San Francisco, CA -- Just before the Academy of Art University enters into their third season of competition, the Division II Athletics Directors Association (DII ADA) bestowed upon the Academy one more high-water mark. On Tuesday, the Division II Athletics Directors Association announced its 2009-10 recipients of the DII ADA Academic Achievement Awards presented by WeatherPORT.
Of the 92 institutions that submitted nominees, a total of 3,022 student-athletes were given the distinction of the 2009-10 Academic Achievement Award, and of those a total of five Urban Knights were honored.
“After completing our second year of intercollegiate competition in history, the DII ADA Academic Achievement Awards for our five student-athletes is another great milestone for our institution and the world of art,” said Dr. Jamie Williams, Director of Athletics at the Academy of Art University.
The Academic Achievement Award winners were selected based upon a strict set of criteria. In addition to the athletics director of the DII institution being a current dues paying member of the DII ADA, the student-athletes chosen must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work, and have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year.
Throughout the 2009-2010 academic year, the Urban Knights’ athletic program finished as a whole with a collective GPA of 2.96 (3.0 in the Fall ‘09 semester, 2.96 in the Spring ‘10 semester). Eight of the 14 teams finished with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher, with men’s golf leading the pack with an impressive 3.325 GPA.
Below is a list of the Urban Knights earning the DII ADA Academic Achievement Award:
Sondra Stilwell – Women’s Basketball
Stuart Favretto – Men’s Golf
Cecilia Hedin – Women’s Tennis
Anna Ritchie – Women’s Tennis
Amy Bush – Women’s Volleyball
In addition to Academy of Art University, student-athletes from schools within the Pacific West Conference also received honors. Chaminade and Notre Dame de Namur both had names on the distinguished list.
“We want to thank and congratulate those colleges and universities that took part in honoring its student-athletes,” stated Division II ADA President Greg Waggoner, director of athletics at Western State College of Colorado. “We look forward to continued participation in the future and wish everyone the best of luck during the upcoming year. We also want to thank WeatherPORT for making this important recognition possible.”
Click Here to see the entire list of 2009-10 DII ADA Academic Achievement Award winners!