HOUGHTON - Michigan Technological University student-athletes recently earned awards, but the competition was in the classroom, not on the field or court.
Tech had more student-athletes receive the Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award than any other school. The award, in its inaugural year, honors those who had a 3.5 grade point average or better, have completed at least two years of college-level work and have been members of a intercollegiate team during the last school year.
Michigan Tech beat out sixty-seven schools to earn the top spot, with 97 student-athletes receiving the award. The runners-up included Minnesota State Mankato with 94 awardees, Slippery Rock with 79 and Adelphi with 75. Nationwide, the ADA gave out 2,188 awards.
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, of which Tech is a member, finished as the top league in the country with 214 award recipients. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference finished in second place with 212 awards.
MTU Athletics Director Suzanne Sanregret said the award is a great honor for the conference, student-athletes and university.
"We make academics a high priority and we pride ourselves on having success both in the classroom and on the field of play," she said.
The men's cross country team received the most awards at the school with 15, while the women's cross country team came in next with 13 recipients. The football team came in third with 11 awards.