AVCA awards Chapman with second straight academic honor

ORANGE, Calif. – For the third time in the past four years, the Chapman University volleyball team has been honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for academic excellence. The Panthers earned a team grade point average of 3.38 for the 2010-11 school year, bringing home an AVCA Team Academic Award for the second year in a row.

Chapman was one of 88 schools in NCAA Division III to receive the award. The honor is thanks, in large part, to seven Panthers who had a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the academic year. Chapman was led by freshman OH Lena Buckendorf who posted a 3.87 mark while majoring in biology. Also, freshmen Lauren Schour and Katie Wise earned GPAs of 3.76 last year.

In total, a record 481 teams were recognized for their academic excellence by the AVCA across all levels of intercollegiate and high school athletics. The AVCA began this award program during the 1992-93 season and have honored over 1,000 different schools over the 19-year span.

Cal Lutheran University and the University of Redlands join Chapman as the only other Division III schools in California to earn the award.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

AVCA Press Release: http://www.avca.org/awards/team-academic-award/