Cougars Honored by NSCAA

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE women's soccer was among nine Ohio Valley Conference teams honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with a 2011 NSCAA College Team Academic Award.

The Cougars team GPA of 3.45 is tied with Southeast Missouri and is the third-highest among OVC teams.

"This recognition is a testament to our athletes and the focus and effort they put forth to be the best students they can be," SIUE Head Coach Derek Burton said. "One aspect to note is that we have quite a few players who are upperclassmen and involved in very rigorous majors like Pharmacy, Biomedical Science, and Nursing."

The NSCAA team academic award is given to all men's and women's soccer teams of all NCAA divisions that post a team GPA of 3.0 or higher during the 2010-11 academic year. A total of 571 women's soccer programs from Division I, II, and III received the award.

"The athletes have the highest degree of academic counseling, programming, and support from our department's academic advising staff," Burton added.

This is the third consecutive year SIUE has earned the award, and Burton believes it is expected.

"Quite frankly, this has become part of the culture of our program," he said. "Our coaching staff and administration know what our players are capable of and expect this exceptional level of academic success on a yearly basis. It's certainly gratifying to watch our players grow and continue to achieve and make SIUE proud."