Record Number Earn Prestigious Volleyball Team Academic Award
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association and Molten U.S.A., Inc. has named a record-number 178 volleyball programs the recipients of the 2001-02 AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award. Molten, U.S.A. has sponsored the award for three years.
The previous best was 149 awards presented in 1998-99. 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 on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale during the 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 121 schools that met the requirements for the award. The breakdown of college representation includes 47 NCAA Division I schools, 21 NCAA Division II schools, 32 NCAA Division III schools, 12 NAIA schools and nine junior college/community colleges. A total of 57 high school programs earned the distinction, including Indiana high schools Cathedral and Southport placing both girls' and boys' squads on the award list.
"The AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award epitomizes the ideal of the student-athlete, and the AVCA is incredibly honored to recognize these schools for their excellence in the classroom," Katherine McConnell, AVCA Executive Director said. "We are especially pleased to bestow this prestigious award to a record number of teams this year. The discipline, teamwork and commitment embodied by both the AVCA coaches and the student-athletes are a shining example to us all."
Some of this year's award recipients achieved success on the court, as well as in the classroom. A total of 27 teams that earned the AVCA/Molten Team Academic Award also earned a berth in their respective collegiate post-season tournaments. Further, the University of Nebraska and Stanford University were among the final four teams in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. Division II Truman State University, Division III College of Mount St. Joseph and NAIA College of Saint Mary (Nebraska) advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective national tournaments, while Utah Valley State College placed sixth in the NJCAA Division I Championship.
"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 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.
"There are three responsibilities I try to instill in my team. The first is the importance of their academics. The second is the responsibility to their families and the third is their responsibility to the volleyball team. High academic standards are set each season and have become part of our goal setting sessions." - Joe Baumchen, women's volleyball coach at Jackson Heights High School (Kansas)
"Academic success should be a goal for every sport program. The players read and sign contracts at the beginning of each semester. It is at that time they state the GPA for which they are striving. I believe (the contracts) help the players understand exactly what is expected of them and also keeps them accountable for what they do in the classroom." - Kristin Berglan, women's volleyball coach at Redlands College (Oklahoma)
"All decisions regarding the volleyball program center on the interests of the student-athlete. Academics are a core belief of our volleyball program, and we support the overall mission of our college. We believe the success of our program is based on the development of personal responsibility and the cooperation among teammates, staff and the university." - Michael Burch, women's volleyball coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College
"Within our volleyball program, we believe in emphasizing excellence in all areas of life. The four major areas we focus on in our coaching philosophy include academic development, athletic development, mental development and spiritual development. I believe the "student" should always come before the "athlete", and we emphasize this in our team handbook, our chalktalks and our individual player meetings." - Rebecca Ernstmeyer, women's volleyball coach at Concordia University (Nebraska)
