FROM STAFF REPORTS

MONTEVALLO – The University of Montevallo women’s soccer team has been honored for its success in the classroom, as the Falcons received the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for the 2011-2012 academic year.

To earn the award, a team must post a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better. Montevallo earned a team grade-point average of 3.114 during the 2011-2012 campaign, with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average by team member Kaitlin Thomas, to earn the distinction.

“The University of Montevallo provides our student-athletes with an outstanding learning environment for them to succeed on and off the field,” said interim women’s soccer coach Jeremy Hampton.  “Our student-athletes take great pride in their academic performance. Academics are an important part of the student-athlete experience and I am excited to see that we are being recognized for our hard work in the classroom as well as the field.”

The Falcons put in hard work in the classroom while earning a berth in the Peach Belt Conference tournament in 2012.

The NSCAA annually recognizes college and high school soccer programs that have excelled in the classroom, in addition to their work on the pitch.

A total of 726 college soccer teams (222 men, 504 women) posted a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, thereby earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2011-2012 academic year.

For more information on the NSCAA Team Academic Award, check out the NSCAA website at http://www.nscaa.com/news/2012/11/2011-12-team-academic-award.