LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 2022 Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team has received the United State Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2022-23 academic year.
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.
SMSU also earned the additional distinction of being named to the 'Team Academic Honor Roll', which celebrates programs in the Top 20 percent of GPAs for their division.
SMSU finished the 2022-23 academic year with a GPA of 3.75.
The Mustangs had seven student-athletes earn Academic All-NSIC honors in 2022, while four Mustangs, including senior
Rachel Fink, junior
Alisa Bengen, along with sophomores
Saari Kuehl and
Emma VanHeel all earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades.
"The commitment our coaches make to help their student-athletes pursue the best versions of themselves is evident in the academic accomplishments highlighted today," said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. "Achievement on the court has always been closely tied to success in the classroom which is reflected by the number of championship programs honored."
SMSU closed the 2022 season with a record of 23-6 and was ranked No. 12 in the final AVCA Top 25 poll. The 2023 season will get underway with practice in early August before the regular season begins in Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 1-2 at the Spring Hill/West Florida Classic. The Mustangs open the home season on Sept. 14 with the NSIC opener versus Minnesota State.
