OVC Academic Achievement Release & Honored Student-Athletes |
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois posted the highest number of Ohio Valley Conference Medal of Honor winners as the league released its academic achievement awards on Thursday. The Panthers had 35 student-athletes earn the OVC Medal of Honor which is awarded to the student-athlete who achieves the highest grade point average in a conference sponsored sport. All of the league's 188 Medal of Honor winners posted a 4.00 GPA.
In addition to the OVC Medal of Honor winners, Eastern Illinois had 138 student-athletes earn OVC Commissioners Honor Roll status.
Belmont University was awarded the 2013-14 Ohio Valley Conference Institutional Academic Achievement Award. The award is presented annually to the member institution with the greatest percentage of its eligible student-athletes that earn a 3.25 grade point average or higher for that academic year.
It marks the second-straight crown for Belmont who joined the OVC prior to the 2012-13 season. Morehead State, the 2011-12 champions, holds the record with 12 OVC Academic Achievement Awards. Eastern Kentucky is next on the list with eight crowns and Austin Peay has two awards while Jacksonville State, Tennessee State, UT Martin and former member Middle Tennessee State have earned one award apiece.
The league announced the recipients of 16 OVC Team Academic Achievement Awards, which are presented annually in each Conference-sponsored sport to the member institution's team with the greatest percentage of its eligible student-athletes who achieved a 3.25 grade point average or higher. Belmont claimed an OVC-best six awards, followed by Morehead State with three and SIUE with two awards. In total, seven different member institutions garnered at least one award.
The team/institution honorees are:Baseball: Southeast Missouri
Men's Basketball: Belmont
Women's Basketball: Belmont
Men's Cross Country: Morehead State
Women's Cross Country: SIUE
Football: Tennessee Tech
Men's Golf: Belmont
Women's Golf: SIUE
Rifle: Columbus State
Women's Soccer: Belmont
Softball: UT Martin
Men's Tennis: Belmont
Women's Tennis: UT Martin
Men's Track and Field: Morehead State
Women's Track and Field: Belmont
Women's Volleyball: Morehead State
It was announced that 188 Ohio Valley Conference student-athletes received the Medal of Honor for the 2013-14 season. The Medal of Honor is given annually to the student-athlete who achieves the highest grade point average in a Conference-sponsored sport. Every Medal of Honor recipient carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the year. Of the 188 award winners, 17 were awarded Medals of Honor for multiple sports (and counted just once in the final recipients list).
The OVC announced that 1,254 student-athletes were named to the 2013-14 OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll, setting a new record. The 1,254 student-athletes surpassed the old record of 1,228 set a season ago. To be listed, recipients must have achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average and have been eligible and on the team throughout the competitive season in their chosen NCAA-sponsored sport(s) and used a season of competition. Those numbers included 33 student-athletes who compete in non-OVC championship sports that do not compete in another conference (i.e. Belmont men's soccer, Southeast Missouri gymnastics, UT Martin equestrian and Eastern Illinois rugby) and 90 student-athletes who were recipients in multiple sports (and counted just once in the final total).
