Wheeling, W. Va. - On Monday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced their annual Team Academic Awards sponsored by the United States Marine Corps (USMC). For the ninth consecutive season, the Wheeling University Volleyball team was recognized with a USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award as they continue to excel both in the classroom and on the court. The Cardinals had a team GPA of 3.5 throughout the 2021-2022 academic year while bringing home their ninth consecutive Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championship.
Overall, 1,200 collegiate teams across all three divisions earned honors for their work in the classroom, including five teams from the MEC (Fairmont State, West Liberty, Charleston, West Virginia State, and Wheeling). In order to qualify for the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award, the team must maintain a 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale or a 4.1 GPA on a 5.0 scale. Throughout the years the Cardinals have shown excellence on the court, with nine straight MEC Championships, but it is their hard work in the classroom that keeps them working at a high level all around.
"This is a goal we set every year and I', so proud of the work my girls put in to achieve that goal," said Wheeling University Head Volleyball Coach Christy Benner. "It takes a lot of effort, time management skills, and pride to be able to win this award and I am very proud of all the hard work my girls put in this season."
To go along with their excellence in the classroom, it was another successful year on the court for the Cardinals. They won their ninth consecutive MEC Championship and earned the right to host the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament for the ninth time in program history. They made it to the Atlantic Regional Championship game where they would eventually fall to Gannon 3-0, ending their season. Despite the loss, the Cardinals had a very strong campaign finishing 29-6 overall and 15-1 in MEC play. They had five All-MEC Award winners this season, including the MEC Libero of the Year (Audrey Francis) and the MEC Freshman of the Year (Mady Winters).
The Wheeling University Volleyball team will be the ones to kick-off the 2022-2023 season when they head to the University of West Florida for their opening tournament, running August 25th and August 26th.
