--- Information Courtesy of D2 Athletics Directors Association ---
CLEVELAND - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tallied 1,923 student-athletes who earned Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Awards for the 2022-23 season, the organization announced Thursday. The PSAC has had the largest number of honorees in Division II for five consecutive years and this year’s total is an increase over 1,709 PSAC student-athletes in 2021-22.
The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 16th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.
In total, there were a record breaking 19,646 student-athletes from 196 institutions recognized for the 2022-23 Academic Achievement Awards. This is the most student-athletes recognized since the inception of the awards program. The PSAC’s total of 1,923 is followed by the South Atlantic Conference (1,814), the Northeast 10 Conference (1,487), the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (1,413), Conference Carolinas (1,286), the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (1,182), the Sunshine State Conference (1,075), and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (1,037).
"This program continues to showcase the amazing student-athletes, and the impactful support of their coaches and staff, across our Division 2 landscape. I want to congratulate all the recipients for earning the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award," said Kirby Garry, director of athletics at Cal State Monterey Bay and current D2 ADA President. "While the number of deserving student-athletes continues to increase annually, the number of institutions recognizing these individuals on campus also continues to trend upwards. We look forward to eclipsing the 200-institution barrier next year."
Independently, the SAC’s Newberry College led the way with 273 honorees, followed closely by GMAC representative Walsh University with 272 award winners. The PSAC’s Mercyhurst University (218) and Gannon University (213) had the sixth and seventh-highest totals, respectively, and were two of just eight total institutions in Division II with over 200 individual award winners.
Since the inception of the award's program in 2007-08, there has been a total of 147,622 student-athlete nominees recognized for their academic achievements at the Division II level.
In order for a student-athlete to receive an Academic Achievement Award, the athletics director of the Division II institution must be a current dues-paying member of the D2 ADA.
Also, the student-athlete must:
- have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
- have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work
- have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year
The following PSAC institutions submitted student-athletes for the 2022-23 Division 2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards. To view the full list of submissions, click here.
| Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference |
|
| Bloomsburg University |
164 |
| California |
108 |
| Clarion |
129 |
| Gannon University |
213 |
| IUP |
100 |
| Kutztown University |
121 |
| Lock Haven University |
102 |
| Mansfield University |
34 |
| Mercyhurst University |
218 |
| Millersville |
104 |
| Seton Hill |
197 |
| Shippensburg University |
107 |
| Slippery Rock University |
153 |
| West Chester University |
173 |
| TOTAL |
1923 |
About D2 ADA: The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the D2 ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The D2 ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 59
h year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit
www.nacda.com.