"At Belmont University, academic success is a paramount pursuit. I believe that success in the classroom leads to success on the court. In order to be successful in the classroom, one is required to have discipline, persistence and personal responsibility. As a coach, I discuss these same characteristics in order for our team to be successful on the court. This team philosophy of personal responsibility, persistence and discipline helps each member stay on target as they pursue their academic and athletic goals." - Jill Simmons, women's volleyball coach at Belmont University
"The ability to participate in collegiate athletics is a privilege, not a right. While we dedicate a great deal of time to the sport of volleyball, it is not the reason we are at Nebraska Wesleyan. Once eligibility has expired and it is time to join the work force, it is the diploma and not the career kills totals that will open doors to success. That is why we prefer the term athletic-student instead of student-athlete." - Tom Symons, women's volleyball coach at Nebraska Wesleyan University
NCAA Division I
| The University of Alabama | Ala. | 3.58 |
| American University | D.C. | 3.42 |
| Appalachian State University | N.C. | 3.34 |
| Austin Peay State University | Tenn. | 3.46 |
| Belmont University | Tenn. | 3.69 |
| Birmingham-Southern College | Ala. | 3.39 |
| Bowling Green State University | Ohio | 3.47 |
| College of Charleston | S.C. | 3.31 |
| University of Denver | Colo. | 3.38 |
| Duquesne University | Pa. | 3.58 |
| Eastern Washington University | Wash. | 3.57 |
| Hofstra University | N.Y. | 3.31 |
| Howard University | D.C. | 3.32 |
| Idaho State University | Idaho | 3.30 |
| Indiana State University | Ind. | 3.41 |
| Indiana University | Ind. | 3.42 |
| Kansas State University | Kan. | 3.59 |
| Kent State University | Ohio | 3.38 |
| Liberty University | Va. | 3.64 |
| Long Island University | N.Y. | 3.39 |
| Louisiana State University | La. | 3.44 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Ill. | 3.42 |
| Michigan State University | Mich. | 3.30 |
| Mississippi State University | Miss. | 3.35 |
| UMKC | Mo. | 3.32 |
| Montana State University | Mont. | 3.51 |
| Morehead State University | Ky. | 3.39 |
| University of Nebraska | Neb. | 3.35 |
| University of Notre Dame | Ind. | 3.33 |
| Robert Morris University | Pa. | 3.38 |
| Saint Louis University | Mo. | 3.39 |
| SMU | Texas | 3.39 |
| Southeast Missouri State University | Mo. | 3.42 |
| Stanford University | Calif. | 3.55 |
| Stephen F. Austin State University | Texas | 3.47 |
| Syracuse University | N.Y. | 3.43 |
| University of Tennessee at Martin | Tenn. | 3.51 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Tenn. | 3.34 |
| University of Toledo | Ohio | 3.37 |
| Towson University | Md. | 3.36 |
| The University of Tulsa | Okla. | 3.31 |
| Weber State University | Utah | 3.34 |
| Western Carolina University | N.C. | 3.44 |
| Western Kentucky University | Ky. | 3.56 |
| Winthrop University | S.C. | 3.50 |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Wis. | 3.45 |
| Wright State University | Ohio | 3.33 |
NCAA Division II
| Ashland University | Ohio | 3.55 |
| Augustana College | S.D. | 3.45 |
| Catawba College Drury University | N.C. Mo. | 3.38 3.35 |
| Harding University | Ark. | 3.37 |
| Kutztown University | Pa. | 3.33 |
| University of Missouri-St. Louis | Mo. | 3.43 |
| Missouri Southern State University | Mo. | 3.43 |
| University of Nebraska at Omaha | Neb. | 3.55 |
| North Dakota State University | N.D. | 3.32 |
| University of North Florida | Fla. | 3.38 |
| Northwest Missouri State University | Mo. | 3.44 |
| Northwood University | Mich. | 3.31 |
| Pittsburg State University | Kan. | 3.49 |
| Regis University | Colo. | 3.31 |
| Southwest State University | Minn. | 3.39 |
| Texas Woman's University | Texas | 3.37 |
| Truman State University | Mo. | 3.45 |
| Tusculum College | Tenn. | 3.56 |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College | W.Va. | 3.59 |
| Western New Mexico University | N.M. | 3.34 |
NCAA Division III
| Anderson University | Ind. | 3.30 |
| Austin College | Texas | 3.50 |
| Carleton College | Minn. | 3.34 |
| Central College | Iowa | 3.71 |
| Clark University | Mass. | 3.52 |
| Dickinson College | Pa. | 3.31 |
| Elmira College | N.Y. | 3.45 |
| Emory University | Ga. | 3.47 |
| Franklin & Marshall College | Pa. | 3.32 |
| Grove City College | Pa. | 3.50 |
| Hamline University | Minn. | 3.30 |
