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."