A t Georgia College, not only do student athletes excel on the field and court but they’re also ranked nationally for their academic achievements.

For the second-straight season, Georgia College Athletics was honored with the Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence, from the NCAA.

The Bobcats were one of 43 schools to earn the honor in all of Division II and ranked first in Academic Success Rate (ASR) among Division II public schools.

The NCAA Division II Presidents’ Award is presented to all member schools earning an ASR of 90% or better. Georgia College posted a 93% ASR, tops among Peach Belt Conference (PBC) schools. The Bobcats were tops also among public schools and best among schools in the Division II Southeast Region.

“I am so proud of the success of our student-athletes and the mentoring from our coaches, faculty and staff that support their efforts,” said Director of Athletics Wendell Staton. “We strive for academic, social, and athletic success, and this national recognition is another positive sign of excellence along the path towards ‘Graduating Champions for Life.’ I am thrilled for our student-athletes to be recognized for their outstanding work.”
The 93% mark is a three-percent increase over last year’s report for Georgia College.

The ASR is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial collegiate enrollment and includes virtually all Division II student-athletes.

Unlike the federal rate, the Division II ASR includes nearly 34,000 non-scholarship student-athletes and accounts for those who transfer to a Division II school after initial enrollment elsewhere, while removing student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible. The national ASR for the four cohorts of student-athletes who entered college from 2010 to 2013 is 73%.

The full list of award recipients is available here.