ARLINGTON, Texas – For the fourth straight academic year, Utah Valley University claimed at least a share of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Academic Excellence Award as the outright winner of the 2023-24 honor.
 
The award recognizes exemplary performance in the classroom by conference members during a given academic year and is determined by a point system and presented to the institution(s) that performs the best in the following areas: the average grade-point average (GPA) for each undergraduate student-athlete, the average GPA of each undergraduate student body compared to the average GPA of an institution's student-athletes and the most recent two-year average of institutional Academic Progress Rate scores.
 
“I am proud of our student-athletes for putting in the work in the classroom,” Utah Valley Director of Athletics Dr. Jared Sumsion said. “At Utah Valley University we focus on competing in the classroom, in competition, in the community and in life. There is a reason why competing in the classroom is listed first—it is our top priority.
 
“In addition to our student-athletes’ dedication to their studies, I also want to thank our athletic staff for making their success their number one priority,” Sumsion added.
 
Utah Valley earned a fourth consecutive academic excellence award after boasting a cumulative 3.45 department GPA across 16 varsity sports. Utah Valley student-athletes registered a GPA that was 0.18 points above the university’s overall undergraduate average. The Wolverines have posted an average institutional APR of 985 over the past two recorded academic years, including a score of 992 in 2022-23.
 
WAC Academic Excellence Award Winners:
 
2023-24 – Utah Valley
 
2022-23 – Abilene Christian and Utah Valley
 
2021-22 – Utah Valley
 
2020-21 – Seattle U and Utah Valley
 
2019-20 – Seattle U
 
2018-19 – Grand Canyon
 
2017-18 – Grand Canyon
 
2016-17 – Kansas City