NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (July 28, 2023) — Belmont University earned the 2022-23 Missouri Valley Conference All-Academic Award. Alisande Rapps (Geneseo) contributed to this recognition as a Belmont student-athlete.
During the 2022-23 academic year, Belmont student-athletes posted a 3.522 grade-point average, placing ahead of Evansville and Northern Iowa.
Every year since 2002-03, the MVC All-Academic Award has been presented to the member institution that finishes the school year with the best grade-point average among its student-athletes who participate in a Valley-sponsored sport.
Belmont University has now claimed a conference academic achievement award twenty of the last 22 academic years. It marks the eleventh-straight crown for Belmont, who claimed the honor every year of its membership in the Ohio Valley Conference (2012-22).
"An important part of Belmont's vision is developing diverse leaders of character who will go on to make the world a better place," said Belmont President Greg Jones. "Our student-athletes exemplify this commitment through their excellence in their fields of play and in the classroom. We're so proud of how they represent us on both a regional and national stage."
"Student-athlete achievement is an enormous source of pride for our athletic department, alumni, and university as a whole," said Belmont Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Corley. "While this past year brought measures of change, including adjustments to travel and conference competition, our student-athletes embraced new opportunities presented through the Missouri Valley Conference with spirit and optimism. Winning this award in our inaugural year in the MVC is a testament to the determination and focus of our student-athletes. Belmont's extraordinary standard of academic excellence places us among the most prestigious universities in NCAA Division I."
This past year, 87 percent of eligible Belmont student-athletes posted a 3.0 grade-point average or higher, with a remarkable two-thirds earning a 3.5 GPA or higher.
For the 2023 spring semester, the departmental grade-point average (GPA) was 3.523, which marked the 51st consecutive semester that Belmont student-athletes have earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Belmont had 39 student-athletes earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, including men's soccer student-athlete JP Armbruster, who was named Academic All-America.
In fact, 31 student-athletes carried a perfect 4.0 GPA for the 2022-23 academic year:
- Hannah Ash, cheerleading
- Ryan Bender, women's golf
- Aidan Braccia, men's basketball
- Riley Casey, women's soccer
- AJ Chastonay, men's soccer
- Alex Clayton, men's soccer
- Taylor Dorenkott, women's soccer
- Brooke Garter, women's cross-country and track & field
- Delia Gibbs, women's golf
- Kristen Green, softball
- Allison Gunderson, women's track and field
- Lily Hallum, women's cross-country and track and field
- Brodey Heaton, baseball
- Sam Kirkpatrick, baseball
- Abi Ledbetter, softball
- Audrey Lyle, softball
- Connor MacLean, men's soccer
- Rachel McBride, volleyball
- Tessa Miller, women's basketball
- Emory Moore, women's track and field
- Avery Noack, women's soccer
- Brooke Riedy, women's cross-country and track and field
- Meredith Roberts, women's tennis
- Patrick Schott, men's soccer
- Anna Sweeney, women's soccer
- Chloe Tarkany, women's golf
- Holli Teige, cheerleading
- Sarah Utley, women's golf
- Nicola van der Merwe, women's track and field
- Jackie Verseman, women's track and field
- Jack Zettl, men's cross-country and track and field
Belmont University athletic teams also performed among the nation's best in the annual NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate report.
Belmont's seventeen sponsored sports averaged an astounding 988 out of 1000 APR score, with men's basketball and men's golf recording perfect 1000 scores.
In December, Belmont ranked sixth nationally among all NCAA Division I institutions in Graduation Success Rate, joining the likes of Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Northwestern, Princeton, Samford, and Santa Clara.
About Belmont University
Located two miles from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University comprises nearly 9,000 students from every state and 33 countries. Nationally ranked and consistently recognized by US News and World Report for innovation in higher education, the University offers more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 Master's programs, and five doctoral degrees. With a focus on whole-person formation and data-informed social innovation, Belmont is committed to forming diverse leaders of character equipped to solve the world's complex problems. For more information, visit belmont.edu.
