72 Spartan Student-Athletes Named to UAA Winter All-Academic Team

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Seventy-two Case Western Reserve University student-athletes spanning seven athletic teams were named to the 2011-12 University Athletic Association Winter All-Academic team. Within the UAA, All-Academic Recognition is awarded to student-athletes who have completed at least one full year of college study and who carry a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.300.

View the complete UAA release and Winter All-Academic Team HERE.

The 2011-12 winter academic honor roll includes 533 UAA student-athletes representing teams participating in the five men’s and four women’s sports for which the UAA sponsors competition.

The 533 recipients of UAA All-Academic Recognition represent approximately 57 percent of the total eligible UAA student-athletes — members of all teams who have completed at least one year of undergraduate study. Percentages varied by institution with a high of 68 percent of eligible student-athletes earning All-Academic honors. Percentages among sports varied with a high of 63 percent of eligible swimming and diving student-athletes receiving All-Academic recognition.

The UAA Presidents Council established a program of All-Academic Recognition in April 1998. Qualifying student-athletes are recognized at the completion of the fall, winter and spring seasons each year. The honor is intended to recognize the high level of academic achievement demonstrated by student-athletes who effectively balance their significant commitment of time, effort and energy in athletic endeavor with their highly challenging academic responsibilities.

Individuals and teams throughout the UAA have been consistently recognized for their academic and athletic achievements. During the 2010-11 academic year, 24 student-athletes from UAA institutions were recognized as Academic All-Americans, 189 received All-America honors in team or individual sports, and 17 garnered individual national championship accolades. In addition, five student-athletes were among the select group of seniors across the country named NCAA Postgraduate Scholars. In 2010-11 NCAA championship competition, 19 UAA teams finished in the top-10 in their national championships, while another 30 finished in the top-20.

Biennial studies completed by the Association over the last twelve years have consistently shown that the cumulative grade point averages of athletic teams have been statistically equal to or greater than the campus population GPA. In the most recent study, covering the 2008-09 academic year, 47 percent of all men’s teams and 45 percent of all women’s teams across the UAA had average cumulative GPA’s equal to or higher than the overall average for their respective campuses. Of the 66 women’s teams and 70 men’s teams included in the study, 46 women’s teams (70 percent) and 31 men’s teams (44 percent) met or exceeded the existing 3.30 GPA standard for nominating individuals for Academic All-America® recognition.