The Ohio Valley Conference announced its 2020-21 Team Academic Achievement Awards, on Aug. 5, 2021, and Tennessee Tech came away with two team honors thanks to the Golden Eagle soccer and tennis programs.
Both the Tech soccer and tennis teams collected the honor for the first time in their respective program histories. The OVC began presenting the Team Academic Achievement Awards in 2004-05.
The award is presented annually in each Conference-sponsored sport to the member institution's team with the greatest percentage of its eligible student-athletes who achieved a 3.25 grade point average or higher.
"This is a significant achievement by both our soccer and tennis programs," Tech Director of Athletics Mark Wilson expressed. "Both teams have a great history of success in the classroom and it is fantastic to see these student-athletes honored for their hard work. I want to thank [soccer head coach] Steve [Springthorpe] and [tennis head coach] Kenny [Doyle] for their continued emphasis on the importance of education and the role they and their staffs play in making sure our student-athletes achieve beyond just their respective playing surfaces. I also commend [assistant athletic director for academics and student-athlete welfare] Dr. Leveda Dexter and her staff for assisting all of our student-athletes in pushing themselves to be the best they can be in the classroom. These are great accomplishments for both programs."
The Golden Eagle soccer team shared the honor with Belmont while the Tech tennis squad shared its honor with Austin Peay.
"I am excited that our team is being honored with such a prestigious OVC academic award," Springthorpe said. "The players on the team work very hard in the classroom, always striving for success. It is great to see that their hard work is being recognized by the OVC. I want to congratulate our athletic academic staff as well. They are the team behind the team that helps our student-athletes reach the level of academic achievement they have for so long. Dr. Birdwell and her staff deserve much credit for our continued success."
Six different member institutions claimed honors this season.
"I am elated to earn the 2020-21 OVC Team Academic Achievement Award for men's tennis," Doyle said. "[Assistant coach] Edu [Mena] and I are very proud of the team and their efforts in the classroom. We have great trust that good things will always continue for this program in the area of academic excellence. The guys do such a phenomenal job and it's nice to see them recognized for it."
The winners included:
Baseball – Eastern Illinois
Men's Basketball – Austin Peay
Women's Basketball – Eastern Illinois
Beach Volleyball – UT Martin
Men's Cross Country – Belmont
Women's Cross Country – Belmont
Football – Austin Peay
Men's Golf – UT Martin
Women's Golf – Austin Peay, Belmont, Morehead State
Rifle – Morehead State
Women's Soccer – Belmont, Tennessee Tech
Softball – Belmont
Men's Tennis – Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech
Women's Tennis – Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, UT Martin
Men's Track and Field – Morehead State
Women's Track and Field – Belmont
Women's Volleyball – Belmont
The awards cap a week of announcements regarding 2020-21 academic year awards. It was previously announced that a record 1,711 OVC student-athletes were named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll (for having a 3.25 GPA or better) while a record 354 student-athletes achieved perfect 4.0 GPA's to earn the OVC Academic Medal of Honor.
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