Horizon League steps to head of the class with nine NSCAA Team Academic Award recipients

Dec. 13, 2006

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Mission, Kan. -- For the Horizon League, the 2006 soccer season featured several pairs. Two schools---the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University Chicago---represented theLeague in the 2006 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. Two institutions---Loyola and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee---carried the League banner into the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.

Loyola and UW-Milwaukee provided another pair of honors for the circuit this week as two of 11 NCAA Division I schools to have both teams receive the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award. A total of 38 other institutions at the Division II, DIvision III and NAIA levels also gained dual distinction from the NSCAA, with the awards honoring achievements during the 2005 season and the 2005-06 academic calendar.

A total of 82 men's collegiate teams and 231 women's teams garnered recognition through the program, maintaining composite grade-point averages of 3.00 or higher for the academic year, with all players on the roster figuring into the final tabulations. Because the spring semester is included, teams receive the award at the following year's convention, with the latest accolades to be presented at the College Coaches Luncheon during the NSCAA Convention in Indianapolis in January.

Loyola's women's team posted a 3.43 GPA during the 2005-06 school year while the Rambler men's squad maintained a 3.04 pace during the same period. The UW-Milwaukee women's team registered a team GPA of 3.46 with the men's squad maintaining a 3.00 rate.

Five other Horizon League institutions saw their women's programs receive recognition from the coaches' association. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay posted a 3.30 GPA as a team, just ahead of Butler University (3.28), the University of Detroit Mercy (3.20), Youngstown State University (3.16) and Wright State University (3.05).

The Horizon League was the only conference to boast two institutions with dual accolades, and that distinction could become even more pronounced when Valparaiso University joins the League in 2007. Valpo also had both teams recognized, with the men recordiing a 3.18 average and the women turning in a 3.37 mark.

Binghamton University, Dartmouth College, Drake University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, the U.S. Military Academy (Army) and Western Kentucky University were the only other doubly-honored Division I schools. WKU's men competed in the Missouri Valley Conference along with Drake, while the women were part of the Sun Belt Conference.

A complete list of all the winners can be found on the NSCAA web site at www.nscaa.com.

Schools with both men's & women's soccer programs receiving the NSCAA Team Academic Award (with Divisions)
Adelphi University (II)
Allegheny College (III)
Anderson University (III)
Baldwin-Wallace College (III)
Berry College (NAIA)
Binghamton University (I)
Carleton College (III)
Dana College (NAIA)
Dartmouth College (I)
Dowling College (II)
Drake University (I)
Emory University (III)
Fairleigh DIckinson University (I)
Grinnell College (III)
Hastings College (NAIA)
Haverford College (III)
Juniata College (III)
Lawrence University (III)
Lesley University (III)
Lincoln Memorial University (II)
Loyola University Chicago (I)
Luther College (III)
Lynn University (II)
Macalester College (III)
Maryville University of St. Louis (III)
Metropolitan State College (II)
University of Missouri-Rolla (II)
Mount Union College (III)
Newberry College (II)
Northwestern University (I)
University of Notre Dame (I)
Principia College (III)
University of Rochester (III)
Rockhurst University (II)
University of St. Francis (NAIA)
Saint Michael's College (II)
University of Scranton (III)
Seattle Pacific University (II)
Southwestern Okla. State Univ. (II)
St. Olaf College (III)
Susquehanna University (III)
Tiffin University (NAIA)
U.S. Military Academy [Army] (I)
Urbana University (NAIA)
Valparaiso University (I)
Washington & Lee University (III)
Western Kentucky University (I)
Whitworth College (III)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (I)

Horizon League soccer programs receiving the NSCAA Team Academic Award

Men's teams - Coach - GPA
Loyola - Brendan Eitz - 3.04
UW-Milwaukee - Jon Coleman - 3.00

Women's teams - Coach - GPA
Butler - Tari St. John - 3.28
Detroit - Mike Lupenec - 3.20
Loyola - Frank Mateus - 3.43
UW-Green Bay - Quinn Ross - 3.30
UW-Milwaukee - Michael Moynihan - 3.46
Wright State - Patrick Ferguson - 3.05
Youngstown State - Anthony James - 3.16