Lexington, Ky. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse volleyball team has earned the United States Marine Corps (USMC)/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2021-22 season, the organizations announced Monday.  The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.00 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.00 scale.

This mark's the 19th time in 30 years of the AVCA Team Academic Award that UWL has earned the honor.  The Eagles have garnered the honor five straight seasons. 

A total of 212 schools from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III earned the team award this year, including UWL, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, and UW-Whitewater from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).  

UWL is set to start its 2022 season Friday, September 2 at the University of Chicago (Ill) Tournament. 

Service in the Marine Corps is a noble path and demanding journey reserved for those with the willingness to engage and the determination to exceed all mental, moral and physical requirements to become Marines. The Marine Corps engages in national partnerships that provide valuable opportunities to spread public awareness of the Marine Corps' purpose by connecting the brand to those communities it serves. The relationships established between the Corps and our nation's athletic communities ensure our message of aspirational service resonates with coaches, athletes and their influencers.

The 2022 United States Marine Corp partnership with AVCA has been developed to engage with key publics that are integral to meeting recruiting objectives.  The United States Marine Corps looks forward to building enduring relationships with the AVCA member community and lending our support to those coaches and athletic facilitators who help young Americans win battles every day.

The AVCA, an educationally based nonprofit headquartered in Lexington, KY, is the largest and most diverse volleyball coaches' association in the world. With a broad mandate to develop the sport, the AVCA provides leadership, recognition, advocacy, and professional development opportunities to over 8,000 volleyball coaches. Members include college, high school, club, and youth coaches, and well as a wide variety of product and service providers. Further information is available at www.avca.org.