first time that every team has received a scholar award.
“It is truly an amazing feat to have all of our teams achieve this level of recognition,” said Dr. Todd Voss, Executive Vice President. “It shows our athletic department priorities well! Embedded in the mission of IWU athletics are these words: ‘To encourage spiritual growth, academic achievement, leadership development, and athletic excellence within our students.’ Earnestly seeking these traits is intentional and conveys in many ways a certain order of importance ... right behind spiritual growth is academic achievement. I am so proud of each athlete and coach for their hard work on academic performance goals this past year.”
Women’s soccer had a 3.53 grade point average to lead the teams. Other team grade point averages were: men’s tennis, 3.41; men’s cross country, 3.36; women’s tennis, 3.34; men’s soccer, 3.32; volleyball, 3.31; men’s track and field, 3.29; women’s track and field, 3.28; men’s basketball, 3.28; women’s cross country, 3.27; golf, 3.14; women’s basketball, 3.11; and baseball, 3.00.