130 Teams Earn Prestigious Team Academic Award for 2000-2001
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO - The American Volleyball Coaches Association and Molten U.S.A., Inc. has awarded 130 colleges and high school volleyball teams the 2000-2001 AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award, AVCA Executive Director Lindy Binns announced today. Molten, U.S.A. has sponsored the award for the last two years.
The award honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average during the 2000-2001 school year. Nominating coaches must be AVCA members.
Recipients of the award range from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls' and boys' teams. The college ranks produced 85 schools that met the requirements for the award, while 47 high school programs earned the distinction. The breakdown of college representation includes 25 NCAA Division I schools, 16 NCAA Division II schools, 24 NCAA Division III schools, 14 NAIA schools and four junior college/community colleges.
Some of the top volleyball programs in the country also succeeded in the classroom. Central College and Dickinson State University won the NCAA Division III and NAIA national titles, respectively. Each school also attained the requirements in the classroom to earn the AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award. Further, Augustana College (S.D.) was the NCAA Division II national runnerup and earned the AVCA/Motlen Team Academic Award for 2000-2001. A total of 18 teams that earned the AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award also earned a berth in either the NCAA or NAIA post-season tournaments.
"The AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award represents the essence of a student-athlete," Binns said. "Not only are the student-athletes gifted athletes working as a team, but they perform well as a team in the classroom to maintain high standards. This honor continues to be one of the most sought after awards among the AVCA programs. Our member coaches are able to build good grades into the framework of team goals in an effort to earn the honor on an annual basis."
"We are proud to be associated with this award that recognizes the importance that teamwork plays both on and off of the volleyball court," Craig Barker, Molten USA vice president, said.
Part of the requirements to be considered for the AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award is submission of the head coach's academic philosophy. A portion of those philosophies are printed below.
"Our academic philosophy at Central College is simple - academics come first. The principle foundation of Division III athletics is that student-athletes are students first, and athletes second. The girls who choose to come to Central do so as much for its academic curriculum as the volleyball program..Our greatest asset in maintaining academic standards is training our upperclassmen leaders to be proper models of academic discipline. Our younger athletes learn to value their education and work to take advantage of all their opportunities." - Megan Clayberg, women's volleyball coach at Central College
"At Dickinson State, we strive to excel in all aspects of life. Academics, of course, are a large part of that focus. We think that in many ways how we approach the classroom relates to how we approach other aspects like athletics, relationships, family, etc. Commitment to excellence in everything we do is the cornerstone of our philosophy." - Dave Moody, women's volleyball coach at Dickinson State University
"It is our belief at Augustana College that success on the court can have many similarities in the classroom. From the time the student-athlete arrives on campus, they will immediately feel the presence of how important a quality education is. The academic philosophy of the Augustana volleyball program is academics comes first and then volleyball. At our level of volleyball, very few players continue on to play volleyball after their college career; consequently, it is our job as coaches, administrators and professors to instill in these players that receiving a degree is far more gratifying." - Kim Marcil, women's volleyball coach at Augustana College (S.D.)
"My philosophy about team and player academic success is based primarily on personal responsibility. I have a team of extremely responsible and goal oriented players. These personal qualities foster success both on the court and in the classroom..As a coach, I talk with my team about personal responsibility, time management and goal pursuit. We discuss the importance of team pride through individual success. The players have bought into this philosophy and work hard to uphold their end, the team's success." - Beth Launiere, women's volleyball coach at University of Utah
"Our goal was to win the state championship. The second goal was to earn the AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award. The third goal was to stay as active as possible in school and community activities. I am happy to report that each one of these goals was achieved this spring. The biggest reason for success is the quality of student-athlete I was fortunate to coach. They were quality young men with outstanding parents, good moral values with good work ethics." - Rhonda Low, boy's volleyball coach at Cathedral High School (Ind.)
