CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Austin Peay State University women's soccer team earned national academic recognition as one of 267 college teams to earn the 2007-08 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award with a team grade-point average of 3.36.

The award is given on a two-semester basis for the previous academic year for teams with a 3.0 GPA or better. It marks the second-straight year, and third overall, the Lady Govs have earned such distinction.

“This recognition is a tremendous achievement for our team,” said Lady Govs head coach Kelley Guth. The members of our team deserve to be recognized for their commitment to their studies and academic success ? to achieve a 3.0 team average with such a large team is just awesome.”

The Lady Govs tallied a 3.387 team GPA during the fall of 2007 along with a 3.372 GPA during the spring of 2008. Guth had 15 players named to the Athletics Director's Honor Roll and the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the academic year.     Three Lady Govs ? Haley Black (business marketing and accounting), Lauren Moon (communication arts, public relations) and Virginia Penner (biology, pre-physical therapy) ? earned the OVC Medal of Honor for a perfect 4.0 GPA.

 “Our expectation for Lady Govs soccer players is that they make a commitment to their studies so that they can meet their long-term goals by earning a degree,” Guth said. “When we learned that we were receiving this award again this year, I felt very proud of our team. They have taken the challenge we have given them and achieved success. I am confident they will continue to strive for excellence in their academic endeavors.

“I do want to thank our Athletic Academic Support Services, especially director Josh Sampson. He, and his support staff, do an outstanding job guiding our student-athletes and assisting them toward their academic goals.” 

-AP-