CLEVELAND - For the seventh time in the past eight years, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference leads the nation in Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Awards. The PSAC tallied 1,969 honorees for the 2025-26 season, the most in Division II by over 350 student-athletes, and had 11 institutions total at least 90 honorees.
The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 19th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level in NCAA championship sponsored sports.
Overall, a total of 21,000-plus student-athletes from 179 institutions were recognized for the 2025-26 Academic Achievement Awards. Historically, 211,256 student-athletes have been recognized since the inception of the awards program. The PSAC was one of nine Division II conferences to have more than 1,000 student-athletes recognized.
"In year 19, this program continues its dedication to celebrating the exceptional student-athletes who define excellence across our Division II landscape," said Jenn Bell, associate VP and director of athletics at Converse University and current D2 ADA President. "We're proud to recognize more than 21,000 deserving student-athletes from 179 institutions, reflecting the tremendous dedication within our division — not only in athletics, but in the classroom as well. This year's submissions, from both individuals and schools, serve as a testament to the Division II way. Thanks to the administrators who nominated these outstanding individuals, and much-deserved congratulations to all this year's recipients."
Nationally, the PSAC’s Gannon University (207 honorees), Slippery Rock University (257, seventh-most in DII) and East Stroudsburg University (264, sixth-most) were three of just 16 institutions with more then 200-plus student-athletes earning this year’s recognition. The Conference Carolina’s Emmanuel University led all institutions with 365 honorees.
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 2025-26 Division 2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards. To view the full list of submissions, click here.
| Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference |
|
| Bloomsburg |
195 |
| California |
125 |
| Clarion |
94 |
| East Stroudsburg |
264 |
| Edinboro |
90 |
| Gannon |
207 |
| Kutztown |
132 |
| Lock Haven |
111 |
| Mansfield |
43 |
| Pitt-Johnstown |
55 |
| Shepherd |
65 |
| Shippensburg |
146 |
| Slippery Rock |
257 |
| West Chester |
185 |
| TOTAL |
1,969 |
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 62
nd year. For more information on NACDA and the 19 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit
www.nacda.com