NAIA RELEASE

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (MadonnaCrusaders.com) - - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced Tuesday (July 27) its 2009-10 Scholar Team list and eight Madonna University athletic programs were among the record 857 honored nation wide.

"We are extremely proud of the academic success our student-athletes continue to achieve," said Madonna University Athletic Director Bryan Rizzo following the announcement. "This is a clear reflection of the emphasis our coaches place on the importance of getting an education and being a student first.  This is a well-deserved honor for each team."

Women's cross country led the way with a 3.56 cumulative grade point average followed by women's basketball and its 3.49 GPA. Men's cross country and women's soccer both posted a 3.32 GPA while the three-time defending Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) champion softball program boasts a 3.26 team GPA. Volleyball recorded a 3.12 mark to go along with a 3.08 GPA from women's golf and a 3.06 mark from men's golf to round out MU's selections. Both men's and women's golf captured their respective WHAC titles last fall as well.

For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar Team awards, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0) scale as defined by the institution. The team grade point average must include all varsity student-athletes certified as eligible.

During the 2009-10 school year the student-athletes on Madonna University's 11 teams posted a 3.06 cumulative GPA while taking 4,337 credit hours during the fall and winter semesters. Crusader student-athletes have a cumulative career GPA of 3.12 and have attempted 9,321 credit hours.

Contact: Patrick Moore (734) 432-5834 - Madonna University Athletics
Contact: Jamie Adams (jadams@naia.org) - NAIA