NCAA Division I (25)
| University of Akron | Ohio | 3.43 |
| University of Alabama | Ala. | 3.61 |
| Belmont University | Tenn. | 3.43 |
| Bowling Green State University | Ohio | 3.37 |
| College of Charleston | S.C. | 3.47 |
| University of Colorado | Colo. | 3.40 |
| University of Denver | Colo. | 3.53 |
| Duquesne University | Pa. | 3.34 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Mich. | 3.40 |
| Eastern Washington University | Wash. | 3.53 |
| University of Evansville | Ind. | 3.40 |
| Indiana State University | Ind. | 3.48 |
| Indiana University | Ind. | 3.46 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Ill. | 3.51 |
| Mississippi State University | Miss. | 3.34 |
| UMKC | Mo. | 3.37 |
| Morehead State University | Ky. | 3.51 |
| Stephen F. Austin State University | Texas | 3.50 |
| University of Toledo | Ohio | 3.43 |
| University of Tulsa | Okla. | 3.37 |
| University of Utah | Utah | 3.40 |
| Villanova University | Pa. | 3.34 |
| Western Carolina University | N.C. | 3.44 |
| Western Kentucky University | Ky. | 3.35 |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Wis. | 3.39 |
NCAA Division II (16)
| Augustana College | S.D. | 3.35 |
| Drury University | Mo. | 3.37 |
| Metro | Colo. | 3.47 |
| Mississippi University for Women | Miss. | 3.62 |
| University of Missouri-St. Louis | Mo. | 3.52 |
| The University of Nebraska at Omaha | Neb. | 3.47 |
| North Dakota State University | N.D. | 3.45 |
| University of North Florida | Fla. | 3.64 |
| Northwest Missouri State University | Mo. | 3.40 |
| Pfeiffer University | N.C. | 3.30 |
| Pittsburg State University | Kan. | 3.44 |
| Regis University | Colo. | 3.41 |
| Southwest State University | Minn. | 3.34 |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College | W.V. | 3.54 |
| Western New Mexico University | N.M. | 3.35 |
| Winona State University | Minn. | 3.42 |
NCAA Division III (24)
| Anderson University | Ind. | 3.34 |
| Bates College | Maine | 3.45 |
| Brandeis University | Mass. | 3.44 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pa. | 3.35 |
| Central College | Iowa | 3.45 |
| Concordia University Wisconsin | Wis. | 3.36 |
| University of Dubuque | Iowa | 3.37 |
| Elmhurst College | Ill. | 3.43 |
| Elmira College | N.Y. | 3.51 |
| Grove City College | Pa. | 3.44 |
| Kalamazoo College | Mich. | 3.44 |
| Martin Luther College | Minn. | 3.58 |
| Moravian College | Pa. | 3.41 |
| Muskingum College | Ohio | 3.40 |
| Ohio Northern University | Ohio | 3.65 |
| Otterbein College | Ohio | 3.40 |
| Rhodes College | Tenn. | 3.32 |
| College of Saint Benedict | Minn. | 3.46 |
| Savannah College of Arts & Design | Ga. | 3.52 |
| University of Scranton | Pa. | 3.35 |
| Southwestern University | Texas | 3.46 |
| University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Wis. | 3.48 |
| University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | Wis. | 3.65 |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville | Wis. | 3.41 |
NAIA (14)
| Bethany College | Kan. | 3.59 |
| Briar Cliff College | Iowa | 3.39 |
| Carlow College | Pa. | 3.37 |
| Concordia University | Neb. | 3.55 |
| Covenant College | Ga. | 3.40 |
| Dakota State University | S.D. | 3.35 |
| Dickinson State University | N.D. | 3.31 |
| Goshen College | Ind. | 3.42 |
| Lindsey Wilson College | Ky. | 3.37 |
| Saint Ambrose University | Iowa | 3.47 |
| College of Saint Mary | Neb. | 3.70 |
| Southwestern College | Kan. | 3.54 |
| Sterling College | Kan. | 3.47 |
| Trinity Christian College | Ill. | 3.45 |
Junior College/Community College (4)
| Eastern Arizona College | Ariz. | 3.30 |
| Phoenix College | Ariz. | 3.44 |
| Southwestern Community College | Iowa | 3.58 |
| Utah Valley State College | Utah | 3.45 |
High School (47)
| Archbishop Mitty High School | Calif | 3.34 |
| Arvada High School | Colo. | 3.57 |
| Astoria High School | Ore. | 3.40 |
| Batavia High School | Ill. | 3.71 |
| Buckeye Union High School | Ariz. | 3.65 |
| Cathedral High School (Boys) | Ind. | 3.49 |
| Cathedral High School (Girls) | Ind. | 3.42 |
| Central Dauphin High School | Pa. | 92.00 |
| Cordova High School | Alaska | 3.60 |
| Coronado High School | Colo. | 3.94 |
| Crestview High School | Ohio | 3.55 |
| Dubois High School | Wyo. | 3.77 |
| Fergus High School | Mont. | 3.65 |
| Flathead Valley Christian School | Mont. | 3.39 |
| Garden Spot High School | Pa. | 3.64 |
| Garnet Valley High School | Pa. | 3.56 |
| Hammond Clark High School | Ind. | 3.62 |
| Hillcrest High School | Kan. | 3.58 |
| Hillsboro High School | Wis. | 3.54 |
| Houghton High School | Mich. | 3.49 |
| Immaculate Conception High School | Ill. | 3.37 |
| Isphpeming High School | Mich | 3.51 |
| Jackson Heights High School | Kan. | 3.81 |
| Jenison High School | Mich. | 3.71 |
| Jonesboro High School | Ark. | 3.69 |
| La Cueva High School | N.M. | 3.62 |
| Madison Plains High School | Ohio | 3.65 |
| Manheim Central High School | Pa. | 3.41 |
| Marysville High School | Mich. | 3.80 |
| Osage Community High School | Iowa | 3.65 |
| Pacelli High School | Wis. | 3.64 |
| Red Land High School | Pa. | 3.88 |
| Ross S. Sterling | Texas | 4.25 |
| Seoul American High School | Korea | 3.76 |
| Stillwater Area High School | Minn. | 3.40 |
| The Bishop's School | Calif. | 3.45 |
| Trinity Christian Academy | Texas | 3.83 |
| Trinity High School | Texas | 3.66 |
| Trinity Preparatory School | Fla. | 3.60 |
| Valley Christian High School | Ariz. | 3.89 |
| Victoria Memorial High School | Texas | 3.62 |
| Virginia City High School | Nev. | 3.44 |
| Wausau West Volleyball | Wis. | 3.45 |
| Wayzata High School | Minn. | 3.71 |
| Wheeling High School (Boys) | Ill. | 4.36 |
| Wheeling High School (Girls) | Ill. | 4.81 |
| Winneconne | Wis. | 3.62 |
