2005-2006 GamePlan/AVCA Team Academic Award Release

2006 Game PlanTM/AVCA Team Academic AwardSM Winners Released
Near-record 287 teams honored for academic achievements

7/31/2006 -LEXINGTON, KY - The American Volleyball Coaches Association is pleased to announce that 287 schools have earned the Game PlanTM/AVCA Team Academic AwardSM for the 2005-2006 season. The 287 schools receiving the honor eclipses last season's mark of 276 for the second most in the 14-year history of the program; the 2003-04 season produced the record when 305 schools achieved the award. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I set a single-season record for number of collegiate schools at any division receiving the award with 54 in 05-06.

The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, 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 head coaches must be AVCA members. Each school will receive a plaque, and each player a certificate commemorating the designation.

Recipients of the award range from NCAA Division I institutions to high school girls' and boys' teams. The college ranks produced 155 programs that met the requirements for the award in 2005-2006. To go along with the record number of NCAA Division I recipients, NCAA Division II (31) tied its highest division mark set in 2003-2004 and NCAA Division III (44) set its second highest division total (48 in 2003-2004).

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) had 21of its members achieve the honor this year, while four (4) schools in the two-year college category attained the mark. The NCAA men's programs produced their third all-time recipient of the award. A total of 132 high school boys and girls programs earned the award in 2005-2006.

"The Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award is what being a student-athlete is all about. The AVCA is privileged to once again be able to award these schools for their excellence in the classroom," AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said. "We congratulate the student-athletes, coaches and school personnel for achieving this honor and upholding the delicate balance between academics and athletics."

Over 800 different schools have won the award in the program's 14-year history, and over 2000 awards have been given out. Only two institutions, both high schools, have earned it all 14 years: Jonesboro High School (Jonesboro, Arkansas) and Ross S. Sterling High School (Baytown, Texas).

BREAKDOWN BY CLASSIFICATION
Division Number of recipients
NCAA Division I Women: 54
NCAA Division II Women: 31
NCAA Division III Women: 44
NCAA Men: 1
NAIA Women: 21
Two-Year College Women: 4
High School Girls: 125
High School Boys: 7

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STREAKING TEAMS
Indiana State University earned the honor for the eighth straight year, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I, tying Morehead State (1996-97 through 2003-04) for the longest streak in Division I since the inception of the program. Drury University, a Division II school, won the award for the tenth consecutive season, longest active streak and second longest overall in Division II to Augustana College's streak of 11 (1992-93 to 2002-03). Four teams in Division III earned their sixth consecutive inclusion on the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award list; Wisconsin-Eau Claire still holds the mark with eight consecutive from 1995-96 to 2002-03. College of St. Mary (Nebraska) won its NAIA-leading 12th consecutive award, the longest of any NAIA program. Central Community College (Columbus) pulled in its third straight award, the longest active streak among two-year colleges.

OVERALL HONORS
University of Nebraska (Lincoln) won its 11th overall Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award in 2005-06, the most in NCAA Division I. Augustana College (South Dakota) holds the Division II total awards mark, also with 11. In Division III, Kalamazoo College won its 9th overall Academic Award in 2005-06, tying them with the College of St. Benedict for the most in that division. College of St. Mary's (Nebraska) streak of 12 straight is not only the longest number won consecutive, but also are the most won overall by an NAIA institution. Southwest Community College in Iowa holds the most Academic Awards won by a Two-Year College with eight.

New York University became the second NCAA Division III men's volleyball program to earn the award, and just the third overall collegiate men's program.

While Jonesboro and Ross Sterling's girls' teams have earned the award all 14 years of the program's existence, Wheeling High School Boys (Wheeling, Illinois) has won the most awards with nine.

PULLING DOUBLE DUTY
Five high school programs reached Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award status on both the girls' and boys' volleyball teams: Cathedral (Indiana), John Dickinson (Delaware), North Pocono (Pennsylvania), Pine Crest (Florida) and Wheaton Warrenville South (Illinois). John Dickinson, Pine Crest and Wheaton Warrenville accomplished this feat for the second consecutive year.

FIRST-TIMERS
There were several first-time recipients of the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award in 2004-05. NCAA Division I saw 16 new teams achieve the honor, while Division II and Division III welcomed 10 and 13 newcomers, respectively. Two NAIA teams and one Two-Year college received the distinction for the first time, while 34 high school teams received their first Team Academic Award.

TOTAL RECIPIENT HISTORY
Year Recipients
2005-06: 287
2004-05: 276
2003-04: 305
2002-03: 205
2001-02: 178
2000-01: 130
1999-2000: 140
1998-99: 149
1997-98: 132
1996-97: 134
1995-96: 116
1994-95: 83
1993-94: 98
1992-93: 62


ELITE STATUS
Some of this year's award recipients achieved a high level of success on the court, as well as in the classroom. Six teams that earned the 2005-06 Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award also advanced as far as the round of eight in their respective four-year collegiate postseason national tournaments. In NCAA Division I, the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) played in the national championship match and the University of Florida advanced to the round of eight. In NCAA Division II, Concordia University (St. Paul) progressed to the round of eight. In NCAA Division III, Wittenberg University played in the national semifinals, while New York University and Washington University in St. Louis advanced as far as the national quarterfinals.

GAME PLAN/AVCA TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD NOTES
· In its 14-year history, the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award has been earned by: 136 DI programs (men and women); 78 DII schools; 116 DIII schools (men and women); 67 NAIA schools; 2 NCCAA schools; 21 two-year colleges; and approximately 455 high school girls and boys teams.

· Historically, five teams have attained the pinnacle of volleyball success in winning both the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award and their respective national championship in the same academic year. Those teams are NAIA's Dickinson State University (N.D.) in 2000-01 and then-NAIA University of Puget Sound (Wash.) in 1993-94, Division III Central College (Iowa) in 2000-01, Division II Barry University (Fla.) in 1995-96 and most recently Division I Stanford University (Calif.) in 2001-02.

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