--- Additional Information Courtesy of D2 Athletics Directors Association ---
CLEVELAND - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tallied 1,919 student-athletes who earned Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Awards for the 2023-24 season, the organization announced Tuesday. For the first time in five years, the PSAC did not have the largest number of honorees in Division II, trailing only the South Atlantic Conference’s 2,076. Only four other Division II conferences had above 1,000 student-athletes recognized: the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (1,318), the Pacific West Conference (1,124), the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (1,075), and Conference Carolinas (1,070).
The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 17th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.
In total, there was a record-breaking 19,774 student-athletes from 192 institutions recognized for the 2023-24 Academic Achievement Awards, which is the highest total of student-athletes recognized since the beginning of the awards program.
"The goal of this program since inception has been to showcase the amazing student-athletes, coaches and staff, across our Division II landscape," said Mike McFarland, Director of Athletics at Bloomsburg University and current D2 ADA President. "We are fortunate to recognize such deserving individuals on an annual basis. We couldn't be prouder of the work that these individuals put into their craft. Our industry will be a better place as these student-athletes head out into the real world."
Independently, Conference Carolina’s Emmanuel University led the way with 256 honorees while the PSAC’s Gannon University (209 honorees) was seventh-highest in all of Division II. Gannon was just one of 12 total institutions to boast over 200 individual award winners.
Since the inception of the award's program in 2007-08, there has been a total of 167,396 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 2023-24 Division 2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards. To view the full list of submissions, click here.
| Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference |
|
| Bloomsburg University |
143 |
| California |
107 |
| Clarion |
97 |
| East Stroudsburg |
164 |
| Gannon University |
209 |
| IUP |
105 |
| Kutztown University |
133 |
| Mansfield University |
43 |
| Millersville |
104 |
| Pitt-Johnstown |
59 |
| Seton Hill |
188 |
| Shepherd |
79 |
| Shippensburg University |
125 |
| Slippery Rock University |
187 |
| West Chester University |
176 |
| TOTAL |
1919 |
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.