The Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2ADA) announced today that 26 Shepherd University student-athletes have been named the 2012-13 recipients of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards. The Academic Achievement Awards is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the Division II level.

A record number of institutions (171) and student-athletes (6,881) are being recognized for the 2012-13 Academic Achievement Awards. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Association had 759 student-athletes honored, a record-high for the program, followed by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) with 653 student-athletes being recognized and the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) with 635 student-athletes being acknowledged with this award.

“The D2ADA would like to thank and congratulate the institutions that took part in honoring the record-number of 6,854 student-athletes with 2012-13 Academic Achievement Awards,” stated D2ADA President Anita Barker, director of athletics at Chico State University. “We continuously strive to recognize and honor deserving Division 2 student-athletes. This award gives us the platform to showcase these individuals and their efforts in the classroom, as well as on the playing field.”

In order for a student-athlete to receive an Academic Achievement Award, the athletics director of the Division II institution must be a current dues paying member of the D2ADA.

Also, the student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale; 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