The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced Monday that the Kenyon College volleyball team was one of a record 233 NCAA Division III programs that earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2020-21 season.

The AVCA Team Academic Award, launched in 1992-93, honors collegiate teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

For the Ladies, the academic honor was their fourth in a row. This past season’s team contained 14 student-athletes who combined for an impressive 3.60 cumulative grade point average.

“Even though teams might not have played during their usual season or may not have competed at all during the past year, coaches still found ways to lead their players to academic excellence,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “This is a testament to the important role volleyball coaches play in their players' success both on and off the court.”

Slemmons claims CoSIDA Academic All-District team honor

Clayton Slemmons of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's cross country and track and field teams has been named to the 2020-21 CoSIDA NAIA Cross Country and Track and Field Academic All-District Team, the school announced on Friday.

The 2020-21 Academic All-District Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in the competition realm and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

This marks the second year in a row that Slemmons has received CoSIDA Academic All-District Team honors. Slemmons, who majored in education while at MVNU, graduated in the spring with a GPA of 3.81.

Along with finding success in the classroom, Slemmons was able to qualify for both indoor and outdoor track and field nationals for MVNU in the 4x800 meter relay in the spring.