Dec. 1, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Seven soccer teams from six Patriot League schools achieved team grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher, thereby earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2008-09 academic year. Bucknell was the lone Patriot League school and one just 97 teams in all divisions to have both its men's and women's programs honored with the award. Also recognized were the men's soccer teams from American, Colgate and Lafayette, and the women's squad from Lehigh.

Bucknell's men's team, which won the Patriot League championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, compiled a 3.28 combined GPA. The Bison women's squad, which won 10 games and qualified for the Patriot League Tournament for the fifth straight year, garnered a team GPA of 3.50. Both Bison teams had GPAs ranked in the top 11 among all Division I programs.

American, which finished as the runner-up in the Patriot League Men's Soccer Championship, received the award after posting a team GPA of 3.25. The men's teams from Lafayette and Colgate achieved team GPAs of 3.21 and 3.16, respectively. Lehigh's women's team was awarded the honor after notching a 3.19 team GPA.

A total of 570 men's and women's soccer teams from all divisions posted team grade point averages of 3.0 or higher. Of that total, just 97 schools had both their men's and women's programs recognized.