Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU volleyball team continued its longstanding tradition of academic success by receiving the 2021 Team Academic Award by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), joining 243 other NCAA Division I teams to earn the honor.
The award, which began for the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale. In all, AVCA recognized a total of 1,275 teams.
LINK: USMC / AVCA Honor 1,275 Teams for Academic Excellence
RMU posted a team grade point average (GPA) of 3.837 in 2020-21, which earned the Colonials the Horizon League Raise Your Sights School Award for owning the best mark among the institution's intercollegiate programs during the academic year.
RELATED: Pair of Programs Earn HL Raise Your Sights Award
Each of the 12 eligible student-athletes on the active roster for the Colonials in 2020-21 were named to both the Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Rolls for owning a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher. All 12 of those student-athletes own a cumulative GPA of 3.63 or higher. Freshmen are not eligible for the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll.
Seniors Maria Alfano and Whitney Brown were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District II and Horizon League All-Academic Teams. Brown, who graduated with a 3.97 cumulative GPA as a biology major, became the first female student-athlete at RMU to garner Academic All-America recognition when she made the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team in 2019. Alfano, also a biology major, graduated with a 3.94 cumulative GPA. A third senior, Mirna Sarjanovic, graduated with a perfect 4.00 cumulative GPA as a management major.
RELATED: Alfano, Brown Garner CoSIDA Academic All-District Nods
This is the 10th time RMU has received the AVCA Team Academic Award and also extends its streak to five straight years earning the honor.
Led by 12th-year head coach Dale Starr, RMU closed its debut Horizon League season strong by winning four of its last five matches – highlighted by a three-set sweep of reigning tournament champion Northern Kentucky in its next-to-last outing. The Colonials will return 10 of their 15 student-athletes from this past campaign, including three of their top four point-scorers (Alyssa Hudak, Alyson Londot, Abby Ryan) as well as Emma Granger, who was named to the VolleyballMag.com All-America Team as a honorable mention pick in 2019.
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