Kudos to SPU’s student athletes

For the ninth consecutive year, the student-athletes of Seattle Pacific University have earned an elite national recognition.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association found, yet again, that the Falcons’ 13 varsity sports teams are collectively among the nation’s highest-achieving athletes in the classroom. The school has earned the NCAA Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence because its athletes have a four-year academic success rate of 90% or better, for the ninth year running.

SPU is among only 11 schools in the country to earn the Presidents’ Award in every year the distinction has been given. Only one other West Coast school is in the same rarefied group, University of California San Diego. This honor indicates a remarkable dedication by the school to keep student priorities focused on academic achievement, even while benefiting from the camaraderie and cooperative spirit of participating in collegiate spots.

SPU President Daniel Martin and Athletic Director Jackson Stava deserve credit for ensuring that academics remain at the forefront of the student-athlete equation, as do the Falcons of all 13 teams. May they continue to soar in classrooms, courts and fields.