BELLINGHAM, Wash. – For the third time in the last four years, the Western Washington University Department of Athletics has earned the prestigious NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence.

 

WWU's student-athletes recorded an Academic Success Rate of 90%, part of a record 42 NCAA Division II member schools that earned the NCAA award in 2020. Western also earned the award in 2017 and 2018, and fell one-percent short in 2019.

 

Western was one of only six public institutions to earn the award out of the 42 schools in 2020, and one of only two schools from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference joining Seattle Pacific University. 

 

"It is a true honor to see Western Washington University on this list of schools to earn the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence," said WWU Director of Athletics Steve Card. "This is a prestigious award that embodies what our student-athletes, coaches and staff strive for by achieving envious graduation rates. To earn this honor three of the last four years stresses how hard our student-athletes work in the classroom, while also maintaining excellence across the board in competition. I congratulate everyone that has worked towards this academic success and proud of how they represent WWU."

 

The Academic Success Rate is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial collegiate enrollment and includes virtually all Division II student-athletes, including transfers and those not receiving athletic scholarships. This year's ASR and FGR tracks student-athletes who entered college in the 2013-14 academic year. The FGR tracks the six-year graduation rate of freshmen who received athletic aid in a four-year cohort from 2010 to 2013, as prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education. Standing alone, the freshman class of 2013-14 had a 90 percent FGR, also Western's best ever.

 

Using the federal rate criteria, the four-year cohort of Viking student-athletes entering from 2010 to 2013 graduated at a 84 percent rate, compared to 69 percent for the full set of freshmen entering WWU in that period. Across NCAA Division II, student-athletes are also performing better than the general student body, with that same four-year cohort of student-athletes graduating at 62 percent, compared to 53 percent for all students at NCAA II institutions.

 

"The Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence recognizes Division II member schools for their commitment to a balanced college experience that supports the academic success of college athletes," said Sandra Jordan, chancellor of the University of South Carolina Aiken and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. "Ten more institutions earned this award than last year, setting an all-time high for this program, but most importantly, this means college athletes at these schools are achieving academic success that will benefit them for the rest of their lives."

 

Here is the list of NCAA Division II member schools that earned the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence in 2020. In addition to WWU, public schools that are part of this list of 42 schools include Puerto Rico-Bayamon, Michigan Tech, Truman State, West Chester and Georgia College. The remaining 36 are all private institutions.

 

 

 

 

Western Washington University is a four-year public institution located in Bellingham, Washington, featuring over 300 student-athletes that compete for 15 intercollegiate athletic teams at the NCAA Division II level and primarily in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. WWU Athletics has finished in the top 50 in the NCAA II Learfield Directors' Cup standings in 15 of the past 16 years, and in the top 20 in eight of the last 12 years (no award in 2019-20). WWU's programs have won 11 team national championships, most recently the 2016 women's soccer team and the 2017 women's rowing team. Outside of competition. WWU's student-athletes have compiled an academic success at 90% in three of the last four years, earning the NCAA's President's Award for Academic Excellence three times. 

 

During the shortened 2019-20 sports season, WWU had eight of nine possible teams represented in the NCAA Championships. Seven of those teams won Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, including going 5-for-5 during the fall sports season. In addition to the great success in competition, a record 111 student-athletes earned GNAC Academic All-Conference honors and 30 received the prestigious GNAC FAR Awards for maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 3.85. In competition, 64 student-athletes earned GNAC All-Conference honors and 12 Vikings achieved All-America status. 

 

For more information on WWU's 15 varsity sports programs, visit WWUVikings.com. Fans and alumni can also track all the teams via social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @WWUAthletics.