OPSU Volleyball Receives Prestigious Academic Award
—By Scott Puryear of OPSU Sports on 08/25/2011
Oklahoma Panhandle State volleyball coach Mike Stephens (left) and school president Dr. Dave Bryant hold a plaque recently presented to the Aggie volleyball team for academic excellence in the 2010-11 school year.—Scott Puryear photo
Goodwell, Okla.—In order to find success at the college level, student athletes must get the job done in their athletic endeavor, in the classroom, and as a citizen. In order to excel as a student athlete, a young person must take all three areas to the proverbial "next level" and team efforts are perhaps more important than individual efforts.
The OPSU volleyball team continues to excel in the classroom and their recent award and recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is a testimony to their hard work.
In order to qualify for the AVCA Team Academic Award, a team must attain a minimum of a 3.3 grade average (on a 4.0 scale) for the full academic year. It is the second consecutive year that the OPSU team has earned the award.
In a media release from the AVCA, executive director Kathy DeBoer said, "Teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court. The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf. In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as court success. All involved should celebrate this award."
The OPSU volleyball team is quite prepared for more academic success in the 2011-2012 school year (now underway) and they are also gearing up for a successful season on the court. The volleyball action gets started in the OPSU gym on September 2-3 with the Aggies Challenge Tournament.