MIAMI (July 25, 2017) – The FIU beach volleyball team is one of just 19 teams nationwide to have been recognized with the 2016-17 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.
The Panthers posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.379, for the year.
"I am so proud of the beach team for all of their hard work," said Head Coach
Rita Buck-Crockett. "It means a lot to be a top program not only athletically, but academically as well."
In order for a team to earn the 2017 AVCA Team Academic Award, the entire team must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale), a 4.10 (on a 5.00 scale) or a 82 (on a 100 point scale) during the entire 2016-17 academic year.
FIU, which reached its first-ever Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Tournament final last season, before falling to No. 4 – and tournament top seed – Florida State (3-0), finished the year with a 24-15 record during the 2017 campaign with its 24 victories marking the most in program history.
The following are the 2016-2017 AVCA Team Academic Award Recipients:
Austin Peay State University
Boise State University
Colorado Mesa University
FIU
Georgia State University
Grand Canyon University
Lincoln Memorial University
Louisiana State University
Mercer University
Pepperdine University
Stanford University
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
University of Arizona
University of Louisiana-Monroe
University of New Mexico
University of North Carolina-Wilmington
University of North Florida
University of South Carolina
Warner University
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