| Kalamazoo College | Mich. | 3.45 |
| Lakeland College | Wis. | 3.32 |
| Loras College | Iowa | 3.41 |
| Moravian College | Pa. | 3.44 |
| College of Mount St. Joseph | Ohio | 3.33 |
| Mount Saint Vincent | N.Y. | 3.40 |
| Muskingum College | Ohio | 3.30 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan University | Neb. | 3.53 |
| Ohio Northern University | Ohio | 3.47 |
| Otterbein College | Ohio | 3.47 |
| St. Lawrence University | N.Y. | 3.38 |
| University of St. Thomas | Minn. | 3.49 |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | Ga. | 3.41 |
| University of Scranton | Pa. | 3.41 |
| Skidmore College | N.Y. | 3.31 |
| Smith College | Mass. | 3.36 |
| Wartburg College | Iowa | 3.54 |
| University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Wis. | 3.33 |
| University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | Wis. | 3.51 |
| University of Wisconsin-Stout | Wis. | 3.35 |
| Wittenberg University | Ohio | 3.54 |
NAIA
| Briar Cliff University | Iowa | 3.38 |
| Carlow College | Pa. | 3.42 |
| Concordia University | Neb. | 3.60 |
| University of Great Falls | Mont. | 3.35 |
| Northwestern College | Iowa | 3.46 |
| Notre Dame College | Ohio | 3.31 |
| College of Saint Mary | Neb. | 3.71 |
| College of the Southwest | N.M. | 3.33 |
| Southwestern College | Kan. | 3.37 |
| Sterling College | Kan. | 3.58 |
| Trinity Christian College | Ill. | 3.37 |
| Urbana University | Ohio | 3.37 |
Junior College/Community College
| Fort Scott Community College | Kan. | 3.37 |
| Hesston College | Kan. | 3.45 |
| Johnson County Community College | Kan. | 3.34 |
| Mid-Plains Community College | Neb. | 3.41 |
| Phoenix College | Ariz. | 3.59 |
| Redlands College | Okla. | 3.66 |
| Ricks College | Idaho | 3.61 |
| Southwestern Community College | Iowa | 3.37 |
| Utah Valley State College | Utah | 3.47 |
High School
| Appleton Xavier High School | Wis. | 3.65 |
| Arvada High School | Colo. | 3.46 |
| Astoria High School | Ore. | 3.48 |
| Batavia High School | Ill. | 3.72 |
| The Bishop's School | Calif. | 3.73 |
| Buckeye Union High School | Ariz. | 3.49 |
| Caravel Academy | Del. | 3.33 |
| Cathedral High School (boys) | Ind. | 3.51 |
| Cathedral High School (girls) | Ind. | 3.54 |
| Centennial High School | Md. | 3.88 |
| Central Dauphin High School | Pa. | 90.15 |
| Coronado High School | Colo. | 3.70 |
| Dubois High School | Wy. | 3.80 |
| Emporia High School | Kan. | 3.75 |
| Evangelical Christian Academy | Colo. | 3.73 |
| Fergus High School | Mont. | 3.56 |
| Garden Spot High School | Pa. | 3.67 |
| Hammond Clark High School | Ind. | 3.48 |
| Hardin High School | Mont. | 3.51 |
| Hauppauge High School | N.Y. | 3.54 |
| Henry Clay High School | Ky. | 3.63 |
| Houghton High School | Mich. | 3.59 |
| Immaculate Conception High School | Ill. | 3.57 |
| Iolani School | Hawaii | 3.45 |
| Jackson Heights High School | Kan. | 3.82 |
| Jenison High School | Mich. | 3.61 |
| Jonesboro High School | Ark. | 3.63 |
| Kimberly High School | Wis. | 3.57 |
| Lecanto High School | Fla. | 3.74 |
| Madison-Plains High School | Ohio | 3.54 |
| Mapleton High School | Ore. | 3.64 |
| Martin Luther High School | Wis. | 3.59 |
| Mary Institute and Saint Louis CountryDay School | Mo. | 3.38 |
| Marysville High School | Mich. | 3.52 |
| Norfolk Academy | Va. | 3.60 |
| Omaha Central | Neb. | 3.69 |
| Pacelli High School | Wis. | 3.69 |
| Pine Grove Area High School | Pa. | 3.58 |
| Red Land High School | Pa. | 3.78 |
| Ross S. Sterling High School | Texas | 4.40 |
| Saint Joseph Notre Dame | Calif. | 3.44 |
| Southport High School (boys) | Ind. | 3.34 |
| Southport High School (girls) | Ind. | 3.91 |
| Stillwater Area High School | Minn. | 3.53 |
| Sunrise Mountain High School | Ariz. | 3.52 |
| Trinity High School | Texas | 3.70 |
| Trinity Preparatory School | Fla. | 3.31 |
| Victoria Memorial High School | Texas | 3.74 |
| Virginia City High School | Nev. | 3.68 |
| Waterford Union High School | Wis. | 3.44 |
| Wausau West High School | Wis. | 3.39 |
| Wayzata High School | Minn. | 3.61 |
| Western Branch High School | Va. | 3.48 |
| Wheeling High School (boys) | Ill. | 4.13 |
| Whitehall High School | Pa. | 3.67 |
| Willow Springs High School | Mo. | 4.06 |
| Wilton High School | Conn. | 3.38 |
