The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced that 1,677 teams have earned the distinction of NAIA Scholar-Team for the 2016-17 academic year. Six of Texas Wesleyan University’s 16 NAIA sponsored teams were among those who made the grade.

To be considered for the award, a team must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA) – on a 4.0 scale, as defined by the institution. The team GPA includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.

For the Rams, women’s golf, volleyball, women’s soccer, competitive cheer & dance, men’s cross country and softball all made the list. Kevin Millikan’s Women’s Golf Team led the way with a 3.44 team GPA, continuing his program’s streak of five Scholar-Team awards in the program’s five years of existence.

In total, Texas Wesleyan’s 421 varsity athletes posted a cumulative GPA of 2.91.

With six Scholar-Teams recognized, the Rams ranked third amongst institutions out of the Sooner Athletic Conference.  Oklahoma City and John Brown University tied for the lead with 12 teams each.

Texas Wesleyan Athletics had a tremendous season both on the field and in the classroom. In addition to their six Scholar-Teams, 20 athletes were named NAIA Scholar-Athletes (minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA), 57 were named Academic All-Conference (3.25 GPA), and 82 were named to the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll (3.0 GPA in last two semesters). The department also produced seven national champions: Men’s Basketball, Men’s Golf (Individual), and Table Tennis (Coed Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles).