PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced the 21 teams that have been recognized with 2015-16 Team Academic Excellence Awards for having the highest collective grade-point averages in each conference sport.
The selections are made by the conference’s Academic Affairs Committee. The winners were chosen based on the 2015-16 grade-point average of each student-athlete who appeared on an institution’s roster as of the last contest of the championship segment in each conference-sponsored sport.
The list of award winners includes six teams that won regular-season or conference championship titles in 2015-16, including both of last year’s regular-season champions in basketball. UConn’s women’s basketball team, which won its fourth straight NCAA championship in an undefeated season, earned the honor, as did Temple’s men’s basketball team.
The other American Athletic Conference championship teams to earn top academic honors are East Carolina’s baseball team, Tulsa’s men’s cross country team, SMU’s men’s soccer team and USF’s softball team.
Three teams – SMU men’s swimming and diving, and Memphis women’s cross country and women’s soccer – won their respective sport’s award for the third time in as many years.
Memphis had five of its teams earn the honor to lead all institutions. Cincinnati had four teams chosen.
2015-16 American Athletic Conference Team Academic Excellence Awards
Baseball |
East Carolina |
Men’s Basketball |
Temple |
Women’s Basketball |
UConn |
Men’s Cross Country |
Tulsa |
Women’s Cross Country |
Memphis |
Football |
Cincinnati |
Men’s Golf |
UCF |
Women’s Golf |
East Carolina |
Women’s Rowing |
Tulsa |
Men’s Soccer |
SMU |
Women’s Soccer |
Memphis |
Softball |
USF |
Men’s Swimming and Diving |
SMU |
Women’s Swimming and Diving |
Cincinnati |
Men’s Tennis |
Memphis |
Women’s Tennis |
UCF |
Men’s Indoor Track and Field |
Cincinnati |
Women’s Indoor Track and Field |
Memphis |
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field |
Cincinnati |
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field |
Memphis |
Women’s Volleyball |
Temple |