Wednesday, December 02, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Seven different schools from the Atlantic Sun Conference earned Team Academic Awards from the National Soccer and Coaches Association of American with Mercer and FGCU earning the award in both men’s and women’s soccer. 

Among women’s teams, seven different Atlantic Sun schools picked up the honor. Only three conferences, the Big East (10), the Southeastern Conference (nine) and Conference USA (eight) earned more NSCAA Women’s Soccer Academic Team Awards than the Atlantic Sun. The A-Sun also placed more teams on the NSCAA Women’s Soccer Academic Team Awards list than the Big 12, the Pacific 10 and the Atlantic Coast Conference. ETSU led the way among A-Sun teams posting a team GPA of 3.43. 

The national honor ranks as the fifth consecutive NSCAA Academic Team Award for Belmont and the sixth time in since 2001 the Bruins have picked up the honor. ETSU earns the accolade for the fourth time since 2002. Mercer continues its streak of earning the academic team honor as the Bears have earned the award for nine consecutive seasons. FGCU, Kennesaw State, UNF and Stetson all picked up the award for the first time.

On the men’s side, Mercer posted a team GPA of 3.06 and made it all the way to the Atlantic Sun Championship final falling to Stetson. FGCU earned an 8-7-1 overall record and a conference mark of 6-3-0 finishing third in the A-Sun standings. The honor ranks as the first for FGCU and the second for Mercer, who also picked up the award in 2007.

To qualify for the award, a team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. A total of 570 soccer teams across all three divisions of men’s and women’s soccer (141 men, 329 women) posted a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, thereby earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2008-09 academic year. Of that total, 97 schools had both its men's and women's programs recognized including Mercer and FGCU.

Fans can follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and on Facebook. Visit twitter.com/AtlanticSun to begin receiving updates on conference news, weekly awards, and from A-Sun championships. Atlantic Sun followers with a Facebook account can become a "fan" of the conference by visiting facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.