ST. LOUIS - - Belmont University has been awarded the 2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference All-Academic Award, the league office announced Monday.

During the 2023-24 academic year, Belmont student-athletes posted a 3.582 grade-point average, placing ahead of Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Drake.
 
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 21 of the last 23 academic years. It marks the 12th straight crown for Belmont, who claimed the honor every year of its membership in the Ohio Valley Conference (2012-22).

"Inquiry and a transformational mindset are central to Belmont's mission, vision and values, and our student-athletes personify this commitment in their personal growth, service and academic achievement," said Belmont President Greg Jones. "It is truly remarkable how Belmont has earned far-reaching, national success on the field of play in NCAA Division I all while serving as a gold standard in every academic metric. We celebrate this latest honor and look forward to cheering on our student-athletes in the coming year."
 
"Student-athlete success inspires and sustains our athletic department," said Belmont Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Corley. "Belmont is committed to a first-class student-athlete experience; one where every student-athlete can realize their dreams athletically and academically while growing in their personal faith. Belmont student-athletes have established a standard of academic excellence that is both astounding and enviable, placing us among the most prestigious universities in NCAA Division I."

For the 2024 spring semester, 88 percent of eligible Belmont student-athletes posted a 3.0 grade-point average or higher, with a two-thirds earning a 3.5 GPA or higher.

The departmental grade-point average (GPA) was 3.566, which marked the 53^rd 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, with 44 garnering MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honors.

In fact, 34 Belmont student-athletes carried a perfect 4.0 GPA for the 2023-24 academic year:

• Josie Arant, women's golf
• Hannah Ash, cheerleading
• Ella Bertucci, softball
• Joe Bultman, men's golf
• Clara Crain, women's cross country and track & field
• Diego Castro, men's tennis
• AJ Elliott, men's soccer
• Baie Ensio, softball
• Alexa Fortman, women's cross country and track & field
• Brooke Garter, women's cross country and track & field
• Delia Gibbs, women's golf
• Vesa Gjinaj, women's tennis
• Paige Hammarstrom, women's golf
• Brodey Heaton, baseball
• Tuti Jones, women's basketball
• Sam Kirkpatrick, baseball
• Abbi Legg, women's soccer
• Rachel McBride, volleyball
• Emory Moore, women's track & field
• Ally Peterson, volleyball
• Cade Rogers, baseball
• Hana Sokolovic, women's tennis
• Rachel Soukup, women's cross country and track & field
• Dru Stanton, men's soccer
• Liz Suder, women's basketball
• Anna Sweeney, women's soccer
• Lillie Tabor, women's soccer
• Chloe Tarkany, women's golf
• Holli Teige, cheerleading
• Sarah Utley, women's golf
• Nicola van der Merwe, women's track & field
• Kaitlyn Vanderkolk, women's cross country and track & field
• Carson Wasemiller, women's cross country and track & field
• Jack Zettl, men's cross country and track & field

Belmont University athletic teams also performed among the nation's best in the annual NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate report.

Belmont's 17 sponsored sports averaged a remarkable 993 out of 1000 APR score, with six teams recording perfect 1000 scores.
 
In December, Belmont ranked first in the Missouri Valley Conference with a graduation success rate of 98 percent, which tied for sixth among all Division I institutions - joining the likes of Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Bucknell, Villanova, Duke, Northwestern, and Notre Dame. 
 
This marks the 10th-straight year that Belmont has finished in the top-20 nationally.

Men's basketball student-athlete Isaiah Walker was named 2023-24 NCAA Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year while women's basketball ranked No. 5 nationally in team grade-point average at 3.803.
 
Belmont is the only institution in NCAA Division I whose men's and women's basketball programs have won 20 or more games in nine consecutive seasons.
 

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 U.S. News & World Report for innovation in higher education, the University offers more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master's programs and eight 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 www.belmont.edu.