DWU Collects 15 NAIA Scholar-Team Awards

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University athletic department is proud to announce that all 15 sports offered at the school earned NAIA Scholar-Team recognition for the 2014-15 school year, it was announced Wednesday. 

With 15 teams earning the honor, DWU finished the year tied for the fourth-most teams by one institution in the NAIA.

For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar-Team award, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team grade point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes, according to the NAIA.

"This is such a big-time honor for our athletic department and our university as a whole," DWU Associate Athletic Director Jon Hart said. "This accomplishment reflects everything we stand for. I am so proud of our student-athletes, coaches, faculty, staff and administration as we continue to make history on and off the playing field."

The Tigers were led by the women's basketball team, with a combined GPA of 3.66. The women's track and field team was second with a GPA of 3.42, while the women's cross country, women's soccer, and men's basketball teams all finished the season with a GPA above a 3.35.

In total, 1,502 teams from across the country were given the distinction of Scholar-Teams for the 2014-15 academic year. The Missouri Baptist University women's tennis team was named the Scholar-Team-of-the-Year with a team GPA of 3.94, the highest of any team in the nation.