SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Six hundred and twenty-one student-athletes earned a league-record 742 spots on the Spring 2020 Academic All-Southern Conference Team, the league office announced Wednesday.
“Congratulations to our many academic award winners,” SoCon Commissioner Jim Schaus said. “These accomplishments are something that we value highly and celebrate widely as much as athletic success. Student always comes first in theory and in practice in the term student-athletes in the SoCon. Academic excellence is the hallmark of our 10 outstanding institutions. Thanks also to those faculty and campus staff who support our students in their success.”
The 742 selections are the most for any academic all-conference team in the history of the SoCon, which began selecting teams in the winter of 2002-03 and selected fall, winter and spring teams through 2014-15. Beginning in 2015-16, the winter and spring teams were combined, with those student-athletes honored after the spring semester. The previous record was 581 selections last year. It should be noted that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools instituted measures of academic relief this year.
One hundred and nineteen student-athletes earned the honor for both indoor and outdoor track and field.
Eight of the SoCon’s 10 full-time institutions had at least 55 honorees this year, representing the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, rifle, wrestling, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, baseball and softball.
Associate members for men’s and women’s lacrosse, rifle and wrestling were also eligible for the award, accounting for 107 of the selections.
To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of the spring semester. Because of the cancelation of the spring season, the usual participation requirement for honorees to compete in at least one-half of their teams’ competitions was modified for this year only to include projected starters and key contributors. In addition, the student-athletes must have successfully completed at least three semesters at their institutions, making true freshmen and first-year transfers ineligible for inclusion.
Twenty-five student-athletes combined for 30 perfect 4.0 cumulative GPAs. That total is the third-most in league history, trailing only the 38 perfect GPAs spring 2018 and the 31 last year.
The league’s 10 women’s outdoor track and field programs led the way with 89 academic all-conference selections, while the nine women’s indoor track and field programs produced 87 and the nine baseball programs combined for 76.
Samford led all schools with 89 spots on the academic all-conference team, followed by ETSU with 79 and Mercer with 76. UNCG (67), Wofford (64), Furman (62), Western Carolina (60), The Citadel (55) and all had at least 55.
-www.SoConSports.com-