DePaul Volleyball was also honored as one of the teams to reach their Dig Pink fundraising goals.
Six BIG EAST Teams Earn ’16-17 AVCA Team Academic Award
NEW YORK – For the third year in a row the BIG EAST Conference had six of its 10 volleyball teams earn American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award honors. Creighton, DePaul, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova represent the conference as six of the 145 Division I teams on the 2016-17 honoree list.
All six were also honored in 2015-16, and four (DePaul, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova) earned the distinction in 2014-15.
A total of 822 teams earned the award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year and 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.
The AVCA Team Academic Award, celebrating its 25th year, is the single largest award offered by quantity of schools, players and coaches honored. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients have increased every single year but two, while amassing a 532 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 822.
Additionally, schools that reached their Dig Pink fundraising goals through the Side-Out Foundation will continue to be honored. The 2016-2017 season saw Dig Pink participants and AVCA Team Academic Award winners raise $91,671 for breast cancer research. DePaul was one of these teams.
For a full list of the AVCA 2016-17 Team Academic Award Recipients click
here.
About AVCA
The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy and professional development. With a membership of over 6,400 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers. Further information is available at
www.avca.org.