At APSU we pride ourselves in academic excellence, especially within the athletics community. The athletic programs push students to be the best they can be both inside the classroom and on the court or field. Three teams from APSU were awarded 2018-19 Ohio Valley Conference Team Academic Awards. The teams that were awarded are the Men’s Golf ,Women’s Golf and the Men’s Tennis team.
There is not always a spotlight on an athlete’s academic achievements, but there are more attributes to players than what they bring to the field. Men’s Golf coach, Robbie Wilson, expressed great pride in the golf team achieving awards outside of the sport.
“Our team works hard both on the court and in the classroom and we are proud of the accomplishment,” Wilson said. For athletes to achieve these academic goals, the question can be asked on how coaches play a role in inspiring the students.
“All the credit goes to the players and Katie Ethridge. She does a great job of working with our guys to help them reach their potential in the classroom,” Wilson said.
With academic achievements, there is no doubt that Govs can possibly see future athletic awards and wins from these teams.
“ It really only raises the bar for the future. We would like to win this award again, in addition to an OVC title,” Wilson said.
Now, with these wins, Women’s Golf and Men’s Tennis both tie with 6 total awards and Men’s Golf received their second award. These teams are not the only ones striving for academic excellence, and a list of past awards proves it.
Team Academic Achievement Awards list from 2004 to now:
Football: 1
Women’s Cross Country: 1
Men’s Cross Country: 0
Women’s Basketball: 0
Men’s Basketball: 2
Baseball: 0
Men’s Rifle: 0
Women’s Rifle: 2
Softball: 0
Women’s Tennis: 3
Volleyball: 4.
With the semester underway, it can only be hoped that these awards push all teams and students to push themselves in the classroom as well.
