WILMINGTON, North
Carolina - UNCW's men and women's soccer programs have been honored by the
National Soccer Coaches of America (NSCAA) for their excellence in the classroom
during the 2010-11 academic year.
"Receiving this NSCAA
Team Academic award is testament to the fact that we are doing it the right way
at UNCW," said UNCW women's head coach Paul Cairney, whose team has earned this
distinction for the last nine seasons. "Our student-athlete academic support
program is excellent and shares in this accolade. We will continue to focus on
our academic priorities and provide our student-athletes with a first-class
educational experience."
Both squads collected NCSCAA Team Academic Award honors. The
Seahawks were among 159 schools on all three levels to have the men and women earn
the accolade, which is presented to programs that have compiled a team grade
point average of 3.0 or higher. UNCW's men fashioned a 3.05 GPA, while the
women checked in at 3.14.
"It's a credit to the players for their performance in the
classroom," said men's coach Aidan Heaney. "It's difficult to balance academics
and soccer, and the players did a tremendous job of staying focused on both
tasks at hand. For both programs to achieve this speaks volumes of the
student-athletes we recruit and their efforts in the classroom."