Wednesday, December 15, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS – Three Great Northwest Conference institutions have been recognized for superior academic achievement by the NCAA with the Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence.

Saint Martin’s University, Seattle Pacific University and Western Washington University were among 43 Division II institutions to achieve an Academic Success Rate of 90 percent or higher. The rate is based on the four-year graduation rate of freshman student-athletes who entered college between 2011 and 2014.

The Academic Success Rate accounts for the outcomes of nearly all student-athletes in Division II, including non-scholarship student-athletes and student-athletes transferring from one institution to another (removing students who left the institution in good standing).

Seattle Pacific is one of 10 institutions to receive the Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence for the 11th consecutive year. The school was tied for ninth among the honorees with a 95 percent Academic Success Rate.

"To say that we are proud of receiving this recognition again does not accurately nor fully capture the sentiment," SPU athletic director Jackson Stava said. "To be recognized again as an institution and department that consistently lives out our mission of academic excellence is exciting but is also a testament to our students, coaches, faculty and staff at Seattle Pacific.”

Western Washington achieved a 92 percent Academic Success Rate and received the award for the fourth time in five years. Western Washington is one of just four public institutions to receive the Award for Academic Excellence.

“This is an elite list to be on and an amazing award for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and university to celebrate for being recognized four of the last five years,” said WWU director of athletics Steve Card. “As proud as we are of all the success the Vikings have had in competition, these are the awards we are most proud of as it shows the dedication and hard work our student-athletes put into every facet of their experience at Western.”

Saint Martin’s achieved a 90 percent Academic Success Rate to receive the Award for Academic Excellence for the first time.

“I am very proud of our staff, coaches and student-athletes in receiving this recognition for academic excellence,” said SMU athletic director Bob Grisham. “The shared goal of academic success for our student-athletes takes place at the university due to the outstanding collaborative effort we have with our faculty and support services.”

The GNAC was one of seven Division II conferences to have three or more teams recognized with the awards.