Tech athletics finished the school year with improved and nationally high-ranking academics, calling for attention from both the ACC and the NCAA. The NCAA recently recognized the men’s tennis, women’s cross country and golf teams for their excellent Academic Progress Rates and ranked them among the top in the nation. The softball team had six representatives on the All-ACC Academic team, and James White received ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.
The NCAA defines the Academic Progress as a “term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention” for student-athletes competing in Division I athletics, developed to serve as an indicator of potential graduation rates. For the 2010-2011 school year, every team on campus exceeded the minimum required score of 930, and 12 of the 17 teams either improved their score, or maintained it from last year. The golf, men’s tennis and women’s cross country teams scored perfect multi-year scores of 1,000, which resulted in a top 10 percent ranking nationally within their respective sport.
Six softball players were named to the 2012 All-ACC Academic Team, including seniors Shannon Bear, Kate Kuzma, and Kelsi Weseman, sophomores Hayley Downs and Alysha Rudnik, and freshman Karly Fullem. It was the third straight year for Bear, Kuzma and Weseman, while Rudnik had her second appearance.
Golf continued its strong academic performance as James White, `12 MGT alum, was named the ACC Men’s Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. He has been on the All-ACC Academic team for four straight years. The remaining four starters from the golf team were also named to the All-ACC Academic Team, including sophomores Bo Andrews and Richard Werenski and freshmen Anders Albertson and Ollie Schniederjans.